The Gujarat State has a sizeable tribal population. According to the 1991 census the tribal population in the State is 61.61 lakhs. Government of India has suggested all the Tribal Research and Training Institute to identify the tribal groups who are living at precarious economic level and to undertake a detailed study of each of them so that suitable development programmes can be chalked out for them.
The Tribal Research and Training Institute of Gujarat Vidyapith, Ahmedabad, has prepared a monograph on the 'SIDIS' in the state.
This monograph was prepared by the research personnel of the Institute, Dr. T. B. Naik, the then Director of the Institute and Dr. Gaurish Pandya. In the course of their field work over a period of nearly two decades in the tribal areas of the state, they have contributed in preparation of several monographs and research reports on tribal life and problems. They undertook this project with commendable devotion in preparing this valuable monograph.
It is hoped that this study will be welcomed by Anthropologists, research workers, social workers and administrators working in tribal development.
The Labour Social Welfare and Tribal Development Department, Government of Gujarat asked us to prepare Socio-economic and Anthropological Studies and Development programmes and to suggest development programmes for tribes like Kathodi, Kolgha and Sidi, who are the small in number and at the same time economically very backward. Of these tribes we have already completed the studies of the Kathodi and Kolgha tribes. We then undertook the study of Sidi tribe. The study has been scientifically made through the field work in areas where the Sidi tribe resides in Gujarat. The Sidis are very poor people. The Socio-economic and religious aspects of the Sidi have been woven around their poverty. Towards the end of the study, we have also tried to suggest what can be done for their economic development, and also to point out in detail various programmes therefore. These suggestions are based on our field work and also on our interviews with leading persons of the Sidi community. We also received some important suggestions from administrators of the State.
We are heartily thankful to Mr. Premshanker Bhatt former Secretary, Labour Social Welfare and Tribal Development Department, Mr. J. J. Vaishnav, Deputy Secretary and Mr. V. B. Dave, Special Officer of the Department for assigning this project to our Institute.
Shri Amarsing Chowdhari, the then Hon. Minister for Tribal Development, Gujarat has taken a very keen interest in our study and has put forward many sound development ideas for the tribe. He is an intelligent and emphatic in-sider. We are grateful to him for this.
Of the authors of the study, Dr. T. B. Naik has always with us right from the very beginning. He himself had gone for field work to different areas of the Sidi.
During the field work the entire Sidi community had accepted us as their own and we are obliged to them. The Sidi leaders were also very much helpful to us. Many of them do sincerely wish that their development should be achieved speedily as things do not make many of them feel very much frustrated. But as a good friend of theirs we can give a piece of advice to them to always remember the sentence written on the walls of the dargah of Nagarchi Bawa at Jambur village that "the followers of Allah never get discouraged and disheartened." We are also thankful to the officers of Talala Taluka, who helped us a lot.
We are also thankful to our colleague Dr. M. I. Masavi for his help in preparing this report. Last but not the least, we acknowledge the generosity of all the Sidi informants for their kind -operation in giving us all kind of information freely.
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