Gujarati people - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Gujarati people or Gujaratis are an ethnic group that is traditionally Gujarati

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...

-speaking and can trace their ancestry to the state of Gujarat in western India. Famous Gujaratis include Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel was an Indian barrister and statesman, one of the leaders of the Indian National Congress and one of the founding fathers of India...

, Mohandas Gandhi, Dhirubhai Ambani

Dhirubhai Ambani

Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani also known as Dhirubhai, was an Indian-Gujarati business magnate and entrepreneur who founded Reliance Industries, a petrochemicals, communications, power, and textiles conglomerate and the only privately owned Indian company in the Fortune 500. Ambani took his company...

, Swami Dayananda Saraswati

Swami Dayananda Saraswati

Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati was an important Hindu religious scholar, reformer, and founder of the Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement. He was the first to give the call for Swarajya – "India for Indians" – in 1876, later taken up by Lokmanya Tilak...

and Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a Muslim lawyer, politician, statesman and the founder of Pakistan. He is popularly and officially known in Pakistan as Quaid-e-Azam and Baba-e-Qaum ....

Gujaratis in India

The Gujarati people live in the western part of the Indian subcontinent, in the state of Gujarat. Gujaratis have rich cultural heritage. Many Gujaratis inhabit the states Rajasthan

Rajasthan

Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...

, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....

of India and the Indian capital of New Delhi as well as territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Additionally, the Gujarati language

Gujarati language

has been adopted by communities such as the Kacchis

Kutchi people

The Kutchi people traditionally reside in the Kutch region of the northwestern Indian state of Gujarat and in the Sindh province of Pakistan...

, who use it as their literary language

Literary language

A literary language is a register of a language that is used in literary writing. This may also include liturgical writing. The difference between literary and non-literary forms is more marked in some languages than in others...

, and the Parsis, who had made the Gujarat region of the Indian subcontinent

Indian subcontinent

The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...

their home. Gandhinagar is the capital city of Gujarat. Gujaratis mainly follow Hindu religion (68%), Jains

Jain community

The Jains in India have been the last direct representatives of the Shramana tradition in India. They follow Jainism, as the dharma taught by the 24 Tirthankaras, the last of whom was Mahavira.-Cultural influence:...

(35%) (although Gujarati Muslims are the prominent minority (9%) apart from others including Sikhs, Christians. There are many Gujaratis living in various cities in South Indian states viz. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh many of them following Jainism

Jainism

Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...

Gujarati diaspora

Significant migrant

Immigration

Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...

Gujarati communities exist around the world. The largest expatriate Gujarati populations are in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Other major Gujarati communities exist in South

Southern Africa

Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...

and East Africa (most notably Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda, South Africa, Madagascar, Mozambique – a substantial number of Gujaratis from this former Portuguese colony settled in Portugal after its independence) and South-East Asia (Myanmar

Myanmar

Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....

, Malaysia).

According to the US Census Bureau in 2006 there were 1,417,000 people in the US who spoke Gujarati, Hindi or other Indic languages (e.g. Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu) at home; Gujaratis comprised 299,000 of these numbers, suggesting greater than 20% of the approximately 3 million Indian American

Indian American

Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...

s are Gujarati, with the highest number residing in the New York City Metropolitan Area. (This total excludes 325,000 Urdu speakers who it might reasonably be assumed are predominantly of Pakistani origin.) Note that this estimate does not include second or greater generation Gujaratis who report they primarily speak English at home. Most East African Asians are Gujaratis. Early 2010 figures estimate that there are 104,000 people who speak Gujarati in Canada, with the majority living in the Greater Toronto Area

Greater Toronto Area

The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...

. In the UK, Gujarati people live primarily in London and Leicester

Leicester

Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...

Gujaratis of Pakistan

There is a community of Muslim Gujaratis in neighbouring Pakistan, mainly settled in Sindh

Sindh

Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...

for generations. A sizable number migrated after the Partition of India

Partition of India

The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...

and subsequent creation of independent Pakistan

Pakistan Movement

The Pakistan Movement or Tehrik-e-Pakistan refers to the historical movement to have an independent Muslim state named Pakistan created from the separation of the north-western region of the Indian subcontinent, partitioned within or outside the British Indian Empire. It had its origins in the...

in 1947. These Pakistani Gujaratis belong mainly to the Khoja

Khoja

The Khojas are ethnic group of Shia Muslims. The word Khoja derives from Khwaja, a Persian title .In Pakistan, many Khojas migrated to and settled in the province of Sindh and especially in the city of Karachi. While in India, most Khojas live in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and...

