Mistri, or Mistry

Mistry

Mistry or Mistry may refer to :-*Mistri - a word used for master-craftsman, foreman in India.*Mistri - a caste of India.*Mistry - a surname used by persons of India or Indian origin.*Mistris of Kutch - another name for KGK Community of India....

, is a term for a master-craftsman, foreman or supervisor of manual workers in India. Mistri is being replaced with "supervisor" and other terms, as for example by the Indian Railway who replaced it with supervisor in 2005.
The word Mistri, or Mistry, is adopted into the Gujarati language

Gujarati language

Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...

 from the Portuguese

Portuguese language

Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...

 word Mestre meaning Master or Teacher. The Portuguese were present in Gujarat since 1500 in Diu. The Kadia

Kadia (community)

Kadia is a Hindu community in Gujarat State of India. They are specialised in masonry works, artistic carvings and sculpting as well as artistic wooden works.- History and origin :...

s and Kadia Kshatriyas worked on building Diu Fort and the Portuguese called them Mestre due to their skills at fort building.

Mistri besides carpenter ( for Suthar

Suthar

The Suthar or Sutar is a Hindu caste within the Vishwakarma community of India. They are also found in the province of Sindh in Pakistan . They are also known as Mistry in Saurashtra.-The Origin :...

 community ) also meant Contractor

General contractor

A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...

 ( mainly for Mistris of Kutch - majority of whom worked as Railway, PWD & Forest Contractors during British India ). Many Parsi

Parsi

Parsi or Parsee refers to a member of the larger of the two Zoroastrian communities in South Asia, the other being the Irani community....

 family working as Contractor, therefore, also adopted surname Mistry, as their occupational surname. One such famous Parsi businessman is Pallonji Mistry

Pallonji Mistry

Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry is an Irish-Parsi construction tycoon. According to Forbes, his wealth is estimated to be US$8.8 billion as of 2011. He is the richest person of Parsi descent followed by Adi Godrej at US$7.3 Billion . With his 18.5% stake in Tata Sons, he is the single largest...

.

The word Mistri or Mistry in Gujarat is today identified with people, who are expert in Building Construction.

See Also

• Gaidher
  Gaidher
  Gaidher or Gaidhar is a word of Gujarati, Kutchi and Rajasthani language. The word Gaidher derives its origin from the word Gadh or Garh...
  
  
• Mistry (Surname)
  Mistry (surname)
  Mistry, or Mistri, is a surname found in people of India or Indian origin. Gujarat and Rajasthan are origin state of Mistrys. This surname is used by many different communities of India.-By Mistris of Kutch:...
  
  
• Mistri (caste)
  Mistri (caste)
  The Mistri or Mistris are a Hindu caste found in state of Gujarat in India.-Names of casts known as Mistri:There are two different casts by same name:-...
  
  
• Mistris of Kutch
• Raj Mistry
  Raj Mistry
  Raj Mistry or Raj Mistri is a term used in Indian sub-continent for the people, who are master craftsman, expert mason, a foreman, a construction supervisor or a person who has mastered his skill in filed of construction and also has a knowledge of Vastu and hence a vastukar.The when someone wants...