Tanti

The Tanti (also anglicised as Tanty, Tantee, Tatwa,Tantubay, Tantubai, Tati,Tatin) is a Hindu surname of weaving and cloth merchant community in India. The greatest concentration is believed to be in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam and Odisha.^[1] The community is not very concentrated because their designation was defined based on their occupation rather than particular beliefs or group identity. Tanti is a Hindu surname used only by the weaving and cloth trading communities across India.

Origin

The word tanti is derived from the Hindi word tanta, which means a loom. They were traditionally Bania, and are one of the many communities found in South Asia, traditionally associated with cloth trading. The community is found in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam as well as Odisha

The Tanti are said to have originated as sellers of cloth since the ancient days.There main business was to sell manufactured cloths and earn livelihood through it, they were completely imbibed in there cloth business.The Tanti people are found across mostly the northeastern portion of India.

Notable people

Politicians

• Gajen Tanti Indian politician and cabinet minister of Assam (1972) from the Tea Labour Community. He was a member of Indian National Congress, Indian National Congress (Socialist) and Nationalist Congress Party.

• Bhimananda Tanti Indian politician from the state of Assam. He is a former Member of Assam Legislative Assembly and a former Deputy Speaker of the Assembly.

• Bhadreswar Tanti Indian politician. He was elected to the Members of Parliament the lower house of Indian state from Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituency in Assam in 1984. He was a member of the Asom Gana Parishad. Later he joined Bharat Vikas Morcha.

• Durga charan Tanti Indian politician from the state of Odisha. He is a Member of Odisha legislative assembly

Businessman

• Tulsi Tanti - Founder of Suzlon Energy Indian businessman best known for being the founder and chairman-cum-managing director of Suzlon. He was known as the "Wind man of India"

Poet

• Sananta Tanty Indian poet of Assamese literature. Tanty was born to an Odia family in Kalinagar Tea Estate. Tanty completed his secondary education at a Bengali-medium school but continued his literary works in the mainland Assamese language.

• Kamal Kumar Tanti Assamese poet from Assam, India.His first collection of poetry, Marangburu Amar Pita (Our Father Marangburu), won Yuva Puraskar for 2012, that is awarded to 24 young writers below 35 years of age. and the Munin Barkataky Literary Award for 2008. His Assamese poems have been included in various anthologies of Assamese poetry and featured in various journals in Assamese. He writes fiction occasionally and few of his short-stories have been included in several anthologies of Assamese fiction.

References