Bohra

Mustaali

The Musta‘lī Ismā'īlī Muslims are so named because they accept Al-Musta'li as the nineteenth Fatimid caliph and legitimate successor to his father, al-Mustansir...

, Chhipa

Chhipa

The Chhipa are a Muslim community found in the state of Gujarat in India. A few Chhipa are also found in the city of Karachi in Pakistan.-History and origin:Chhipa is also hindu community which belives in Sant Namdev...

, Chundrigar

Chundrigar

The Chundrigar are a Muslim community found in the state of Gujarat in India. A few are also found in the city of Karachi in Pakistan.-History and origin:...

, Charotar Sunni Vohra

Sunni Bohra

Sunni Bohras or Sunni Vohras, are a Sunni Muslim community found in the province of Sindh in Pakistan and the state of Gujarat in India. Sharing a large number of cultural similarities with the Dawoodi Bohras, they are often confused with that community. However, they are different in the fact...

, Muslim Ghanchi

Ghanchi (Muslim)

The Ghanchi are a Gujarati Muslim community found in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan in India. A small number of Ghanchi are also found in the city of Karachi in Pakistan. - Origin :...

and Memon groups; however, many Gujaratis are also a part of Pakistan's small but vibrant Hindu community

Hinduism in Pakistan

Hinduism is the indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent, including Pakistan. However since the independence of Pakistan in 1947 as a Muslim majority nation, Hindus have had a much smaller numerical presence there...

. Many Gujaratis in Pakistan retain ties to their relatives in Muslim communities living in Gujarat, and maintain Gujarati as their native language. However, a growing number are adopting Urdu

Urdu

Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...

as their native tongue. Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a Muslim lawyer, politician, statesman and the founder of Pakistan. He is popularly and officially known in Pakistan as Quaid-e-Azam and Baba-e-Qaum ....

, the founding father of Pakistan, is one of the most notable people of Gujarati Muslim ancestry belonged to the province of Gujrat however born in Karachi

Karachi

Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

. Gujarati Muslims constitute the majority in Saddar Town

Saddar Town

Saddar Town is a town in the central part of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. The word Saddar generally means the “centre” and also “head” . The town is bordered by Jamshed Town and Clifton Cantonment to the east, Kiamari Town and the Arabian Sea to the south and Lyari Town to the west...

Genetics

In terms of ancestry, the majority of Gujaratis share similar genes with the rest of the northern Indian populations, but show a significant relationship with Central Asia and Iran.

A 2004 Stanford study conducted with a wide sampling from India, found that over 33% of genetic markers in Gujarat were partially of West Eurasian origin, the second highest amongst the sampled group of South Asians with Punjabis at 42%, Sindhis at 43% and Kashmiris at 30%.

Haplogroup U7 is found only in Iran, the Near East, Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan; with extremely low frequencies in neighboring countries Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Iraq. Its frequency peaks at over 12% in Gujarat, 9% in Iran, 9% in Punjab, 6% in Pakistan and 6% in Afghanistan. Elsewhere in India, its frequency is very low (0.00% to 0.90%). Outside of the Near East

Near East

The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...

, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Northwestern Indian states, Haplogroup U7 is non-existent. Expansion times and haplotype diversities for the Indian and Near and Middle Eastern U7 mtDNAs are strikingly similar. The possible homeland of this haplogroup likely spans the coverage of Iran to Western India. From there its frequency declines steeply both to the east and to the west. Its equally high frequency as well as diversity in Gujarat favors a scenario whereby U7 has been introduced by the coastal Gujarat to the uncultured areas of Iran . It is to be noted that very sophisticated civilisations were existing in Gujarat before it touched the shores of Iran. Dwarkapuri, the recently excavated capital city of Krishna is a primary example.

Some preliminary conclusions from these varying tests support some of the highest degrees of Indian mtDNAs found in Western Asia, with a particular close relationship between Iran and Gujarat, supporting a theory of trade contact and migrations out of Gujarat into West Asia.

