The Siddi tribal community in Karnataka finally got its first lawmaker as Governor Vajubhai Vala nominated five persons, including Shantharama Budna Siddi, to the Karnataka Legislative Council on Wednesday. Shantharama Siddi had been working as a social worker and was a post holder at the Vanavasi Kalyan Prakalpa, a tribal welfare initiative of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The Siddis, an ethnic group, are said to have descended from the people of the East African region. They are included in the list of Scheduled Tribes (ST) in Karnataka.
“He (Shantaram) is the first Siddi to make it to the Karnataka Legislature. He is a graduate from Hitalahalli village situated between Sirsi town and Yellapur in Uttara Kannada district. He is Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram’s state secretary,” RSS leader Vadiraj.
55-yr-old Shantarama Budna Siddi, nominated to K'taka council by @BJP4India, is d first ever member of d Siddi community to become a legislator.
Siddis are a tribe who trace their ancestral origin to Africa. Live in parts of Uttara Kannada & still struggle for land rights pic.twitter.com/O8sMJG4KP6
— Anusha Ravi Sood (@anusharavi10) July 22, 2020
Apart from the Shantharama, the Governor appointed C P Yogeshwar, A H Vishwanth, Bharathi Shetty, Shantharam Budna Siddi and Dr Talwar Sabanna. Vishwanath, a former Janata Dal (secular) state chief but now with the BJP, had played a key role in unseating the coalition government though he lost the byelections to the Hunasuru assembly segment in December last year.
However, some reports mention that the Siddis living in Karnataka and other parts of India had not even found out about each other till recent years, because they have been living lives of seclusion in different states, their ancestors having come from different African ports centuries ago.
Their main occupation is agriculture, but it is hard to find landowners among the community. Most of them work as labourers in the field. Their community members often migrate to metro cities for better jobs and lifestyle.
Presence of Siddis in India can be traced back as far as the 7th century. It is believed that they were first brought in by Arabs as slaves followed by Portuguese and Britishers. Many Siddis came to India as merchants, sailors and mercenaries. In later years, the community migrated to forests to avoid conflicts and lead a quiet life.
