Indian businesses and services in Manila, Philippines

Manila's Indian community is small and spread out, and it has no Little India. Much of it traces back to Sindhi and Punjabi families who came as traders and merchants during the twentieth century and stayed, building garment, retail, trading and lending businesses. More recent arrivals include professionals in outsourcing, banking and multinational companies, as well as a large number of students, particularly in medicine.

The main religious institutions are in Paco, in the City of Manila, where a Sikh gurdwara on United Nations Avenue and a Hindu temple just off it double as community centres for festivals and gatherings. Outside Paco, the community is spread across Metro Manila, and Indian grocery stores and restaurants are found mainly in business districts such as Makati, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig and Ortigas, and in larger malls.

Because the community is dispersed, temples and associations are the most reliable way to find out about events. Diwali, Holi and Vaisakhi are celebrated mostly within the community, at the temples, in hotels and in rented halls. Metro Manila traffic is slow, so it makes sense to visit Paco, or shops in a business district other than your own, on a weekend morning when the roads are clearer, or to use the rail lines where they run close by.