It is often stated that demography changes through three processes: fertility, mortality and migration. In demographic terms, then, the last criterion of migration makes the twentieth century a remarkable period. Large-scale movements of people across the globe have impacted the socioeconomic dynamics of many countries in unprecedented ways, which in turn have led to the birth of new experiences, perspectives and attitudes to life and their examination with regard to the politics of identity and location. The ‘migrant’ as a term is a floating signifier, as there exists no universally accepted definition for it. The term migrant is usually understood to cover all cases where the decision to migrate is taken freely by the individual/s for reasons of ‘personal convenience’ and without intervention of any external compelling factor. It can therefore describe persons or groups moving to another country or region to better their material or social conditions and improve the prospects for themselves and/or their family. A large section of Indian migrants have flocked – and continue to flock – to america for economic betterment and career prospects, and constitute a large section of the Indian diaspora. According to amitav ghosh, ‘the Indian Diaspora is one of the most important demographic dislocations of modern times [and is] representative of a significant force in global culture.’