Rishi

Marginalized and Excluded Communities

Historically the Rishis of Bengal are cobblers, leather workers and instrumentalists for generations. They are identified as Muchi, Chamar and Charmokar. These words are derogatory to the Rishis. In Bengali language, the words Muchi, Chamar and Charmokar mean the persons engaged in preparing hides and making and repairing shoes. The people of this ‘untouchable’ community mostly live in India’s Uttar Pradesh, Maddhya Pradesh and Bihar regions. They are one of the repressed or ‘Dalit’ communities among the Hindus in India. Currently, the Rishi people live in almost every district of Bangladesh. Their number is, however, higher in Jashore, Satkhira, Khulna and Bagerhat districts. Parittran, a rights-based organization of the Rishis in Bangladesh, Rishi population in the Khulna division alone is around 186,797. Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), with assistance and guidance of SEHD and Parittran, carried out a research in 53 paras (clusters) or villages in Satkhira, Jashore, Khulna and Bagerhat districts of Khulna division and found 51,745 Rishis in 9,088 families.