Siddi Community:
Khushbu Rajakbhai Darjada (15) won silver in the girls’ 63-kg judo category at the Dakar Youth Olympics, becoming the second Indian judoka and first athlete from Gujarat’s Siddi community to win a Youth Olympics medal.
- Siddi Community is an Afro-Indian ethnic and tribal community descended from East African peoples who settled in the Indian subcontinent centuries ago. In Gujarat, they are recognized as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) and a Scheduled Tribe (ST) in the Saurashtra region, locally known as Siddi Badshah for their free-spirited, communal way of life.
- Primarily descended from East African Bantu populations, brought to India through medieval trade, military conquests and Portuguese enslavement during the 15th–17th centuries.
- Historically employed as palace bodyguards (angrakshaks), soldiers, and caretakers of lions by the Nawabs of Junagadh, or as workers in the agate (akik) mines of Ratanpur (Bharuch).
- Deeply rooted in Sufism, venerating the 15th/16th-century African Muslim Sufi saint Baba Gor, whose primary dargah is located in Ratanpur.
- Primarily concentrated in 18 villages of Talala taluka in Gir Somnath district (notably Jambur, known as “Mini Africa,” and Talala), adjoining Gir National Park, with smaller populations across Junagadh, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Porbandar, and Bharuch.
- Smaller Siddi populations reside across Karnataka (Yellapur/Haliyal), Maharashtra, Goa, and the Union Territory of Daman & Diu.
- Siddis have adopted Gujarati language, Kathiawadi dialect, traditional attire and local food habits, while retaining elements of their distinct African heritage.
- Predominantly Muslim, Siddis blend Sufi devotional practices with Gujarati folk traditions, particularly through Urs festivals honouring Baba Gor and Nagarshi Baba.
- Famous for Dhamal (Siddi Goma), a vibrant traditional dance featuring rhythmic drums, peacock feathers, energetic movements and imitation of animal calls.
- Concentrated around Gir Forest, Siddis traditionally depend on agriculture, forest-related occupations, safari guiding, wildlife tracking and other local employment.
- Siddis in designated Saurashtra areas of Gujarat receive Scheduled Tribe (ST) recognition and are identified as a PVTG, while some communities elsewhere fall under SEBC classification.
