Singiwala in India

The Singiwala have only been reported in India
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.

Introduction / History

The Singiwala are a small low class group of people who live in Rajastan, India. Their name means pipe holder. Their traditional occupation was sucking bad blood and pus from wounds. In other words they were low-level surgeons for the poorer classes of Indians. Most of the Singiwala who were Muslims migrated to Pakistan during the Indian-Pakistani Partition of 1947. The Hindu Singiwala remained in India.

Today many Singiwala are landless farm laborers. They are a Scheduled Class, which means the Indian government reserves special places for the Singiwala in public jobs and college admission. Unfortunately, most Singiwala cannot read or write. They are still seen as outcastes in much of Indian society. The primary language of the Singiwala is Hindi. Some speak Rajastani so they can communicate with their neighbors.


Where Are they Located?

The majority of the Singiwala live in the west Indian state of Rajastan. Some also live in Haryana and Delhi.


What Are Their Lives Like?

The traditional job of the Singiwala, low-level surgery, is disappearing in modern India. They have had to take up new occupations as farm laborers, factory workers or any other menial jobs they can obtain. Lack of education prevents the Singiwala from getting any but the lowest type of jobs. They are not welcome by the majority Hindus of India. The Singiwala often have to move from place to place just trying to get enough income to feed their families.

The Singiwala are endogamous, that is they marry within their group. Girls often marry in the mid-teens and boys in their late teens. Families arrange marriages. They eat meat except for beef when they can afford it. Most of their food consists of wheat, maize and seasonal vegetables. Alcoholism is reported to be a problem among the Singiwala, which is understandable considering their bleak status. Smoking is common among the men.


What Are Their Beliefs?

The vast majority of the Singiwala practice Hinduism, the ancient religion of India. Even though they are often denied entrance into Hindu temples and shunned by other Hindus, they remain in their traditional religion. Their goal is to attain moksha that is to break free of the endless cycle of being born and reborn, samsara. They hope to achieve liberation through performing rituals and good works.

As Hindus, the Singiwala participate in the yearly holidays of Holi, the festival of colors, Diwali, the festival of lights and Navratri, the nine-day celebration of autumn.


What Are Their Needs?

The Singiwala have tremendous needs. Most of all they need to hear the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ. The Singiwala children must be educated if they are to have any chance of bettering themselves. The Singiwala adults need job training so they can make enough money to live a decent life.


Prayer Points

Pray that the Lord leads Indian Christians to reach out to share the gospel with the Singiwala and help them in practical ways.
Pray that Christian teachers would help the Singiwala learn basic literacy so they can read the Bible on their own.
Pray that Christian audio resources would be available to the Singiwala so that they can hear the gospel in an accessible way.
Pray that the Singiwala would turn away from a religion, which rejects them, and turn to the God of the Bible who loves them.


Scripture Prayers for the Singiwala in India.


References

www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=Singiwala
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singiwala
peoplegroups.org/explore/GroupDetails.aspx?peid=48985


Profile Source:   David Kugel  

People Name General Singiwala
People Name in Country Singiwala
Alternate Names Giarah; Gihara; Gyarah; Jheewar Bengalee; Kalbaelia; Kanmalia; Kuchband; Kuchiya; Rajbhoi; Singe; Singhi; Singhikat; Singhiwala; Singikant; Singiphoda; Thakur; सिनगीवाला
Population this Country 22,000
Population all Countries 22,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
People ID 18110
ROP3 Code 113614
ROP25 Code 307549
ROP25 Name Singiwala
Country India
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 11  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States on file 7
Largest States
Rajasthan
19,000
Haryana
1,500
Delhi
1,200
Punjab
400
Gujarat
60
Chandigarh
30
Telangana
20
Districts Interactive map, listing and data download
Specialized Website South Asia Peoples
Country India
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 11  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States 7
  Rajasthan 19,000
  Haryana 1,500
  Delhi 1,200
  Punjab 400
  Gujarat 60
  Chandigarh 30
  Telangana 20
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Hinduism
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
98.82 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
1.18 %
Unknown
0.00 %
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Marwari (8,200 speakers)
Language Code rwr   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 9
Secondary Languages
Hindi
7,800
Dhundari
1,100
Mewari
500
Bagri
500
Punjabi, Eastern
400
Shekhawati
100
Gujarati
20
Telugu
20
Primary Language Marwari (8,200 speakers)
Language Code rwr   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 9
Secondary Languages
  Hindi 7,800
  Dhundari 1,100
  Mewari 500
  Bagri 500
  Punjabi, Eastern 400
  Shekhawati 100
  Gujarati 20
  Telugu 20
People Groups Speaking Marwari

Primary Language:  Marwari

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1815-1867)
Bible-New Testament Yes  (1820-2023)
Bible-Complete No
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Audio Recordings Story of Jesus audio Jesus Film Project
Film / Video God's Story video God's Story
Film / Video Indigitube.tv Video / Animation Create International
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Marwari Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Story of Jesus for Children Jesus Film Project
Film / Video World Christian Videos World Christian Videos
General Bible for Children Bible for Children
General Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
General Gospel website in this language General / Other
Text / Printed Matter Topical Scripture booklets and Bible studies World Missionary Press
Map Source People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project  
Profile Source David Kugel 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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