Deshi People
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Deshi ( Bengali-Assamese: দেশী) or Uzani ( Bengali-Assamese: উজানী) people are an indigenous Muslim community residing mostly in
Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
and other parts of eastern India. The Deshi Muslim people can be found in
Meghalaya Meghalaya (; "the abode of clouds") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeast India. Its capital is Shillong. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the Assam: the United Khasi Hills an ...
,
North Bengal North Bengal ( , Uttar Banga) is a cross-border cultural–geographic region consisting of the north-western areas of Bangladesh as well as the northern part of the West Bengal state of India. Bounded to the east by the Jamuna and in the south ...
, eastern
Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
,
Rangpur Rangpur may refer to: Places In Bangladesh *Rangpur Division, one of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. *Rangpur District, district of Bangladesh in Rangpur Division. *Rangpur, Bangladesh, metropolis and a major city in northern ...
and
Bogura Bogra (), officially Bogura, is a city located in Bogra District, Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh. The city is a major commercial hub in Northern Bangladesh. It is the second largest city in terms of both area and population in Rajshahi Divisi ...
of
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
. In
West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
and
Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
they are known as Nashya Shaikh. Deshis are Muslim converts from
Koch Koch may refer to: People * Koch (surname), people with this surname * Koch dynasty, a dynasty in Assam and Bengal, north east India * Koch family * Koch people (or Koche), an ethnic group originally from the ancient Koch kingdom in north east In ...
,
Mech In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japanese is more inclusive ...
or other indigenous communities. In July, 2022, the
Government of Assam The Government of Assam or Assam Government abbreviated as GoAS, is the Subnational legislature, state government of the Indian state of Assam. It consists of the Governors of states of India, Governor appointed by the President of India as th ...
gave them recognition as an "Indigenous Assamese Muslims" community vide an Order. The community is categorized as General category in Assam and OBC West Bengal.


History

The Deshi (literal meaning: ''local or original'') community identifies themselves as the original ethnic inhabitant of this land similar to the other tribal communities. They belonged to a range of indigenous communities, such as Koch, Rabha, Mech, Garo, Nath, Yogi. Deshi community is one of the old ethnic groups of Assam. It has the recorded history dates back to 13th century, some quarter century prior to the arrival of Chaolung Sukaphaa, the founder of Ahom dynasty. Ali Mech is said to be the first person of the community and he led the native force during Bakhtiyar Khalji's Tibet campaign in 1205. Deshi Muslims are the descendants of Ali Mech. The group once known as Koch Muslim. They are homogeneous with the Koch Rajbongshi people and are bi-linguistic speaking both Assamese language and Kamatapuri language. Most other conversions took place during the 16th-century, when the lower-class Koch and Mech people unable to find a respectable position in the newly formed
Koch kingdom The Kamata Kingdom ; in the eastern Sivalik Hills, emerged in western Kamarupa probably when Sandhya, a ruler of Kamarupanagara, moved his capital west to Kamatapur sometime after 1257 CE. Since it originated in the old seat of the Kamarup ...
(1515 - 1956) switched to Islam. The conversion of Kamata ruler Chakradhvaj (1455-1485) to Islam popularized this religion among the local people. Assam’s Deshi Muslims, around 21 lakh in number, are spread across the districts of Bongaigaon, Chirang, Dhubri, Goalpara, Kokrajhar, Kamrup, South Salmara-Mankachar, and Kamrup (Metro).  They belonged to a range of indigenous Assamese communities, such as Koch, Rabha, Mech, Garo, Nath, Yogi and Kalita.


Deshi Muslim on Government Records


The 1881 Census of India

"Those who have been converted to
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
have been absorbed in the great fraternity of that religion, while those who have not accepted Mahammedanism, are to all intents and purposes low caste Hindoos… there is clear evidence they were once a very numerous race, and the kingdom they ruled for two centuries comprised the Bengal districts of Dinagpore and the districts of Kamrup and Gowalpara in Assam. Their power was broken up about the year 1750, A.D….. Their unmistakable darkness of colour is found very largely to this day in Rungpore and Dinajpore, and they have supplied the great majority of the converts to Mahammedism in those districts. None of them have returned their mother tongue as
Koch Koch may refer to: People * Koch (surname), people with this surname * Koch dynasty, a dynasty in Assam and Bengal, north east India * Koch family * Koch people (or Koche), an ethnic group originally from the ancient Koch kingdom in north east In ...
. They have long since abandoned that for
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
, and the inhabitants of Koch Behar have adopted the same fashion." (Report on the Census of British India taken on 17 February 1881, Page 211). "The Koch ... people, who once had a religion and language of their own, have completely abandoned their language and have either been converted to Islam or have become low caste Hindoos, affording a striking example of the way in which Hindooism is replenished.  (Report on the Census of British India taken on 17 February 1881, Page 296).


