Introduction / History

The Gonhri people are also known as Mallah or Nishad. They are a caste associated with boating and fishing. They believe themselves to be descendants of the legendary figure, Nishad, who ferried King Rama and his wife, Sita, across the Ganges River. That tradition has been passed down through the centuries. They take pride in their caste and consider their occupation as boatmen carrying Hindu devotees as a high calling or holy occupation. Others consider them to be a "backward" (meaning low prestige) caste.

The Gonrhi people live mainly in India's states of West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. Others live in Bangladesh or Nepal.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The well-educated ones among them are teachers and government workers, but the majority of them continue as their ancestors have done for centuries: cultivating or fishing. Within their fishing community, they have specialized work based on their subgroup. Some are boatmen, others are fishermen. Those who fish use fishing baskets rather than nets. Many of them belong to the Matsyajibi Unnyan Samity which seeks to improve the welfare of those engaged in the fishing trade.

They usually find a mate through family negotiations. Though monogamy is the custom, they will make an exception if the wife is infertile. Then the husband can take a second wife. They don't permit divorce. Their daughters get an equal share of the family wealth if they don't have brothers. Otherwise, the boys receive it all.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Gonrhi are a Hindu community that worships a number of family and regional deities.

What Are Their Needs?

These people need to put their hope in the Lord of lords, who turned fishermen into disciples that turned the world upside down.

Prayer Points

Pray for the Gonhri people to understand and embrace that Jesus wants to bless their families and neighborhoods.

Pray for Holy Spirit anointed believers from the Gonhri people to change their society from within.

Pray for a movement in which the Holy Spirit leads and empowers Gonhri disciples to make more disciples.

Pray that they will seek and find the One who called made disciples out of fishermen.

Scripture Prayers for the Gonrhi in India.

References

http://indpaedia.com/ind/index.php/Gonrhi