AI-generated practice question — model-generated for extra practice, not a previous-year CBSE board question.
Shikaripuri Shroffs and Nattukottai Chettiars were Indian banking and trading groups who financed export agriculture in Central and Southeast Asia using their own funds or money borrowed from European banks. They had sophisticated systems to transfer money over long distances and developed indigenous forms of corporate organisation.
Source: Chapter 3, Section 2.5 – Indian Entrepreneurs Abroad
The question asks two things: who they were and what role they played. Examiners expect both parts answered. Key phrases to include: "bankers and traders," "financed export agriculture," "Central and Southeast Asia," and "transfer money over large distances." Avoid writing about Hyderabadi Sindhi traders — that is a separate group mentioned in the same passage.