Siddi Tribal Community Achieves 72 percent Literacy

Reward: President of India complimented the Siddi tribe community because of its literacy rate of exceeding 72%.

• Community Background:
  • Indo-African ethnic group was a descent of Bantu of East Africa.
  • Known as a Scheduled Tribe (ST) and a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).
  • Largely found in Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana.
• Historical Period: Coming to India in 7 th century CE (Arab traders) and 16 th century CE (Portuguese/British), usually as slaves, craftsmen, or servants.
• Culture: Holds African inheritance; characterized by the Dhamal dance and Rasda festivals.
• Language & Occupation: Konkani, Urdu, Marathi; agricultural, manual labour, small scale forest produce collection and traditional crafts.
• Significance: Literacy milestone is a measure of effective government education programs, improved job opportunities and socio-economic empowerment of Siddis.