Dhaka has been developed on the bank of the Buriganga River. Since Dhaka was the capital, people would inevitably come here. Whenever someone came here, he expressed his own aspirations and spoke in his own language. People from many regions, coming together, have developed a new language surrounded by Dhaka’s ancient town, as they communicate in their own language. This newly created language with unique characteristics is called the ‘Kutti’ language.
The original inhabitants of ancient Dhaka still speak in that ‘Kutti’ language. Although many people may consider the ‘Kutti’ language as the original language of ancient Dhaka, it is not the ancestral language of the indigenous people of Dhaka. The creation of the ‘Kutti’ language took place as a continuous process of artistic expression by a group of people who came from outside Dhaka. Who are the creators of this new language? Where did the people who contributed to the creation of this new language come from? What historic information do we have about their thoughts and intellect?
A significant and intriguing amount of information has been discovered through historical exploration about the ‘Kutti’. Several other books including ‘Dhaka Panchas Baras Pahle’ (Dhaka 50 years ago) written by Hakim Habibur Rahman, ‘Glimpses of old Dhaka’ written by Syed Muhammed Taifoor, ‘Kingbadantir Dhaka’ written by Nazir Hossain, ‘Dhakaiyas on the Move’ written by Dr Hafiza Khatun, ‘Dhakai Upobhasa Probad-Probochon Koutuk Chara’ published by Bangladesh Asiatic Society and edited by Feroza Yesmin, ‘Rajdhani Dhakar 400 Bochor o Uttorkal’ (400 Years of Capital Dhaka and beyond) edited by Abdul Momin Chowdhury and Sharif Uddin Ahmed, the first volume of ‘Dhaka Kosh’ edited by Sharif Uddin Ahmed, ‘Dhakaiya Asil’ published by Bangla Academy and written by Anis Ahmed, ‘Andha Miyar Dhakaiya Bulir Bazar’ written by Malik Khasru PPM etc. have discussed various communities of ancient Dhaka, especially Kutti, Sukhbas, or subbasi, and delve into the origin, development and evolution of their language.
After thoroughly studying the topics mentioned in these books, we have come to know that the Mughal era is mainly the time of origin of the Kutti community and the Kutti language. From the mid-18th century onward, particularly in East Bengal, rice became a significant export commodity, and the capital of Bengal Subah, Dhaka, became a major center of trade and commerce. Rice exporters were the Marwaris and the people of central India. They used to collect paddy from different areas of East Bengal. The huge amount of paddy collected had to be threshed, winnowed, or processed. A considerable number of laborers were employed for the tasks of threshing and winnowing the rice. Laborers engaged in these rice-related tasks would come to Dhaka from the surrounding areas. The work of threshing and winnowing was labor-incentive. Therefore, the laborers did not leave Dhaka after the work was done. They began settling in the vicinity of Dhaka and started living nearby. Since those hard-working people were working together, sharing stories, and exchanging joys and sorrows, a language naturally developed among them. Due to their engagement in threshing and winnowing rice, Marwaris started calling them 'Kutti' briefly by dropping their original names. In the course of time, they became recognized as ‘Kutti’. In other words, the term ‘Kutti’ and the community’s identity originated from the work of threshing and winnowing rice.
We can learn from another piece of information that the emergence of the Kutti community as an ancient social class in the urban community of the capital city of Dhaka was due to the continuous natural disasters in 1700 AD. In April 1762 AD, due to a severe famine that occurred in Dhaka, a group of laborers from the central region of Dhaka came to settle in the Dholaikhal area of Dhaka. The main task of these laborers was threshing and winnowing rice from paddy. Laborers had to break bricks to construct buildings for the landlords who came to live in Dhaka. Those laborers were also involved in the task of breaking the brick for the construction. From their occupation of threshing and winnowing or breaking paddy or brick, the term ‘Kutti’ emerged as a new name for the community and remains in the society. Those remaining people are considered the original inhabitants of old Dhaka. They created their own language for their way of life and practical use. They might not have been aware that they were silently giving birth to a language or had already given birth to one. With the changes over time in Dhaka city, old Dhaka means the area inhabiting Kutti people. The Kutti language has adopted a new form and has found its place in today’s context.
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