Food

Hindu and Jain Gujaratis are predominantly vegetarians, to a greater extent than Hindu communities elsewhere in India. Gujarati cuisine

Gujarati cuisine

Gujarati cuisine refers to the cuisine of the Gujaratis from India, who are predominant in western India. It is primarily a vegetarian cuisine, despite having an extensive coastline for sea food, due influence of Jain vegetarianism and traditional Hinduism...

follows the traditional Indian full meal structure of rice, cooked vegetables, lentil curry or daal and roti
Roti
Roti is generally a South Asian bread made from stoneground wholemeal flour, traditionally known as atta flour, that originated and is consumed in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It is also consumed in parts of the Southern Caribbean, particularly in Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and...

. The different types of rotli (breads) that a Gujarati cooks are rotli or chapati, bhakhri

Bhakri

Bhakri is a round flat unleavened bread often used in the cuisine of western and central India, especially in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Malwa, Goa and northern Karnataka . It is coarser than a roti and can be compared to a British biscuit with respect to hardness.Bhakri as...

, thepla or dhebara, puri, maal purah, and puran-pohli. [Khaman]], Dhokla

Dhokla

Dhokla or Dhokra is a vegetarian food item that originates from the Indian state of Gujarat. It is made with a fermented batter of gram flour . Dhokla can be eaten for breakfast, as a main course, as a side dish or as a snack...

pani puri, dhokli, dal-dhokli, undhiyu, jalebi, fafda, chevdoh, Samosa, papdi, muthia, bhajia, patra, bhusu and Sev mamra

Sev mamra

Sev Mamra is an Indian snack. It is a mixture of spicy dry ingredients such as puffed rice, savoury noodles and peanuts. It is a very light yet healthy dish....

are traditional Gujarati dishes savoured by many communities across the world.

Khichdi

Khichdi

Khichṛī , alternate spellings khichdi, khichri, khichdee, khichadi, khichuri, khichari, "kitcheree", "kitchree", and many other variants, is a South Asian preparation made from rice and lentils...

– a mix of rice and toor daal, a type of lentil, cooked with little spices in a pressure cooker – is a popular Gujarati meal. It is found very satisfying by most Gujaratis, and cooked very regularly in most homes, typically on a busy day due to its ease of cooking. It can also become an elaborate meal when served with several side dishes such as a vegetable curry, yogurt, papad, mango pickle, and onions. It is found to be served in Gujarati immigrant families settled abroad even after decades of being outside India.

Use of Ghee

Ghee

Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....

in meals is very common. For example, rice or khichdi

Khichdi

Khichṛī , alternate spellings khichdi, khichri, khichdee, khichadi, khichuri, khichari, "kitcheree", "kitchree", and many other variants, is a South Asian preparation made from rice and lentils...

on roti. The meal is usually accompanied with a sweet and a salty snack (farsaan) like Vada

Vada

Vada ; also known as wada or vade or vadai , is a savoury fritter-type snack from South India.-Description:Vada can vary in shape and size, but are usually either doughnut- or disc-shaped and are about between 5 and 8 cm across. They are made from dal, lentil, gram flour or potato.Vada is a...

. Gujarati cookbook writers like Tarla Dalal

Tarla Dalal

Tarla Dalal is a noted Indian food writer, chef, best-selling cookbook author and host of cooking shows like "Tarla Dalal show" and "Cook It Up With Tarla Dalal" . Her first cook book The Pleasures of Vegetarian Cooking was published in 1974, and since then she has written over 100 books and in...

are famous internationally.

Gujaratis are more comfortable cooking with peanut oil (shing tel). However, while living abroad they adjust their cooking method with available canola or sunflower oil. The making of masala is traditionally done on grinding stones. Nowadays, people use a blender or grinder to make masala. Each person makes masala differently, hence cooking tastes differ depending on the household. People from north Gujarat use dry red chili powder, whereas people from south Gujarat prefer using green chili and coriander in their cooking. Gujarati Jains (and many Hindus) avoid using garlic and onions in their cooking. Traditionally Gujaratis eat mukhwas
Mukhwas
Mukhwas is a colorful Indian and Pakistani after-meal snack or digestive aid. It also freshens breath. It can be made of various seeds and nuts, but often found with fennel seeds, anise seeds, coconut, and sesame seeds. They are sweet in flavor and highly aromatic due to added sugar and the...

or paan
Paan
Paan, from the word pān is an Indian, Pakistani, Uttarvarshi and Southeast Asian tradition of chewing betel leaf with areca nut and slaked lime paste, and katha brown powder paste, with many regional and local variations...

at the end of a meal. In many parts of Gujarat, having chhass (chilled buttermilk

Buttermilk

Buttermilk refers to a number of dairy drinks. Originally, buttermilk was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cream. It also refers to a range of fermented milk drinks, common in warm climates where unrefrigerated fresh milk otherwise sours quickly...

