Colombo Chetties
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Colombo Chetty, also known as Colombo Chetties, Colombo Chittis or Colombo Hetties, are a formerly endogamous Sri Lankan social group or caste.
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[edit] Origins
Colombo Chetty are mostly Roman Catholics or Anglicans and are found in almost all niches of Sri Lankan society. Members trace their origins to traders of various ethnicities from South India. Most traders were Tamil speakers with a smattering of Malayalee or Telugu speakers. Although Indian traders have been visiting and settling down in Sri Lanka for more than 2,500 years, Colombo Chetties are descendants of traders who had come to Sri Lanka during the Portuguese colonial era since 1505 CE. These traders converted to Catholicism, the religion of the Portuguese, and married women of various backgrounds including their own from India, Sri Lankan Tamil, Sinhalese, Portuguese Creoles and later Dutch, English and Eurasian Burghers.
[edit] Independent identity
The ethnic distinction between Burghers and Colombo Chetties is somewhat blurred. Famous Sri Lankan such as the Ondaatjes trace their family to a Hindu South Indian native doctor and married freely amongst Colombo Chetties though he has Burgher ethnic admixture. (See Michael Ondaatje.) But until about 75 years ago most were educated in the Tamil language and were considered to be a caste of Tamil people. However, Colombo Chetty families married into both elite Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamil families.
Most early Sri Lankan Tamil pioneers in the colonial civil service, doctors, educators and religious leaders were in fact of Colombo Chetty origins. The author of the definitive modern history of the Tamil Jaffna Kingdom was a Colombo Chetty. But in modern times they speak English, rather than Tamil, at home and are considered to be neither Sinhalese nor Tamil in the official census.
[edit] Current condition
As an elite and prosperous group they no longer strictly marry amongst themselves. In addition, migration to Australia, England and Canada has tended to dilute their numbers.
[edit] Common last names
Some common Colombo Chetty last names are Anandappa, Cassichetty, Candappa, Fernandopulle,Sangaramoorthypulle, Savundranayagam, Mickem Perumal, Wanigaratne or wanigaratnam, Mutucumaru, Emanuelpulle, Rodrigopulle, Alles and Sylvesterpulle. It should be noted that Pulle is a Sinhalese version of the common Tamil and Malayali title Pillai. Cassichetty is a clan name amongst Telugu or Tamil speaking Komati Setties of Andhra Pradesh origin in Tamil Nadu, south India.
[edit] References
- Casiechitty S, The Castes, Customs, Manners and Literature of the Tamils. Colombo: Ceylon Printers, 1934.
- Thurston E, Castes and Tribes of Southern India
[edit] See also
[edit] Prominent Colombo Chetties
- Rukmani Devi Actress and Singer
- Roy Dias Former Cricket captain
- Jeyaraj Fernandopulle - Sri Lankan Politician
- Niranjan CassichettySri Lankan tennis star
- Simon Cassichetty - Sri Lankan author
- Rohan Candappa Canadian Author
- Reggie Candappa Founder Chairman Grant McCann Erickson
- Neela Marikkar Chairperson Grant McCann Erickson
- Christopher Ondaatje OC, CBE, Sri Lankan-Canadian businessman, philanthropist, adventurer, writer and Olympian.
- Michael Ondaatje OC, Sri Lankan Canadian novelist and poet, perhaps best known for his Booker Prize winning novel adapted into an Academy-Award-winning film, The English Patient
