Tili (caste)
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| • India | |
| Bihar | 17,579 (0.0134% of the population of Bihar)[1] |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
Tili is a Bengali Hindu middle-ranking caste, found in the state of Bihar and West Bengal in India.[2][3] By the late nineteenth century they were one of the fourteen castes belonging to 'Nabasakh' group in Bengal.[4]
History and origin
[edit]The Tili caste belongs to West Bengal and Bihar. Tilis speak in Angika and Bengali. Tilis are now found mainly in Bhagalpur and Banka District of Bihar, and also in Bankura, Hooghly and Midnapore districts of West Bengal.[5] According to Ramkrishna Mukherjee, some Bengali Telis are gradually converting their caste to Tili.[6]
By the second half of the nineteenth century, Tili became a symbol of higher status among the Telis. Trade and cultivation were the occupations of the dissident Telis or Tilis in the sixteenth century as testified by Chandimangalkavya. In south-western Bengal, the Tilis appeared to have become cocoon bearers and traders. In the nineteenth century, the Tilis had become one of the foremost mercantile communities of Bengal. The Rays of Bhagyakul, the Nandis of Kasimbazar (Murshidabad), the Kundu Chowdhuris of Mahiari (Howrah), De Chowdhuris of Ranaghat gained affluence through trade and moneylendling, and became landholders. The Pal Chaudhuris of Ranaghat (Nadia) ran indigo factories. They became a major beneficiary of the economic changes made by the British government and British commercial interests who had converted Bengal into a vast market ready to supply raw materials to England.[7][8]
Social status
[edit]Tilis was included in the list of 177 "backward classes" for the state of West Bengal by Mandal Commission, but the state government has not yet recognised them as such, and they still belong to General category.[9][10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "List of caste wise population of Bihar". live Hindustan. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
- ^ Guha, Ayan (2022). The Curious Trajectory of Caste in West Bengal Politics: Chronicling Continuity and Change. BRILL. pp. 124, 128.
- ^ Gupta, Swarupa (2009). Notions of Nationhood in Bengal: Perspectives on Samaj, c. 1867-1905. BRILL. p. 177.
- ^ Sanyal, Hitesranjan (1981). Social Mobility in Bengal. Papyrus. p. 115.
- ^ Guha, Ayan (2022-09-26). The Curious Trajectory of Caste in West Bengal Politics: Chronicling Continuity and Change. BRILL. pp. 128–129. ISBN 978-90-04-51456-0.
- ^ Mukherjee, Ramkrishna (1957). The Dynamics of a Rural Society. Popular Prakashan. p. 108.
- ^ Bhaumik, Sudarshana (2022-08-26). The Changing World of Caste and Hierarchy in Bengal: Depiction from the Mangalkavyas c. 1700–1931. Taylor & Francis. p. 197. ISBN 978-1-000-64143-1.
- ^ Sanyal, Hitesranjan (1981). Social Mobility in Bengal. Papyrus. pp. 100–01.
- ^ "Bengal govt wary of implementing Mandal report,says OBC group". The Indian Express. 2010-01-10. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
- ^ "Exclusive: Mamata's big caste gamble in TMC manifesto". India Today. Retrieved 2023-05-21.