) or soda after lunch or dinner is quite common. Gujarati families celebrate Sharad Purnima by having dinner with doodh-pauva under moonlight.

A very interesting version of English Custard is made in Gujarat. It was picked up from the British nearly 200 years ago, and the Indian recipe uses cornstarch instead of the traditional eggs, this being a 19th century invention in Britain itself. The Indian version of the custard is cooked with cardamom and saffron, and served with fruit and sliced almonds, oftentimes simply called fruit salad.

Dress

Indian jewelry like mangalsutra

Mangalsutra

A Mangalsutra is a symbol of Hindu marriage union in South Asia. It is a sacred thread of love and goodwill worn by women as a symbol of their marriage...

s, necklaces, nose rings, earrings, bangles and rings, toe rings, bracelets are all part of the Gujarati attire. Most of this jewelry is made in 22 carat gold but cheaper costume jewelry

Costume jewelry

Costume jewelry is jewelry manufactured as ornamentation to complement a particular fashionable costume or garment. Costume jewelry came into being in the 1930s as a cheap, disposable accessory meant to be worn with a specific outfit...

is also available. During weddings, Gujarati brides wear a lot of jewelry, this is traditionally a form of trust handed to the girl as 22 karat jewlery.

Years ago, only married Gujarati (Hindu) women wore a red bindi

Bindi (decoration)

A bindi is a forehead decoration worn in South Asia . and Southeast Asia...

(red powder worn in a round shape on the forehead also found in the form of stickers). These days, most women, married or not, wear 'bindi' as a fashion accessory when they wear traditional Indian outfits. Modern Bindis are like stickers, and are available in various shapes, sizes, colors and designs. Only married women however, wear red powder, called 'sindoor

Sindoor

Sindoor is a traditional red or orange-red colored cosmetic powder from the Indian subcontinent, usually worn by married women along the parting of their hair. Usage of sindoor denotes that a woman is married in many Hindu communities, and ceasing to wear it usually implies widowhood...

', in a short straight line on the scalp, starting near the hairline and covers the area where the hair is generally parted(middle). During a traditional Hindu wedding, the groom applies 'sindoor' on the bride for the very first time. This act can be compared to a ring ceremony in western weddings.

There are several different outfits that are worn by both men and women depending on the occasion. Younger women wear western outfits like skirts, dresses, jeans, etc. Older women usually wear sari

Sari

A sari or sareeThe name of the garment in various regional languages include: , , , , , , , , , , , , , is a strip of unstitched cloth, worn by females, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular in India, Bangladesh, Nepal,...

s or salwar kamiz. The Gujarati method of wearing a sari is different from the Bengali method which is usually prevalent in fashion shows. Gujarati ladies drape the pallu over the front of their right shoulder and across the chest tucked into the waist. The Bengali method which is more prevalent in India and amongst younger women involves draping the pallu over the left shoulder with the pallu hanging freely in back

Generally, men wear pants and shirts or t-shirts however traditionally, males will wear dhoti

Dhoti

The dhoti or pancha is the traditional men's garment in the in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. A similar garment is worn in some rural areas of Punjab province in Pakistan, but the use is fast declining...

s be it every day on a special occasion and a kurta is worn on top. Females will wear saris or something similar. On special occasions females will wear slightly more expensive saris. These traditional garments can be seen both in and outside of India. A famous example is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who wore a dhoti.

Literature

Gujarati literature

The history of Gujarati literature may be traced to 1000 AD, and this literature has flourished since then to the present. It is unique in having almost no patronage from a ruling dynasty, other than its composers...

