| Total population |
|---|
| 2,684,000[1] |
| Regions with significant populations |
| • India • Bangladesh |
| Languages |
|
• Bengali• Braj Bhasha • Hindi• Bhojpuri |
| Religion |
|
• Hindusim 100% • |
| Related ethnic groups |
|
• Chamar |
The Mochi are a Hindu caste, found mainly in North India. They are the traditional shoemakers of South Asia.[2] Those Mochis who have converted to Islam now form a distinct community of Mochi Muslims.
Contents |
The Mochi are Hindu. They are spread across entire India and are found in the states of Punjab, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Gujarat
The Mochi of Uttar Pradesh claim to have originated in Rajasthan. Historically, the community was involved in the manufacture of protective leather dresses for soldiers, and the community are closely associated with the Rajput community. They share gotra names with the Rajput community.[3]The Mochi of Haryana also claims to have come originally from Rajasthan. But they claim a common origin with the larger Chamar caste. They have the following sub-groups, the Sinolia, Sasendia, Sonwal, and Nidaria.[4]
The Mochi are involved in the manufacture of leather shoes for example Nike, Fila, Adidas etc. They have Other Backward Class status in Uttar Pradesh and Scheduled Caste status in Punjab and Haryama. The Mochi are an endogamous communities, and maintain gotra exogamy. In Uttar Pradesh, the Hindu Mochi have their own deity by the name of Ramdeo Baba. The Mochi of Haryana are now followers of the Ravidasia sect, and have started to intermarry with other groups within the Chamar community.[4]
The community have a traditional caste council, as is common among many North Indian artisan communities. This caste council acts as an instrument of social control, by punishing those who contravene community norms. Each caste council is headed by a chaudhary, a position that tends to be heredity. The Mochi live in multi-caste villages, but occupy their own distinct quarters. [5]
The Mochi of Haryana claim to have migrated from Rajasthan, and are found mainly in the cantonment city of Ambala. They still speak the Braj Bhasha dialect. They are strictly endogamous, and practice clan exogamy. There traditional occupation was shoe making, but with the spread of factory manufactured shoes. The majority are landless agricultural labourers, with a small minority now taking up other professions. They enjoy scheduled caste status.[6]
In Gujarat, the Mochi caste does not enjoy Schedule Caste in Gujarat status except Dangs district and Umargaon Taluka of Valsad district, but is categorized as Backward.
In Punjab, the members of the Mochi caste are those involved with the working in tanned leather as opposed to a tanner, an occupation associated with the Chamar. Most Mochi are still found in rural Punjab, although their is a steady immigration to the towns and cities, as their traditional occupation is in decline. They are one of the most widespread caste in Punjab, found in almost every district. Most Mochi in Indian Punjab had converted to Islam, and these Muslim Mochis left at the time of the partition of India in 1947. The rump community is largely Hindu, although a small number are Sikh. Many Mochi have now become members of the Arya Samaj sect. The community has now been granted Scheduled Caste status, which allows it to access a number of affirmative actions programmes initiated by the Government of India. [7]
The Mochi are strictly endogamous, like other Punjab Hindus strictly practice clan exogamy, as well as in some cases village exogamy as well. There clans, referred to as gotras are as follows:
Each of these clans is of equal status, and intermarry. Although the Mochi accept a common origin with the Chamar, there is no intermariage between the two communities. The Mochi speak Rajasthani, although most also now speak Punjabi.