The Hindu festival of Thaipusam offers a much photographed spectacle of Indian ethnic identity. But behind this gathering are more difficult questions about the conditions of the community in the post-colonial period. Just over a decade ago, the Hindraf mass gathering shocked observers and politicians alike. Today we talk to Arumugan Kalimuthu, author of “March 8” and political activist, and Tasman Adrian, Youth Chief for Batu Constituency for the PPP, to explore if so-called “Indian issues” are best understood within an identity or class framework. And if the national dilemma over inequality - wealth as well as income - is the one pressing concern that Indians share with their fellow Malaysians.

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