's history may be traced to 1000 AD. Since then literature has flourished till date. Well known laureates of Gujarati literature are Hemchandracharya, Narsinh Mehta

Narsinh Mehta

Narsinh Mehta also known as Narsi Mehta or Narsi Bhagat was a poet-saint of Gujarat, India, and a member of the Nagar Brahmins community, notable as a bhakta, an exponent of Hindu devotional religious poetry. He is especially revered in Gujarati literature, where he is acclaimed as its Adi Kavi...

, Akho

Akho

Akha Bhagat was a medieval period poet in Gujarati literature who wrote in the tradition of the Bhakti movement. He kept Gujarati literature alive and wrote his poems in pattern which is called "chhappa" .- History :He came to Ahmedabad from Jetalpur in the 17th Century...

, Premanand Bhatt

Premanand Bhatt

Premanand Bhatt is known for his contribution in Gujarati literature. Popularly, he is known as Premanand in Gujarat. Premanand is known for his literary form called "Aakhyan" in Gujarati...

, Shamal Bhatt

Shamal Bhatt

Shamal Bhatt was a Gujarati author of the middle age in Gujarati literature. He is known for his "Padhya-Vaarta"....

, Dayaram

Dayaram

Dayaram was a Gujarati poet. He belongs to middle age or " Madhya-kal " in Gujarati literature.He was known for his literary form called " Garbi " in Gujarat.He was a follower of Pushtimarg of Hindu religion....

, Dalpatram

Dalpatram

Nanalal Dalpatram Kavi was a noted author, poet of Gujarati literature, and was given a title of "Kavishwar" by people of Gujarat...

, Narmad, Govardhanram Tripathi

Govardhanram Tripathi

Govardhanram Tripathi was a novel writer of Gujarati literature.-Life:Govardhanram Tripathi was born in Nadiad, India on 20 October 1855 on the day of the Dasara festival....

, Gandhiji, K. M. Munshi

K. M. Munshi

Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi was an Indian independence movement activist, politician, writer and educationist from Gujarat state. A lawyer by profession, he later turned to literature and politics. He was a well known name in Gujarati literature...

, Umashankar Joshi

Umashankar Joshi

Umashankar Joshi was an eminent poet, scholar and writer. He received the Jnanpith Award in 1967 for his contribution to Indian, especially Gujarati literature.-Works:...

, Suresh Joshi

Suresh Joshi

Suresh Joshi was an Indian novelist, short-story writer, critic, poet, translator, writer and academic in the Gujarati language.He was born in Valod, a small town in South Gujarat on 30 May 1921....

, Pannalal Patel

Pannalal Patel

Pannalal Nanalal Patel is a Gujarati author. He was the recipient of Jnanpith Award in 1985. He was born at Mandli village, Dungarpur, Rajasthan.-Works:- Novels :* Maanavi Ni Bhavaai...

and Rajendra Keshavlal Shah

Rajendra Keshavlal Shah

Rajendra Keshavlal Shah was a lyrical poet who wrote in Gujarati. Born in Kapadvanaj, he authored more than 20 collections of poems and songs, mainly on the themes of the beauty of nature, and about the everyday lives of indigenous peoples and fisherfolk communities...

.

Kavi Kant

Kavi kant

Kavi Kant is a poet associated with Gujarat and Gujarati literature.-Life:Kavi Kant was born Manishankar Rataji Bhatt in 1868 in Chavand village, part of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat....

and Kalapi are famous Gujarati poets and Vipul K Rawal

Vipul K Rawal

-Early years:Born on 7th November, 1968 in the former princely state of Wadhwan, Vipul K Rawal did his schooling from a Military School in Dehradun and later in Vapi, Gujarat. It was during his college days in Madras, that the filmy bug really bit him. His college was situated in Kodambakkam, also...

is the famous Bollywood

Bollywood

Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...

writer who has written blockbusters like Iqbal.

Gujarat Vidhya Sabha

Gujarat Vidhya Sabha

Gujarat Vidhya Sabha, originally called The Gujarat Vernacular Society is a literary institution for the promotion of Gujarati literature located in the city of Ahmedabad, India. It was founded by a British judge Alexander Forbes in 1848...

, Gujarat Sahitya Sabha

Gujarat Sahitya Sabha

Gujarat Sahitya Sabha, originally called the Social and Literary Association is a literary institution for the promotion of Gujarati literature located in the city of Ahmedabad, India. It was founded by Ranjitram Vavabhai Mehta in 1898...