‘A Statistical Account of Assam’ Vol-II Pub.1879

W.W. Hunter was the Director General of Statistics of British India. In his book ''A Statistical Account of Assam’ Vol-II'' published in 1879, page 31 mentioned Musalman Koch. He said, "The total of the Kochs has been considerably reduced by the exclusion of a number of Musalman Kochs, who had been erroneously included; and the total of the ' unspecified ' Muhammadans has been correspondingly augmented." The present Deshi Muslims are the descendants of those Musalman Koch as mentioned by Hunter. In
West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
, the Deshi Muslims are known as Nashya Shaikh or Nashya Sekh. Their origin to the indigenous communities of
Koch people The Koch are a small trans-border ethnic group of Assam and Meghalaya in India and northern Bangladesh. The group consists of nine matrilineal and strictly exogamous clans, with some of them preserving a hitherto sparsely documented Boro-Gar ...
of northern
West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
and
Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
, some of them are also from
Mech In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japanese is more inclusive ...
community. They are culturally and linguistically similar to both people of northern Bangladesh and the erstwhile
Goalpara Goalpara ) is a city and the district headquarters of Goalpara district, Assam, India. It is situated to the west of Guwahati. Etymology The name Goalpara is said to have originated from the word "Gwaltippika" meaning Guwali village, or "the ...
district of
Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
. A small number of the community are also found in the neighboring state of
Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
, where they are known as the Bengali Shaikh. The group is descended from a set of tribals which were collectively referred to as Koches, who converted to Islam as they were unable to find a favourable position in Hindu society and came to be known as the Rajbanshi Muslims. They are homogeneous with the
Koch people The Koch are a small trans-border ethnic group of Assam and Meghalaya in India and northern Bangladesh. The group consists of nine matrilineal and strictly exogamous clans, with some of them preserving a hitherto sparsely documented Boro-Gar ...
and are bilingual, speaking both
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
and
Surjapuri Surjapuri is an Indo-Aryan language of the Bengali-Assamese branch, spoken in Eastern India including some eastern parts of Purnia division of Bihar, parts of Uttar Dinajpur district in West Bengal and Goalpara Division of Assam in India, as wel ...
. The Nashya still retain many cultural traits of their pre-Islamic past. For instance the reverence of ''pirs'' was a continuation of their previous beliefs. Most people of the community are non-practicing Muslims though the newer generations are becoming increasing Islamic due to globalization. From historic evidence, it seems a segment of the population of northern
Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
began to convert to Islam when the region fell under the control of
Bakhtiyar Khilji Ikhtiyār al-Dīn Muḥammad Bin Bakhtiyār Khaljī, also known as Bakhtiyar Khalji, was a Turko-Afghan Military General of the Ghurid ruler Muhammad of Ghor, who led the Muslim conquests of the eastern Indian regions of Bengal and parts of Bi ...
. Some of the earliest converts were the chiefs Ali Mech and Kala Pahar.


Language

The language of Deshi Muslim is known as 'Deshi Bhasa’. There are some slight variations in the Deshi Bhasa as one move from one district to another. The Deshi Bhasa have five dialects in Assam-Barbondi, Mahendragonji, Bausia, Ghullia and Jhaarue. The Deshi Bhasha is known differently in various states in government documents. In Assam, it is vaguely called as Goalpariya. In
Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
and West Bengal it is known as
Surjapuri Surjapuri is an Indo-Aryan language of the Bengali-Assamese branch, spoken in Eastern India including some eastern parts of Purnia division of Bihar, parts of Uttar Dinajpur district in West Bengal and Goalpara Division of Assam in India, as wel ...
. The Deshi Bhasa is closely related to neighbouring Assamese and Rajbanshi, as well as many other
Indo-Aryan languages The Indo-Aryan languages, or sometimes Indic languages, are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. As of 2024, there are more than 1.5 billion speakers, primarily concentrated east ...
of Assam including the
Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
. The nouns in Deshi language takes or ias suffix to indicate feminine gender. If the noun ends in a vowel, it replaces the vowel with if in consonant it suffixes ias feminine marker. For example,


Culture

The Deshi Muslim community have a rich and distinct culture of their own. They have their folk song and literature. These can be mostly seen during the festivals and marriage ceremonies. During the marriage ceremonies, the women folk sings the Deshi song. The Deshi people observe ‘Beshoma’ which is a harvesting festival like
Bihu Bihu is an important cultural festival unique to the Indian state of Assam and is of three types – 'Rongali' or ' Bohag Bihu' observed in April, 'Kongali' or ' Kati Bihu' observed in October or November, and 'Bhogali' or ' Magh Bihu' observe ...
, and most strikingly they also observe ‘Amaati’ a custom prevalent among Rajbongshis which is related to Ambubachi mela of Kamakhya Temple.


Religion

The Deshi community follow the religion of
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
. They are not rigid in their religious views on Islam.


Organizations

The Deshi Janagosthiya Mancha (DJM) is the lone organization which represent the community in Assam.


See also

*
Miya people The Miya people, alternatively identified as ''Na-Asamiya'' by themselves, denote the progeny of Bengali Muslim migrants originating from the contemporary Rangpur District, Rajshahi, and Cumilla Divisions. These individuals established residenc ...


In Media

The Print, Electronic and Social Media are now covering the Deshi community which was in non-existent earlier. # https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-who-are-assam-indigenous-muslims-8022121/ # https://scroll.in/article/1035284/they-were-officially-declared-indigenous-to-assam-then-they-were-asked-to-prove-their-citizenship # https://www.deccanherald.com/india/5-muslim-groups-in-assam-to-get-indigenous-community-status-to-protect-identity-from-other-bengali-speaking-muslims-1124227.html # https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/assam-cabinet-approves-census-of-native-muslims/articleshow/105849216.cms # https://hubnetwork.in/assam-govt-begins-identification-of-indigenous-muslims/ # https://scroll.in/article/864299/we-dont-want-to-be-identified-in-the-name-of-our-religion-say-assams-indigenous-desi-muslims # https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-who-are-assam-indigenous-muslims-8022121/ # https://newsonair.gov.in/assam-to-conduct-socio-economic-survey-of-indigenous-muslim-communities/


References

{{Reflist Ethnic groups in Assam Muslim ethnoreligious groups Indigenous peoples of South Asia