The Indian Community in the Czech Republic

Numerically speaking, the Indian community is one of the smallest minority groups in the Czech Republic. However, in recent years their presence has become more visible, due in part to the growth of Indian restaurants and increasing local awareness of India’s many cultures, traditions, and customs.

It would be unfair to reduce the 500-strong community just to food. According to the Indian embassy, the majority of Indian people here are professionals. They work for companies in the manufacturing and information technology sector.

“The Czech Republic has a lot to offer. There is culture and history, and it’s a good place to raise a child,” he said. Being the father of a seven year old, Malik should know.

Having a Czech spouse is obviously an advantage in terms of assimilating. Expats from other nations already know this. When you marry into a Czech family, it can give you a foothold, not to mention a chance to learn the language.

Malik doesn’t think that language is the only key. He said, “language is never a barrier. It’s you yourself.” He went on to explain that it a person’s approach will influence how they interact in their new home.

Sanjeev Wadehra has been in the Czech Republic since the nineties. Coming from a hospitality background, Wadehra chose the Czech Republic because he saw an opportunity to start an Indian restaurant since at the time the city had only three others. He also took over the Savic Hotel and the Restaurace u Dominíka in 1995.

Wadehra found Czech essential in the early days of his stay. “When I came, I didn’t understand a word of Czech, other than dobrý den. The people in the offices didn’t speak English.”  Since then, he has learned. His son, who has been here since he was six, is fluent, and the two sometimes speak Czech together.

Over time, Mr. Wadehra has seen little change in the government offices, in that he still needs Czech to deal with them. As for ordinary people, he is more positive. “The coming generation is quite well educated. They speak English.”

He admits that he experienced some xenophobia when he first arrived. Now, the situation has improved.  “What I can see, it’s not a problem. The Czech market can see that if we have a business we are giving employment to a lot of people. All together I have 35 people here. With the time it’s changing,” he said.

Jayant Sarkar is a relative newcomer to Prague. He spent some time here in 2006 then returned in 2010 after a stay in London to open The Pind. “I thought to myself, let’s open up a restaurant in Prague. My view is that Prague needs some good Indian food. It’s not easy to find in Prague. Or there are some Indian restaurants, but they are really expensive.”

For Sarkar, speaking Czech is perhaps not as important. His staff is Indian and his clientele mostly expat. That Sarkar can live here and use English is also an indication of how much Prague has changed since the nineties.

All three men retain connections to their roots both in terms of language and faith. Sarkar said, “I’m Indian, I am Hindu. I respect the culture and my religion.”

For Wadehra, maintaining his faith is also important. He said, “As a Hindu, I pray every morning.” The lack of a Hindu temple in Prague is not an impediment to worship. “God is in your heart. We don’t have to go to the temple or church.”

Malik shared this personal view. He said, “In my heart I’m always Indian.”

Wadehra thinks that now is a boom time for Indian food in Prague, but the growth has been slow. While expats have contributed to this in part, he thinks that it has also come from local demand. The proof of this is that not all the restaurants are located in the tourist areas.

This is just a snapshot of what Prague has to offer in terms of Indian dining. Which one is the tastiest or the most authentic is going to be a lengthy debate. As for where Indian people chose to dine, Sarkar said he suspected most probably cooked at home.

Zahid Rashid, one of the owners of Shalamar, said that they get a lot of expats, especially British people, as well as Czechs who are vegetarian.

You don’t have to wait for these special events to experience Indian culture. The Embassy of India’s Cultural Center has courses on traditional Indian dance, Bollywood dance and Yoga.

As ever, we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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