Traditionally the Reddy belong to the fourth of the Hindu Varnas, sudra. One section of the Reddy is called Kapu which means guardian. Today the Reddy are a prominent community of Karnataka. They can also be found in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha and Maharashtra. They speak the Kannada and Telugu languages.
Being a dominant community, the Reddy have been primarily landlords and landholders. Their agricultural work involves both farming and animal husbandry. The majority of the Reddy communities are non-vegetarian, and all their communities eat rice as their staple food. Jowar, wheat, bajra and ragi are the other cereals they eat.
Social control is regulated through traditional caste and village councils. The Reddy community have social divisions such as clans, lineage, subcastes and sects. These social divisions regulate marital alliances.
The Reddy people allow cross-cousin marriages. They do not allow a widow to remarry.
Both men and women smoke a homemade cheroot (chutta) which results a high incidence of mouth and throat cancer.
They are Hindu by faith and worship many deities. Their main festivals are Ugadi, Akshade and Dussehra. They play bhajans and kirtans.
Like all other peoples of the world, this people group needs the blessings and guidance that only Jesus Christ can offer.
For the salvation of the Reddy people and that God may send several Christian workers to work among them and meet their spiritual and physical needs.
Pray for Reddy Christian believers to reach out to their own people.
Pray for spiritual hunger and easy access to Christian resources.
Scripture Prayers for the Konda Reddi in India.
India Missions Association, Edited by Philipose Vaidyar, Copyrighted © Used with permission
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
