Sylhetis

Sylhetis
Total population
c. ~11.8 million[1]
Regions with significant populations
Sylhet Division (Bangladesh)
Barak Valley (India)
Shillong (India)
Tripura (India)
Greater London (United Kingdom)
New York City (United States)
West Midlands (United Kingdom)
Greater Manchester (United Kingdom)
Languages
Sylheti, Bengali
Religion

Bangladesh: Islam (81%), Hinduism (18%)[2]
India: Hinduism (majority), Islam (minority)

Minorities:
Related ethnic groups
Indo-Aryan peoples, Bengalis

The Sylhetis or Sylheti people (Sylheti: ꠍꠤꠟꠐꠤ, Bengali: সিলেটি) are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group also considered a sub-ethnic group of Bengalis, which originated from or are native of the Sylhet region of Bangladesh and the Barak Valley of the Indian state of Assam, and speak the Sylheti language.[3][4] There are sizeable populations in the Indian states of Meghalaya, Tripura and Manipur. Established diaspora communities exist in the United Kingdom, the United States, the Middle East, Italy and other parts of the world. Sylhetis today maintain a distinct identity separate from or in addition to having a Bengali identity, due to linguistic differences, geographical uniqueness and historical reasons.[5][6]

Diaspora

Lord Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement Act of Bengal in 1793 and it altered the social, political and economic landscape of the Sylhet region; socioeconomic ramification for former landlords was severe as the land changed hands. On juxtapose, colonial administration opened new windows of opportunities for young men, who sought employment merchant ship companies. Young men from Sylhet boarded ships primarily at Kolkata, Mumbai and Singapore. Some of these early Sylheti seamen visited Britain and America and sought employment. By virtue of Magna Carta Libertatum, Sylhetis could enter and settle Britain freely (while a declaration of intent was required to enter the USA). Diaspora patterns indicate a strong connection between Sylheti diaspora and the movement of Sylheti seamen.[7]

The Sylheti diaspora population grew in response to a need for an economic sustenance during the British Raj, when many Sylheti men left the region in search of employment. During this period, young men from Sylhet often worked as lascars in the British merchant marine. Some abandoned their ships in London in search of economic opportunity, while others found alternative routes to enter the country. Chain migration led to the eventual settlement of large numbers of Sylhetis in working-class neighbourhoods in London’s East End and other industrial towns and cities such as Luton, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, and Oldham.[8]

Today Sylheti diaspora numbers around one million, mainly concentrated in United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Australia, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Finland and the Middle East and other European Countries. However, a 2008 study showed that 95% of Sylheti diaspora live in the UK.[9] In the United States, most Sylhetis live in New York City, though sizable populations also live in Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, and Detroit.

Some argue that remittances sent from Sylheti diaspora around the world back to Bangladesh have negatively affected development in Bangladesh, where a lack of government initiatives has caused economic inertia.[10]

According to neo-classical theory, the poorest would move to the richest countries and those from densely populated areas would move to more sparsely peopled regions. This has clearly not been the case. The brain drain was a movement from core to core, purely on economic maximisation, while it was young Sylheti pioneers with access to financial resources that migrated from a severely overpopulated Bangladesh to the overcrowded streets of Spitalfields, poorest from all parts of Bangladesh migrated to Sylhet for a better life, causing a severe overcrowding and scarcity of resources in Sylhet.[11]

Caste and class

Sylheti Hindus are socially stratified into four castes, called chaturvarna, and Muslims into three social classes. The caste system derived from Hindu system of varna, 'colour' and jati, 'ethnicity', which divides people into four colours: White, Red, Yellow and Black. White people are Brahmans, who are destined to be priests, teachers and preachers; Red people are Kshatriyas, who are destined to be kings, governors, warriors and soldiers; Yellow people are Vyasas, who are born to be cattle herders, ploughmen, artisans and merchants; and Black people are Shudras, who are born to be labourers and servants to the people of twice born caste.[12][13] People from all caste denominations exist among Hindus in Sylhet.

Class system among Muslims evolved during the halcyon days of the Mughal Empire and it is divided into three layers: Ashraf, Ajlaf and Arzal. Ashraf is the noble class destined to be priests, teachers, preachers, kings, governors, warriors and soldiers; Ajlaf is the middle class destined to be cattle herders, ploughmen, artisans and merchants; and Arzal is the working class destined to labour and provide services to all others.[14][15]

Notables

References

  1. ↑ Sylheti Ethnologue.
  2. ↑ Sylhet Division Banglapedia
  3. ↑ Sebastian M. Rasinger (2007). Bengali-English in East London: A Study in Urban Multilingualism. pp. 26-27. Retrieved on 2017-05-02.
  4. ↑ Glanville Price (2000). Encyclopedia of the Languages of Europe. pp. 91-92.
  5. ↑ Tanweer Fazal (2012). Minority Nationalisms in South Asia: 'We are with culture but without geography': locating Sylheti identity in contemporary India, Nabanipa Bhattacharjee.' pp.59–67.
  6. ↑ A community without aspirations Zia Haider Rahman. 2007-05-02. Retrieved on 2018-03-07.
  7. ↑ Across Seven Seas and Thirteen Rivers: Life Stories of Pioneer Sylheti Settlers in Britain, Caroline Adams, Tassaduq Ahmed and Dan Jones, THAP (1987), London, ISBN 978-0906698143
  8. ↑ Claire Alexander, Joya Chaterji and Annu Jalais, The Bengal Diaspora: Rethinking Muslim Migration, p.2, Routledge (2015) London.
  9. ↑ Benjamin Zeitlyn (September 2008). "Challenging Language in the Diaspora" (PDF). Bangla Journal. 6 (14): 126–140. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  10. ↑ Yong, T.T.; Rahman, M.M. (2013). Diaspora Engagement and Development in South Asia. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 108. ISBN 9781137334459. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  11. ↑ Anne J. Kershen (2005). Strangers, Aliens and Asians: Huguenots, Jews and Bangladeshis in Spitalfields, 1660–2000. Routledge. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-7146-5525-3.
  12. ↑ Mahabharata (12.181)
  13. ↑ Hiltebeitel, Alf (2011). Dharma : its early history in law, religion, and narrative. Oxford University Press. pp. 529–531. ISBN 978-0-19-539423-8
  14. ↑ Habib, Mohammed (1358), The Political Theory of the Delhi Sultanate
  15. ↑ Asghar Ali Engineer. "On reservation for Muslims". The Milli Gazette. Pharos Media & Publishing Pvt Ltd,. Retrieved 1 September 2004
  16. ↑ "Bangladeshi perfumer wins Middle Eastern hearts". The Daily Star. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
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