Chennai9 hours agoAuthor: Vaibhav Palnitkar
There is a market in Mint Street in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu—Sowcarpet. While walking through this area, a woman’s voice can be heard: “Bhaya, yo kele kato mein diyo? Thodo sasto lagao, roj ro kaam hai.” (“Brother, how much for these bananas? Please give them a little cheaper, it is daily work.”)
Hearing Marwari, a language spoken in Rajasthan, in Chennai comes as a surprise. What is even more surprising is that the local Tamil fruit seller responds in Hindi. The woman speaking Marwari is Nirmala Rajpurohit. She came to Chennai with her mother in childhood. Now the second generation of her family lives here. Nirmala’s husband runs an export business.
In the Sowcarpet area, around one and a half lakh people from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh live. The DMK, which is known for its politics opposing Hindi, once gave a councillor ticket to a Marwari candidate from here, and he won as well. Voting in Tamil Nadu is scheduled for April 23. This time too, the contest is between the DMK alliance and the BJP plus AIADMK.
Sowcarpet has separate lanes for goods of every category. This is Tamil Nadu’s most crowded market, where shopping from daily needs to weddings can be done.
North Indians living here for 200 years helped Karunanidhi win twice
During the British era, Chennai began developing as a modern city. Being a port city, it emerged as a major business hub in South India. Marwari traders from Rajasthan and Gujarat came here and started moneylending and financing work. Because of this, the area came to be known as Sowcarpet.
This area falls under the Harbour Assembly constituency. Except for one time since 1977, this seat has mostly been won by the DMK. DMK chief M. Karunanidhi also won from here twice. Only in 2011 did the AIADMK secure victory. In 2016 and 2021, the seat went back to the DMK. P.K. Sekhar Babu is the MLA from here, and the DMK has fielded him again this time. In 2021, the BJP candidate finished second in this constituency.
Now the story of North Indians…
Agarchand from Nagaur travelled 2,200 km by bullock cart to reach Chennai
We met the Agarchand Manmal family in Sowcarpet. Agarchand came to Chennai from Kuchera village in Nagaur, Rajasthan, by bullock cart in 1820. At that time, Rajasthan was facing a famine. Pannalal Chogadiya from the family says his ancestors also worked with the East India Company.
Pannalal currently runs a pharmaceutical business worth crores. According to him, Agarchand was possibly the first Marwari Jain to reach Chennai from North India. After him, migration of businessmen from North India increased. In the next generation, Manmal expanded the business further. This family helped other Marwari Jains settle in Chennai.
“We don’t call ourselves North Indians, we speak Tamil”
Pannalal explains, “We no longer call ourselves North Indians. We have been here for 200 years. Many Tamils living in Chennai have not been here that long. We know Tamil better than we know Hindi.”
He adds, “I don’t think there can be a safer place for North Indians than Tamil Nadu. Whether it was DMK’s Karunanidhi or AIADMK’s M.G. Ramachandran, they would begin their election campaigns only after touching my grandfather’s feet.”
On linguistic disputes and related politics, his elder brother says, “The media raises this issue. We have never faced any problem because of it. Living among Tamils, we never felt like outsiders.”
Rajesh Jain became councillor with DMK support, says he is proud of being Tamil
The councillor of this area is Rajesh Jain, originally from Dondwada in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He says, “After studying till Class 10, I came to Chennai in 1987. I initially worked at a tea shop, then took up a job. Later, I started my own business after becoming dissatisfied with employment. Now I am in real estate and textiles. It is a business worth crores.”
Rajesh was elected councillor with support from the DMK, the party led by M.K. Stalin. He is Chennai’s only North Indian councillor. He says a local party in Tamil Nadu had never before supported a North Indian candidate, but the DMK gave him a ticket and he won. He adds that the DMK is not anti-Hindi; rather, it takes pride in the Tamil language, which is its right.
Manish came from Bikaner, stayed back, now runs three shops
Manish Pareek, who came from Bikaner, Rajasthan, has a similar story. He says, “I came to Chennai with my grandparents in 2003. I liked the city. I started with small jobs and have now been here for 23 years. I run three shops. The people here are very good and do not trouble you unnecessarily like in the North. Within two years, I learned Tamil and now deal with customers in Tamil.”
Nirmala has lived in Chennai for 53 years, still follows Marwari traditions
Near Manish’s shop, we met Nirmala Rajpurohit. She came to Chennai from Jalore, Rajasthan, with her family in 1973. She says, “Rajasthan may be behind us, but whether it is clothing or food, everything remains Marwari.”
She adds, “I have never faced trouble here due to language or any other reason. Even if you go out at 11 pm, there is no fear. We have taught Hindi and Marwari to Tamils here. At our home, even breakfast is idli and sambar.”
Vikas’s father came for 20 days, now runs a ₹20,000 crore company
The biggest jewellery shop in Sowcarpet belongs to Vikas Mehta. His grandfather used to trade fenugreek seeds in Rajasthan. Once, Vikas’s father came to Chennai to collect payment. The dealer told him the payment would take time, so he stayed for 20 days.
During this time, he started working at a goldsmith’s shop. He developed an interest and learned the entire craft. In 1971, he opened his own jewellery store. Today, the family runs a company worth ₹20,000 crore called Johri Jewellers. Vikas studied in Chennai itself and speaks fluent Tamil. He says learning the language is essential for business.
Tamil Nadu: DMK+ vs AIADMK; elections in a single phase
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