The Tuntia, or sometimes pronounced Tutia, is a Muslim community found in the state of West Bengal in India. They are also known as Tute and are a community of Bengali-speaking peasant farmers. [1]
The community are said to have gotten their name from the Bengali word for mulberry, which is tut. There traditional occupation was the rearing of mulberry silk, although most are now small to medium-sized farmers. The Tuntia are said to be converts from the Kabairtta caste, although there exact circumstances of their conversion of in unclear. They speak Bengali among themselves and with outsiders. The Tuntia are found almost entirely in the district of Midnapore, and in particular in the villages of Hatiahalka, Cherua, Ramnagar, Balihat, Uttar Simla, Bashripat, Rajar Bagan, Ranipatna Binodihi, Gollasai, Maheshpur, Murakata, Kharkusma, Garhbeta, Srinagar, Piardanga and Gopalpur. [2]
The Tuntia have given up their traditional occupation of cultivating mulberry, and are now mainly small-scale farmers. They now grow mainly paddy, wheat, tomatoes, potatoes and brijnal. They are strictly endogamous, and marry close kin.
The Patua are an artisan community found in the state of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha in India and parts of Bangladesh. Some Patuas are Hindus, while others are Muslims. Hindu Patuas are active in the Kalighat and Kumartuli regions of Calcutta, along with some other parts of West Bengal, where they are reduced in number. It is believed that most Patuas are actually converts from Hinduism to Islam. Today, they practice customs that are both Hindu and Islamic in nature. They may have also been Buddhist at various points in time. Today, however, the majority of them are impoverished Muslims who rely on patronage from mainly Hindus, but also increasingly from tourists who buy their painted scrolls, as Frank J. Korom has described and analysed in his book Village of Painters: Narrative Scrolls from West Bengal.
The Ghosi are a Muslim community found mainly in North India.
The Momin Qassar are a South Asian community traditionally involved in washing clothes. They are considered to be Muslim converts from the Hindu Dhobi caste, and are found in North India and Pakistan. The community is also known as Charhoa and Gazar in Pakistan and Momin Qassar in India. They also use surname as "Hawari".
The Thakurai are a Muslim Rajput community found in the state of Bihar in India. They are mostly concentrated around Champaran district and the surrounding region. A small number are also found in the Terai region of Nepal.
The Sai or sometimes pronounced Sayee are a Muslim community found in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in India. They are also known as the Sain.
The Nat are a Muslim community found in North India. A few are also found in the Terai region of Nepal. They are Muslim converts from the Hindu Nat caste.
The Abdal are a Muslim community found in North India. They are a sub-group within the Arabic old shekh community. They are related to the Abdal of Turkey, because some of them went to Iran in Khorasan, from there some went to Central Anatolia with the Seljuq dynasty.
The Faqir are a Muslim ethnic group in India. They are also known as Syed, Alvi, Shah, Sain Pir, Dewan Saheb, Miya Shah, Shah Saheb, Dewan Baba in India, Shah is now their preferred self-designation and in West Bengal they are called as Shahji. Faqirs cast of Syed community is evident in the Deccan Region of Telangana State. Since the people of this community are the descendants of Sufi Saints belonging to Syeds lineage, is traced to Ali, so they are called as Syed, Shah, Mir, Shah-Diwan and by other surnames. They are also venerated as pir or peer saheb. Some Muslims also visit the holy shrines of Sufi Saint or peer fakir. They are respected in Muslims like Brahmins in Hindus. Some live in the Terai region of Nepal.
The Chhaparband are a Muslim community found in the states of Karnataka and Maharashtra in India. They are Muslim converts from the Hindu Chhaparband community.
The Saiqalgar are a Muslim community found in the state of Maharashtra in India.
The Nashya Shaikh or Nashya Sekh(Bengali: নইস্য শেখ) is a Muslim community found in northern parts of the state of West Bengal in India. They are culturally and linguistically similar to both people of northern Bangladesh and Goalpara of Assam. A small number of the community are also found in the neighboring state of Bihar, where they are known as the Bengali Shaikh. These people are more commonly known as Rajbongshi Muslims. The Nashya are considered to be an important indigenous group found in northern West Bengal. They are homogeneous with the Koch Rajbongshi people and are bi-linguistic speaking both Bengali language and Kamatapuri language.
The Bedia are a community of Bihar; they believe that they originally lived on Mohdipahar and have descended from the union of a Vedbansi prince with a Munda girl.
The Lodha Muslim are a tribal or Adivasi community found in the state of West Bengal in India. They are Muslim tribe.
The Kahar are a Muslim community found in north east India and Bangladesh. They are a community of palanquin bearers and agriculturists, and are Muslim converts from the Hindu Kahar caste. The Kahar are also known as Sardars, especially in Murshidabad District.
The Kan, also known as Khalifa, are a Muslim community native to Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal.
The Mal Muslims are a Muslim community found in north east India and Bangladesh. They are a Muslim converts from the Hindu Mal caste. The community is also known as Besati Mal or Churiwala. Mal Muslim are listed as Other Backward Classes by the Government of India and Government of West Bengal.
The Nekari are a Muslim community found in north east India.
The Sapuria are a Muslim community found in the state of West Bengal in India, as well as in Bangladesh. They are also known as Bedia Mal and Sanpui.
The Kela are a Hindu community found in the state of Gujarat & Rajasthan in India. They are also known as Dhat Maheshwari.
Nirdhi Bhil or sometimes pronounced as Nilde Bhil are a Muslimcommunity found mainly at the base of the Satmalas hills in the Jamner and Pachora subdivisions of Jalgaon District in Maharashtra, India. They are Adivasi, being one of the main sub-groups within the larger Bhil tribe. Their customs are similar to other Muslim Bhil sub-groups, and there are cases of intermarriage between the two groups. However, the two groups are geographically divided. Little is known as to the exact circumstances as to their conversion to Islam, but like the some bhil, it is said to have occurred during the rule of the Faruki kings. Satmalas hills formed part of the territory the Faruqi kingdom, a medieval state in central India. A close association had developed between the Bhil of this region, and the Faruqi state led to the conversion of many of them to Islam.