Kutchi people


The Kutchi people traditionally hail from the Kutch district of the western Indian state of Gujarat and the Sindh province of Pakistan.

History

The Kutchi Memons are a Kutchi people who converted from Hinduism to Islam in the 15th century A.D., due to the influence of Sunni Pirs, such as Saiyid Abdullah. Kutchis, being a part of the Indian diaspora, have maintained their traditions abroad; in 1928, Kutchi Hindus in Nairobi held a Swaminarayan procession which 1200 people attended. The Kutchis have been living in southern part of Sindh for decades and call themselves Sindhis.
Many Kutchi people are also part of the Khoja community, an international diaspora of individuals from Gujarat and its surrounding areas. From the 14th century onwards, they were influenced by the Isma'ili Nizari Pirs such as Pir Sadrudin and converted from Hinduism to Isma'ilism. In the 19th and 20th century, many of them immigrated to East Africa in search of economic opportunities, in addition to North America, the United Kingdom, and Oman, where they are also known as Al-Lawatia.

Notable Kutchi people