Khatki in India

Introduction / History

The Khatki people get their name from the Sanskrit word, "kostha" meaning "weaver" or "tailor." They are a weaving caste living in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat. They speak Gujarati, the language of Gujarat.

What Are Their Lives Like?

They have always weaved cloth and produced textiles. Turbans, dhotis and sarees have been the products of their handlooms. They use hand-spun yarn, and they’re skilled at dying and printing cloth goods.

Many are also farmers, potters or carpenters.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Khatki people are Sunni Muslims who believe that the supreme God, Allah, spoke through his prophet, Mohammed, and taught mankind how to live a righteous life through the Koran and the Hadith. To live a righteous life, you must utter the Shahada (a statement of faith), pray five times a day facing Mecca, fast from sunup to sundown during the month of Ramadan, give alms to the poor, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca if you have the means. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, stealing, slandering, and making idols. They gather for corporate prayer on Friday afternoons at a mosque, their place of worship.

The two main holidays for Sunni Muslims are Eid al Fitr, the breaking of the monthly fast and Eid al Adha, the celebration of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah.

Sunni religious practices are staid and simple. They believe Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will.

In most of the Muslim world, common people depend on the spirit world for their daily needs since they regard Allah as too distant. Allah may determine their eternal salvation, but the spirits determine how well they live on a daily basis. For that reason, some Muslims appease spirits using charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces. More orthodox Muslims consider these practices heretical and un-Islamic.

What Are Their Needs?

The Khatki people face the challenges of modern machinery, which can replace their hand made goods. Fortunately, there is an interest in handmade goods, which allows them to make a living.

They also face the challenge of a lack of education. These people need the chance to get a higher education so they can have a better future.

Prayer Points

Pray for the Lord to bless this community economically and spiritually.

Ask God to raise up Khatki who are more desirous to know the truth than to stay on the broad road.

Ask God to send loving, committed workers to the Khatki in the near future.

Pray the Khatki would no longer be hidden away from the influence of Christ.

Pray for many of them to make disciples who will make even more disciples.

Text Source:   Joshua Project