The Tanti (also anglicised as Tanty, Tantee, Tantubay, Tantubai, Tati, Tatin) are a Hindu vaishya weaving and cloth merchant community in India. The greatest concentration is believed to be in the states of Gujarat,

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam and Odisha. The community is not very concentrated because their designation was defined based on their occupation rather than particular beliefs or group identity.

Origin

The word tanti is derived from the

Odia Odia, also spelled Oriya or Odiya, may refer to: * Odia people in Odisha, India * Odia language, an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family * Odia alphabet, a writing system used for the Odia languag ...

word tanta, which means a loom. They were traditionally weavers, and are one of the many communities found in South Asia, traditionally associated with this craft. The community is found in Gujarat,

, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam as well as Odisha The Tanti are said to have originated as weavers and providers of cloth since the ancient days. They were known for great skill in weaving and the ability to produce both fine linens as well as more common everyday fabrics. Not too long ago, virtually every Tanti home would have had a handloom. The Tanti people are found across mostly the northeastern portion of India.

Notable people

Kamal Kumar Tanti Kamal Kumar Tanti (born 1982) is an Assamese poet from Assam, India. Works Tanti belongs to the Tea-garden labour Community of Assam. His first collection of poetry, ''Marangburu Amar Pita'' (''Our Father Marangburu''), won Yuva Puraskar ...

- writer * Tulsi Tanti - businessman

References

{{Weaver-surname Indian castes Social groups of Bihar Weaving communities of South Asia Social groups of Madhya Pradesh Social groups of Odisha