Does anybody know whether indians have a lower rate of Cancer?

There is no one factor that causes or prevents cancer (although not smoking will reduce your risk of certain types of cancer). India has the highest rates in the world of certain types of cancer, so there may be environmental, dietary or other factors at work there:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC546104/

India has some of the highest cancer rates in the world:

http://www.bmj.com/content/330/7485/215.4.extract

''Parts of India have the world's highest incidence of cancers of the gall bladder, mouth, and lower pharynx, India's first cancer atlas shows...

The atlas, produced by the Indian Council of Medical Research, has also found pockets of stomach and thyroid cancer in the south of the country.''

Turmeric does indeed have a number of amazing properties, seems most effective in treating skin disorders. Cancer is less than perfectly understood, though for skin cancer among other skin issues Turmeric has been shown effective.

My stepfather died at age 42 of stomach cancer; he was of Indian descent. Although he was raised in Trinidad, he ate mostly a traditional Indian diet ie. lots of curry dishes. I had read that there were
actually higher incidences of cancer - particularly stomach cancers in the Indian population...as well
as some other Asian populations.

It's really easy to misapply data ie. if a group of Englishmen eating dishes with tumeric all seem to not
be getting certain cancers, and they all give credit to tumeric - it might not be the tumeric inasmuch the particular group is just overall more health conscious and the tumeric is just a kind of example
how they pay attention to things rather than the thing itself. India itself is a large populous country, and with all its poverty and the marketing there of tobacco...I would tend to be very skeptical of them having less cancers due to tumeric...

Cancer rates in India are considerably lower than those in more developed countries such as the United States.Data from population based cancer registries in India show that the most frequently reported cancer sites in males are lung, oesophagus, stomach, and larynx. In females, cancers of the cervix, breast, ovary, and oesophagus are the most commonly encountered.In India, the incidence of breast cancer is increasing, with an estimated 80,000 new cases diagnosed annually. The incidence of breast cancer increased by approximately 50% between 1965 and 1985. Much of this increase may be associated with greater urbanization and improved life expectancy.
Whats wrong with India? Theydon’t exercise much, and we eat a lot of fatty food. At one time because of more poverty, people were forced to walk long distances, and consume a simple diet. And people were wiry, and thin. Perhaps that is why people still feel that being plump is a sign of good health and prosperity. Eating fried foods and not exercising has always been considered desirable. Desi ghee (clarified butter), dried fruits, pakodas (stuffed and fried lentil dish) …have it all for that was needed for health! But aspiring for it is one thing, actually eating like that on a regular basis is a recipe for disaster.

I heard they do. Scientists believe it is because of increased curry and cumin in their foods.