The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India,...

Like the weaver, the Darzi is of a somewhat religious turn of mind, probably on account of his sedentary calling which gives him plenty of time for reflection. Many of them belong to the Nāmdeo sect, originated by a Chhīpa or dyer, Nāmdeo Sādhu. Nāmdeo is said to have been a contemporary of Kabīr and to have flourished in the twelfth or thirteenth century. He was a great worshipper of the god Vithoba of Pandharpur and is considered by the Marāthas to be their oldest writer, being the author of many Abhangs, or sacred hymns.10 He preached the unity of God, recognising apparently Vithoba or Vishnu as the one deity, and the uselessness of ceremonial. His followers are mainly Dhobis and Chhīpas, the two principal castes from whom the Darzis have originated.11 Nāmdeo’s sect was thus apparently a protest on the part of the Chhīpas and Dhobis against their inferior position in the caste system and the tyranny of the Brāhmans, and resembled the spiritual revolt of the weavers under Kabīr and of the Chamārs under Ghāsi Dās and Jagjīwan Dās.

In Berār it is stated12 that “the Simpi caste has twelve and a half divisions; of these the chief are known as the Jain, Marāthi and Telugu Simpis. The Jain Simpis claim the hero Rimināth as a caste-fellow, while the Marāthas are often Lingāyats and the Telugu division generally Vaishnavas.” Before beginning work in the morning the Darzi bows to his scissors or needle and prays to them for his livelihood for that day.

The Darzi’s occupation, Mr. Crooke remarks, is a poor one and held rather in contempt. The village proverb runs, ‘Darzi ka pūt jab tak jīta tab tak sīta,’ ‘The tailor’s boy will do nothing but sew all his life long.’ Another somewhat more complimentary saying is, ‘Tanak si suiya tak tak kare aur lākh taka ko banj kare,’ or ‘The tiny needle goes tuk tuk, and makes merchandise worth a lakh of rupees.’ The Hindustani version of both proverbs is obviously intended to give the sound of a needle passing through cloth, and it is possible that our word ‘tuck’ has the same origin.