Muslim Teli Ganiga

The Teli tradition goes back to a very ancient occupation: extracting oil from seeds, work that sustained entire communities in South Asia. Among the Teli there are Hindu and Muslim branches, and the name Ganiga is also used in other oil-pressing communities, which shows how the craft crossed religious boundaries.

The Muslim occupational groups took root over the centuries of Islam's presence on the subcontinent, when families of artisans and merchants embraced the new faith without giving up the identity of their trade. The details of how this particular community formed are poorly documented, and so it is wise to speak of its past with caution and humility.

Traditionally, livelihood comes from pressing oil and trading the products derived from it, a craft passed from father to son. With modernization and the arrival of industrial oil, many families today combine the inherited work with small businesses, wage labor and services. Social life revolves around the extended family and the trade community itself, which tends to marry its children within the same circle.

The local mosque, the festivals of the Islamic calendar and shared meals mark the rhythm of the year. Neighborly ties and hospitality are prized values, and the family’s reputation weighs on important decisions, from marriage to business.

They are Muslims, and the Islamic faith shapes the calendar, food, celebrations and rites of passage, from birth to funeral. Prayer, the fast of Ramadan and religious festivals gather the community and strengthen the sense of belonging to something larger than one’s own family.

As with many Muslim communities in South Asia, the life of faith coexists with local customs and popular devotion, in which saints and regional traditions have a place in the people’s memory. For them, being Muslim and being part of the community are almost the same thing, so changing faith is usually understood as breaking with the family.

The language most used by the community is Urdu, a language in which Bible translations and other Christian materials exist, including audio. What is not well known is how much of this material actually reaches this small, scattered community. For those with little schooling or little contact with Christians, the spoken Word, by recording or told by a trusted friend, is usually the most natural path.

The main barrier is the union of faith, family and community: following Jesus can be seen as abandoning one’s people and one’s own home. Added to this is the small size of the group, which makes it almost invisible, and the distance from Christians who know their language and culture. There is also the image of Christianity as the religion of another caste or another people, which makes it hard for the gospel to be heard with trust. To this day, as far as is known, there are almost no followers of Christ among them.

Being a small community, the Muslim Teli Ganiga face the challenge of keeping their trade and livelihood amid economic change, with competition from industrial oil and the transformation of local markets. Many families need access to education and to work opportunities that respect their history and their dignity.

Above all, they need friends who know them by name and who bring them the gospel with respect, in the language of the heart and at the pace of trust. They also need materials in Urdu, in audio and in text, that can be heard at home, with family, without haste or embarrassment.