, and Gujarati Sahitya Parishad

Gujarati Sahitya Parishad

Gujarati Sahitya Parishad is a literary institution for the promotion of Gujarati literature located in the city of Ahmedabad, India. It was founded by Ranjitram Mehta with an aim of creating literature appealing to all classes of the society and cultivate a literary sense among the people...

are Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...

based literary institutions promoting the spread of Gujarati literature.
Saraswatichandra

Saraswatichandra

Saraswatichandra is a black-and-white Hindi film released in 1968 . It starred Nutan and Manish among others and was directed by Govind Saraiya. It was also the last Bollywood movie to be made in black and white....

is a landmark novel by Govardhanram Tripathi

Govardhanram Tripathi

Govardhanram Tripathi was a novel writer of Gujarati literature.-Life:Govardhanram Tripathi was born in Nadiad, India on 20 October 1855 on the day of the Dasara festival....

. Writers like Harindra Dave, Suresh Dalal, Jyotindra Dave, Tarak Mehta, Harkisan Mehta, Chandrakant Bakshi

Chandrakant Bakshi

Chandrakant Keshavlal Bakshi was a Gujarati author. He was a son of Keshavlal and Chanchalbahen. He completed his primary education at Palanpur. Fans also address him as "Bakshi" or "Bakshibaabu".He completed his M.A. in History and Bachelor of Laws from Calcutta...

, Vinod Bhatt, Kanti Bhatt, Makarand Dave, and Varsha Adalja have influenced Gujarati thinkers.

A huge contribution to Gujarati language literature came from the Swaminarayan

Bhagwan Swaminarayan

Swaminarayan , also known as Sahajanand Swami, is the central figure in a modern sect of Hinduism known as the Swaminarayan Faith, a form of Vaishnavism...

paramhanso, like Bramhanand, Premanand, with prose like Vachanamrut

Vachanamrut

The Vachanamrut of Swaminarayan is a foundational scripture of the Swaminarayan faith. It is considered one of the most sacred scriptures by Swaminarayan followers...

and poetry in the form of bhajans.

Gujarati theatre owes a lot to bhavai. Bhavai

Bhavai

Bhavai is a popular folk theatre form of Gujarat. Jasma Odan based on Gujarati folk tale, wriiten and directed by Shanta Gandhi and Mena Gujari produced by Deena Gandhi are some of most popular Bhavai musicals..-History:...

is a musical performance of stage plays. Ketan Mehta and Sanjay Leela Bhansali explored artistic use of bhavai in films such as Bhavni Bhavai
Bhavni Bhavai
Bhavni Bhavai is a 1980 Gujarati film directed by Ketan Mehta. Ketan Mehta's debut film is a successful adaptation of folk idioms into cinema. The film is dedicated to Bertolt Brecht, Goscinny and to the inventor of the Bhavai, Asait Thakore, who was a Brahmin outcast and lived among the lower...

, Oh Darling! Yeh Hai India
Oh Darling! Yeh Hai India
Oh Darling! Yeh Hai India! is an 1995 Indian musical spoof film directed by Ketan Mehta, and starring Shahrukh Khan, Deepa Sahi, Jaaved Jaffrey and Amrish Puri...

and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
The music was composed by Ismail Darbar with lyrics by Mehboob. It received nine Filmfare Awards nominations in the music and singing categories and produced some winners as well.-Track listing:-2000 National Awards:* Best Music Direction - Ismail Darbar...

. Dayro (gathering) involves singing and conversation reflecting on human nature.

Gujarati language is enriched by the Adhytmic Literature written by Srimad Rajchandra and Pandit Himmatlal Jethalal Shah. This
Literature is both in the form of Poetry and Prose.

Mention in history

Early European travelers like Ludovico di Varthema

Ludovico di Varthema

Ludovico di Varthema, also known as Barthema and Vertomannus was an Italian traveller and diarist, known for being the first non-Muslim European to enter Mecca as a pilgrim...

