Tili is a

Bengali Hindu Bengali Hindus () are adherents of Hinduism who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. They make up the majority in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Assam's Barak Valley ...

middle-ranking

caste A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...

, found in the 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 ...

and

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 ...

in India. By the late nineteenth century Tili was one of the fourteen castes belonging to 'Nabasakh' group in Bengal.

History and origin

The Tili caste belongs to West Bengal and Bihar. Tilis speak in Angika and

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 ...

. Tilis are now found mainly in

Bhagalpur Bhagalpur, historically known as Champapuri, Champa Nagari, is a city in the Indian state of Bihar, situated on the southern bank of the Ganges river. It is the Bihar#Government and administration, third largest city of Bihar by population and ...

and

Banka District Banka is one of the thirty-eight districts of the state of Bihar in India. The district headquarters of Banka is situated in Banka town. The district was established on 21 February 1991. History Banka is the homeland of the revolutionary Sat ...

of Bihar, and also in

Bankura Bankura () is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura district. Etymology It comes from the old Austric word ráŕhá or ráŕho which means “land of red soil”.P.R. Sarkar Rarh - ...

, Hooghly and

Midnapore Medinipur or Midnapore is a city known for its history in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the West Medinipur district. It is situated on the banks of the Kangsabati River (variously known as ''Kasai'' and ''Cossye''). ...

districts of West Bengal. According to Ramkrishna Mukherjee, some Bengali

Teli Teli is a caste traditionally occupied in the oil pressing and trade in India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Members may be either Hindu or Muslim; Muslim Teli are called Roshandaar or Teli Malik. India's Prime minister Narendra Modi is from Teli c ...

s are gradually converting their caste to Tili. 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 The Chandimangal () is an important subgenre of mangalkavya, the most significant genre of medieval Bengali literature. The texts belonging to this subgenre eulogize ''Chandi'' or ''Abhaya'', primarily a folk goddess, but subsequently identified w ...

. 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 Roys of Bhagyakul, the Nandis of Cossimbazar (Murshidabad), the Kundu Chowdhuris of

Mahiari Mahiari is a census town in Domjur (community development block), Domjur CD Block of Howrah Sadar subdivision in Howrah district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. Geography Mahiari is located at . Sankrail is ...

(Howrah), Pal Chowdhuris of

Ranaghat Ranaghat is a city and a municipality in Nadia district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Ranaghat subdivision. It is known for its handloom industry, various types of flowers and floriculture. History After the ...

gained affluence through trade and moneylendling, and became landholders. The Pal Chaudhuris of Ranaghat (Nadia) ran indigo factories. The Dey family of Srerampore rose to prominence by saltpeter trade. Dayaram Roy, initially a diwan, acquired large estate and founded the

Dighapatia Raj Dighapatia Raj (sometimes called ''Dighapatia Raj Paribar'' literally ''Dighapatia Royal Family'') was a zamindari in present-day Rajshahi, which was ruled by this dynasty of 7 generations of Rajas from early 18th century till the mid-20th centur ...

, partly by his unjust stewardship. The Pramaniks of

Shantipur Shantipur is a city and a municipality in the Ranaghat subdivision of Nadia district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. The fort area of this city, also known as Daak-Garh (calling or gathering room) is thought ...

also gained fame for their temple building activities. Tilis became a major beneficiary of the economic changes made by the

British government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

and British commercial interests who had converted Bengal into a vast market ready to supply raw materials to England.

Social status

Tili was included in the list of 177 "backward classes" for the state of

Mandal Commission The Mandal Commission or the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission (SEBC), was established in India in 1979 by the Janata Party government under Prime Minister Morarji Desai with a mandate to "identify the socially or educatio ...

, but the state government has not yet recognised them as such, and they still belong to

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

category.

Notable people

* Krishna Kanta Nandi, the banian to

Warren Hastings Warren Hastings (6 December 1732 – 22 August 1818) was a British colonial administrator, who served as the first governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), the head of the Supreme Council of Bengal, and so the first governor-gener ...

and the founder of the Cossimbazar Raj family. *

Sudhamoy Pramanick Sudhamoy Pramanick (September 1884 – October 1974) was an Indian advocate from Shantipur. He was the lifetime secretary of the ''Tili Samaj'', a societal benefit organisation. He was a social activist - member of the executive committee of the ...

advocate and

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

activist. *

Diptendu Pramanick Diptendu Pramanick (18 July 1910 –15 December 1989) was an Indian film personality from Calcutta. He was the founder secretary of the ''Eastern India Motion Pictures Association'' in Calcutta, India, a fraternity of film personnel which is a ...

, Bengali

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

personality. *

Pankaj Roy Pankaj Roy (; 31 May 1928 – 4 February 2001) was an Indian cricketer who played in 43 test matches, including once as captain. He was a right-handed opening batsman, perhaps best known for establishing the world record opening partnership in ...

, Indian cricketer and

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

awardee, member of

Bhagyakul Roy family The Bhagyakul Roy family (also known as The Bhagyakul Roys) is a family Zamindars from Bhagyakul in the Munshiganj District of Bangladesh. Overview In the first half of the 18th century the Bhagyakul Roy family of the mechantile Tili caste, e ...

. *

Subrata Roy Subrata Roy (10 June 1948 – 14 November 2023) was an Indian businessman who founded the business conglomerate Sahara India Pariwar in 1978. Sahara India Pariwar operated a vast number of businesses, such as Aamby Valley City, Sahara Movi ...

, founder-chairman of Sahara India Pariwar, a prominent business conglomerate in India. * Maharani Swarnamoyee,

Maharani Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a prince. However, in late ancient India ...

Cossimbazar Cossimbazar is a backwards village area of Berhampore city in the Berhampore CD block in the Berhampore subdivision of Murshidabad district in the Indian state of West Bengal."Cossimbazar" in ''Imperial Gazetteer of India'', Oxford, Clarendon ...

Raj from 1844 to 1897 and a philanthropist during the period of

Bengal Renaissance The Bengal Renaissance (), also known as the Bengali Renaissance, was a cultural, social, intellectual, and artistic movement that took place in the Bengal region of the British Raj, from the late 18th century to the early 20th century. Histo ...

. * Gostha Behari Pal, the first

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the

India National Football Team The India national football team represents India in men's international Association football, football and is governed by the All India Football Federation, the governing body for Football in India, football in India. It is a member of FIFA, ...

. * Kristo Das Pal, an Indian journalist, orator and the editor of the ''

Hindoo Patriot The ''Hindoo Patriot'' () was an English weekly published from Calcutta in the later half of the nineteenth century in Bengal Presidency, Bengal. History In 1853, one Madhusudan Ray, a Burabazar banker approached Sreenath Ghosh, the founde ...

''. * Dinendra Kumar Roy, a

novelist and editor. * Harinath Majumdar, a

journalist, poet, writer, and

Baul The Baul () are a group of mystic minstrels of mixed elements of Sufism and Vaishnavism from different parts of Bangladesh and the neighboring Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam's Barak Valley and Meghalaya. Bauls constitute bot ...

singer. * Rasik Krishna Mallick, an Indian journalist, editor, reformer, educationist and a leading member of Young Bengal group. *

Bipradas Pal Chowdhury Bipradas Pal Chowdhury (1857 – 25 October 1914) was a Bengali industrialist and distinguished landlord. His daughter in law Smt. Ila Pal Choudhury was the Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha and nationalist politician. Career Pal Chowdhury was bo ...

, a Bengali industrialist and landlord.

Notes

References

{{reflist Social groups of Bihar Social groups of West Bengal Indian castes Ethnic groups in India Hindu communities