People group profile · PG041556
The Thulukkan of India
The Thulukkan of India, numbering about 362,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a linguistic group of Tamil-speaking Muslims settled in the Dharavi and Sion Camp areas of Mumbai, Maharashtra, drawn from the Syed, Sheikh, Labbai, and other subgroups. Business remains their principal occupation.
They are an indigenous people in the Malayali people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Malayalam.

Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 362,000
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- Malayali
- Primary language
- Malayalam (mal)
- Primary religion
- Sunni Islam
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- No Known Evangelicals
- GSEC ?
- Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
- Lostness priority ?
- Frontier Unreached People Group
- Region
- Southern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Maharashtra (Mumbai: Dharavi and Sita Camp areas)
Where they live
Gospel status
The Thulukkan are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.
- Congregations exist No
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Thulukkan
- Continue prayer and fasting for this group
- Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
- Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people
Primary religion
Sunni Islam · Islam
Primary language
Malayalam · Dravidian family
100% speak Malayalam
Gospel resources in Malayalam
- Bible available, published 2022
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
Bibles
- Bible League International · audio, text
- Holy Bible, Malayalam Contemporary Version - LUMO Christmas Film · video
- Holy Bible, Malayalam Contemporary Version - LUMO Easter Film · video
- Holy Bible, Malayalam Contemporary Version ™ · video
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Thulukkan
- Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
- 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
- Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
- Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
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