Kutchi people

Kutchi people
કચ્છી ڪڇي कच्छी
Total population
c. 1 million[1]
Regions with significant populations
India, Pakistan
Languages
Kutchi
Additionally: Gujarati, Hindi-Urdu, or Sindhi
Religion
Hinduism, Islam, Jainism
Related ethnic groups
Indo-Aryan peoples

The Kutchi people (Kutchi and Gujarati: કચ્છી (Gujarati script); Sindhi: ڪڇي (Perso-Arabic); कच्छी (Devanagari)) traditionally hail from the Kutch district of the western Indian state of Gujarat and the Sindh region of Pakistan.[2]

History

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Some of the Kutchi people of India converted from Hinduism to Islam in the 15th century A.D., largely through the efforts of Saiyid Abdullah.[3] The Kutchi Memons were encouraged to spread throughout India, though many remained in Kutch.[3]

Kutchis, being a part of the Indian diaspora, have maintained their traditions abroad; in 1928, Kutchi Hindus in Nairobi held a Swaminarayan procession in which 1200 people attended.[4]

The Kutchis have been living in southern part Sindh, today called Kutch, for decades.[2]

Notable Kutchi people

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Shyamji Krishna Varma
Azim Premji
Vipul Shah

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "2011 Census tables: C-16, population by mother tongue". Census of India Website. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Is Kutchi Rabita Committee any good in a peaceful Lyari?". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b Srinivas, Smriti (2001). Landscapes of Urban Memory: The Sacred and the Civic in India's High-Tech City. University of Minnesota Press. p. 280. ISBN 978-1-4529-0489-4.
  4. ^ Williams, Raymond Brady (8 November 2018). Introduction to Jethalal Hinduism. Cambridge University Press. p. 220. ISBN 978-1-108-42114-0.
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