Reddiars also Reddiyar or Reddy is caste tile of prominent land owning, farming and mercantile social group of Tamil Nadu and abroad. They are found in all walks of life today. In sociology, a group is usually defined as a collection consisting of a number of people who share certain aspects, interact with one another, accept rights and obligations as members of the group and share a common identity. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ...

Origins

Although they are believed to be derived from various castes or social groups from Andhra Pradesh sporting the title Reddy they are considered as well as self identified as ethnically Tamil today. They are believed to have moved into Tamil Nadu with the expansion of Vijayanagar empire along with other Telugu and Kannada origin social groups. The word Caste is derived from the Portuguese word casta, meaning lineage, breed or race. ... “Andhra” redirects here. ... Reddy (Telugu:రెడ్డి, also transliterated as Raddi, Reddi, etc. ... Languages Tamil Religions Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism Related ethnic groups Dravidian people Brahui people Kannadigas Malayalis Tamils Telugus Tuluvas Gonds The Tamil people are a multi-ethnic group from the Indian subcontinent with a recorded history going back more than two millennia. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... Vijayanagara (often written Vijayanagar), in northern Karnataka, is the name of the now ruined capital city of the historic Vijayanagar empire in the Southern part of India. ... Kannada - aptly described as sirigannada (known to few as Kanarese) is one of the oldest Dravidian languages and is spoken in its various dialects by roughly 45 million people. ...

Amongst the Tamil diaspora

Through emigration, there are now many Reddiars in the Tamil communities of Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa,Fiji,Mauritius and Sri Lanka. Reddiar or Reddy is sometimes used as a surname but they freely intermarry amongst various elements of the Tamil diaspora. The title does not generally mark the person as a Telugu but as an ethnic Tamil along with Naidu or Naidoo, Pillai, Gounder and Chetty as surnames used in the Tamil diaspora. The Tamil diaspora is a term used to denote people of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lankan Tamil origin who have settled in many parts of the rest of India and Sri Lanka, or in other regions, particularly Malaysia, Singapore, the Middle East, Reunion, South Africa, Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Trinidad and... Languages Tamil Religions Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism Related ethnic groups Dravidian people Brahui people Kannadigas Malayalis Tamils Telugus Tuluvas Gonds The Tamil people are a multi-ethnic group from the Indian subcontinent with a recorded history going back more than two millennia. ... Naidu or Nayudu or Naidoo is a common title used by various social groups of Andhra Pradesh. ... Pillai, Pillay, Pulle or Pilli is a popular title of Tamil- and Malayalam-speaking people of India and others living in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa and Fiji, mostly from Vellalar and Nair communities. ... Gounder:title origins: The title Gounder is used with various regional variations by distinct castes. ... The Chettiars also Chetty, Chetti, Setty, Chitty, Shetty and Shettigar is a title, commonly used by people of South Indian origin in India and abroad. ... The Tamil diaspora is a term used to denote people of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lankan Tamil origin who have settled in many parts of the rest of India and Sri Lanka, or in other regions, particularly Malaysia, Singapore, the Middle East, Reunion, South Africa, Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Trinidad and...

Reddy versus Reddiars

Reddys predominantly speak Telugu and follow Telugu cultural festivals like Ugadi and follow all other Andhra norms. Where as Reddiars speak primarily in Tamil at home as well as Telugu but identify and follow with fellow Tamils most of the cultural norms of Tamil Nadu or the Tamil community abroad. They celebrate Thai Pongal(also called Shankranthi), Tamil New Year and Ugadi are active in supporting local Temple societies and local political aspirations. Some have become very prominent in Tamil nationalistic causes and are represented in Tamil literary circles as great patrons and scholars of Tamil language.In AndraPradesh Reddys esp.Politicians are called Reddy-Garu with respect,similarly Reddys become "Reddappa" in karnataka and "Reddiar" in TamilNadu and Kerala. Ugadi (Telugu: ఉగాది, Kannada: ಉಗಾದಿ) (literally - the start of an era) is the new years day for the people of the Deccan region of India. ... This article is about the Pongal festival. ... The New Year is an event that happens when a culture celebrates the end of one year and the beginning of the next year. ... Tamil nationalism is a strong aspiration by some Tamils to establish traditional Tamil home lands in India and Sri Lanka as separate nations. ...

Reddiar in Kerala

Reddiar community in Kerala is derived from Tamil speaking emigrants from south Tamil Nadu. Some of them speak in a unique dialect of Tamil with a mix of Malayalam and archaic Telugu that was in vogue when they left Tamil Nadu many generations ago. , Kerala ( ; Malayalam: കേരളം; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of southwestern India. ...

Most of the population is based in four cities Trivandrum, Quilon, Kottayam and Allepey. Their roots lie in Tamil villages like Samugarengapuram, Seelathikulam and Pathinalamperi in Tirunelveli district. Indian Coffee House Thiruvananthapuram or Thiruvanathapuram (formerly known as Trivandrum) is the capital (population - 889,191 (2001)) of the state of Kerala, India. ... Kollam, formerly known as Quilon, is a city in Kerala which is also the headquarters of a district by the same name. ... For the district with the same name, see Kottayam District. ... Alappuzha is a district of the state of Kerala in India. ... , Tirunelveli district [8] is the penultimate southern most district of Tamilnadu in India. ...

Own identity

It can be said that Reddiars are clearly not Reddys anymore even though the name may suggest so. They now have a different identity and a culture. But this really subjective. The reddiars in north of Tamil Nadu are close to Reddys from South of Andhra pradesh, in terms of customs and practices.

See also

• Tamil diaspora
• Reddys

The Tamil diaspora is a term used to denote people of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lankan Tamil origin who have settled in many parts of the rest of India and Sri Lanka, or in other regions, particularly Malaysia, Singapore, the Middle East, Reunion, South Africa, Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Trinidad and... Reddy (Telugu:రెడ్డి, also transliterated as Raddi, Reddi, etc. ...

References

• Notes on Love in a Tamil family by Margret Trawick, 1992, Berkley Publications

Prominent Reddiars

• O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar - The Chief Minister of Madras Presidency
• Annamalai Reddiyar - A great Tamil poet
• Muthukomarappa Reddiar - Prominent Pondicherry freedom fighter[1]
• Venkatasubba Reddiar - Former Cheift Minister of Pondicherry[2]
• Krishnamurthy Reddiar - Prominent herbal practionaer from sri Lanka[3]

Omandur Ramasamy Reddiar was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from March 23, 1947 to April 6, 1949. ... Tamil Poet, wrote Kavadi Sindhu on Lord Murugan (Lord Karthikeya, son of Lord Shiva). ... Map of Pondicherry Region, Union Territory of Pondicherry, India Pondicherry (Tamil:புதுவை,Hindi: पॉण्डिचेरी) is a Union Territory of India. ...

Reddy Matrimony Site

• Matrimony site for Reddy

External links

• Thiruvanamalai Reddiar Association
• Kerala Reddiar Association