Brij Vikash Lal, better known as Brij V. Lal, is a well-known historian of the Indian diaspora. Descendant of an indentured migrant, Lal was born and brought up in the Fiji Islands, which forms the theme and background of much of his critical studies. Being nurtured in the cultural ecology of Indian-Fijian society, he inherited diaspora history in his blood. His own experience as an Indian Fijian, his knowledge of the history of his community, the gradual unfolding of ethnic and political crises in the adopted country, and his banishment from Fiji in 2009 for criticizing the ruling political regime shaped his personal views. It made him a distinguished historian of his diasporic community and of Fiji and the entire Pacific zone.