Chaush

Chaush is a derogatory word (synonymously as the N-word is to the African American Community in the US) that refers to the people who migrated to India in the 18th century, primarily from the Hadhramaut region in Yemen. They have a big community mainly in the Deccan region of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. They have relatives living/working in the Gulf region and many of them still holding Yemeni nationality. They came here in search of work especially from Yemen. They worked here with the Nizam of Hyderabad, serving in the armed forces or police. They still have maintained a strong Arab culture among them as well as lineage - mainly through marrying within their own community. Many of them don't speak Arabic but they are still Arab because they identify on genealogical and cultural grounds.

Culturally they are very different from the mainstream Indian Muslims. The famous dishes from the Indian-Arab community is Lham- mandi, dajaj-mandi, hasseed, qahwa, haleem etc. The famous tribes residing in India are Al-Kaseri (Kathiri), Bin Mazi, Al-Attas, Bajaman, Baqatyan, Al-Amoudi, Bin Hilabi, Bawazir, Tamimi, Al Yafai, Al Hamed, Baadam, BaHakim, Bajhaw, Bajham, Bajaber, BaSolamaan, Al-Jabri, Al-Saadi, Bin Mahfuz, Bin Hamza, Al-Habib, Bin Mubarak, BaShaadi & Bakarshoom.

You will find members of Indian-Arab community wearing a soft cotton cloth called 'lungi' and Arabic robes, and in the past would wear a Jambiya (dagger) at their waist. You will find this community in large amounts in an area called Barkas (Previously known as Barracks) in Hyderabad and in old Auranagabad city of Maharashtra. Besides majority of them reside in rural maharashtra. The prominent being Ajanta village, bhokardan, dhawda, jafferabad, jalna, ambad, sawangi, vaijapur, gangapur, partur, pathri, kannad, beed, osmanabad, latur, ausa, parbhani, nanded. There are also a few individuals of this community in Surat, Gujarat.

The Indian-Arab community of Aurangabad have founded an organisation 'THE JAMIAT UL ARAB' for the welfare of the Arab community of Maharashtra.