Sheedis came as slaves with the Turkish and Iranian invaders while others were brought as slaves by the Portuguese.
NEW DELHI: A similar community called ‘Siddis’ or ‘Sidis’ is found in parts of India, mostly in Gujarat (old Junagarh state) but also in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. They have very distinct physical features and even though they have lost their original language they have preserved other cultural traits like dance forms and so on.
Historians agree on three distinct sources of their arrival in India. They came as slaves with the Turkish and Iranian invaders while others were brought as slaves by the Portuguese and some came as voluntary migrants.
An observer
Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2011.
