Kuala Lampur, Nov. 27 -- It is a privilege to distance oneself from their "Indianness".

Over the past few months, while interviewing young Malaysian Indians for IMAN Research, I noticed a recurring theme. For many Indian youths, the sense of belonging and wanting to fit in has meant ostracising this part of us that makes us so uniquely us - being Indian. The reality is that for many Malaysian Indians, being Indian is a stigma. The othering of the self was a common factor that came up in these conversations, but looking beyond the surface, it is clear that within the Indian community, we have not really moved away from colonial mindsets.

The negative connotations of being labelled as gangsters and criminals, alcoholics and angry people a...