Their tryst with the city of Chennai dates back to more than two centuries. However, a large scale migration happened after Independence, when the Kutchis moved to big cities like Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad. Eventually they came to be known as the Kutchi people who represented various communities like the Jains, Patels, Vaishnavs or the Memons, originally hailing from the Kutch area of Gujarat.
U K Shah, a Kutchi Jain from Chennai says, “Around 50 Jain families migrated from Kutch after Independence for business and in search of better opportunities. The two main States they landed up were Tamil Nadu and Kerala, because of their proximity to the sea and accessibility to the port.”
The Kutchi Jain community, especially the one in Chennai, has come a long way with the establishment of the Sri Kutchi Jain Samaj way back in 1957. The building was funded by Pragji Devchand Shah.
Poonam Chand Rupchand Shah, owner of the South India Flour Mill, whose family is considered to be one of the early ones to have migrated to the city, is the founder of this Samaj.
Initially started as a small association, the Samaj now comprises 525 families and nearly 2,200 members, living in and around Chennai. Basically settled in Sowcarpet 30 years ago, these families, down the years, have extended their settlement to other parts of the city like Vepery, T Nagar, Kellys and Royapuram.
In spite of being one of the minority groups all over India, the Kutchi Jains have a strong base in Chennai and also belong to the most affluent sections of society, owing to their business-class stature. They mainly thrive in businesses like jewellery, readymade garments and timber. Stressing the importance of charity as a paramount belief, the Kutchis of the Samaj engage in social work like providing free education loans and medical treatment to its members.
The Kutchi Memons who are Muslims by religion, is another section that has woven its culture in the fabric of the State of Tamil Nadu. Like many Kutchis, there is a significant population in Madurai, and close to about 300 families in Chennai.
According to an earlier report by Cutchi Memon Jamath that was published in the souvenir of the All India Cutchi Memon Federation’s World Conference, the first Memon from the community was Abdul Rahim Patel who was appointed as the Patel of Madras, sometime around 1870. According to records, in 1880, the Corporation of Madras allotted land for Cutchi Memons for their cemetery. Over the decades, the community has been running some of the flourishing businesses. Over the last century, the Memons have made a footprint in every field including law and order, services and literature.