(15th century) traveled to Gujarat and wrote on the people of Gujarat. He noted that Jainism

Jainism

had a strong presence in Gujarat and opined that Gujaratis were deprived of their kingdom by Muslims because of their kind heartedness. His description of Gujaratis was:

Famous & Notable Gujarati Businessmen and Industrialists

Gujaratis are considered as one of the major business communities not only in India but globally as well. They have strong presence in USA, UK, South and Central African countries along with a sizable population in Canada, Australia and some European countries. Some of the famous Gujarati Businessmen and Industrialists, including Parsis, are as below:

Dhirubhai Ambani

Dhirubhai Ambani

(Reliance Industries)

Reliance Industries

Reliance Industries Limited is an Indian conglomerate company headquartered at Mumbai, India. The company operates through three business segments: petrochemicals, refining, and oil and gas, other segment of the company includes textile, retail business, special economic zone development and...

Mukesh Ambani

Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani is an Indian business magnate. He is the chairman and managing director of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries, the largest private sector enterprise in India listed in Fortune 500 magazine. His personal stake in Reliance Industries is 48%...

(Reliance Industries)

Reliance Industries

Anil Ambani

Anil Dhirubhai Ambani is an Indian-Gujarati business baron and chairman of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, one of the largest private conglomerates. Anil's elder brother, Mukesh Ambani, is worth more than 29 billion dollars, and owns another company called Reliance Industries...

(Reliance ADAG)

Azim Premji

Azim Premji

Azim Hashim Premji is an Indian business tycoon and philanthropist who is the chairman of Wipro Limited, guiding the company through four decades of diversification and growth to emerge as one of the Indian leader in the software industry...

(Wipro Limited)

Wipro

Wipro Limited formally Western India Products Limited is a global IT services and consulting company headquartered in Bangalore, India. As of 2011, Wipro is the second largest IT services company by turnover in India and employs more than 120,000 people worldwide as of March 2011...

Ratan Tata (Tata Group)

Tata Group

Tata Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Tata Group is one of the largest companies in India by market capitalization and revenue. It has interests in communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy,...

Gautam Adani

Gautam Adani , is an Indian businessman. He is the chairman of the Adani Group, a leading trading and export company of India. In March, 2011 Forbes magazine announced that Adani is the 6th richest person in India with a personal wealth of US $10 billion...

(Adani Group)

Adani Group

The Adani Group is a Gujarat based Indian conglomerate with the industrialist Gautam Adani as its CMD and promoter. The core business of the group is Commodities Trading, edible oil Manufacturing, Mundra port operations and distribution of Natural Gas. Adani group has more than 50 companies under...

Dilip Shanghvi

Dilip S. Shanghvi is the chairman of Sun Pharmaceuticals and has an estimated wealth of $4.44 billion. Dilip Shanghvi, holds a commerce degree from the University of Calcutta. He started Sun Pharmaceuticals in 1983 and it is currently the fifth-largest drugmaker in India...

(Sun Pharmaceutical Industries)

Sun Pharmaceuticals

Sun Pharmaceutical is an international pharmaceutical company based in Mumbai, India. It should not be confused with Sun Pharmaceuticals Corp, which is a manufacturer of sun care products, owned by the Playtex branch of Energizer Holdings.Sun Pharmaceutical, often known just as Sun Pharma, makes...

Karsanbhai Patel

Dr. Karsanbhai Khodidas Patel is an Indian industrialist, founder of the Rs. 2500 crore Nirma group with major interests in detergents, soaps and cosmetics. In 2005 Forbes listed his net worth as USD $640 million. He has interests in education, and founded a leading engineering college, the...

(Nirma Group)

Nirma

Nirma is a group of companies based in the city of Ahmedabad in western India that manufactures products ranging from cosmetics, soaps, detergents, salt, soda ash, LAB and Injectibles. Karsanbhai Patel, a well known entrepreneur and philanthropist of Gujarat, started Nirma as a one-man operation....

Uday Kotak

Uday Kotak is an Indian businessman. He is the vice-chairman and managing director of Kotak Mahindra Bank. He owns a 50% stake in Kotak Mahindra Bank, which he founded and runs. Forbes estimated his wealth to be $3.2 billion in 2011...

(Kotak Mahindra Group)

Kotak Mahindra Bank

The Kotak Mahindra Bank is a financial organization established in 1985 in India. It was previously known as Kotak Mahindra Finance Limited, a non-banking financial company. In February 2003, Kotak Mahindra Finance Ltd, the group's flagship company was given the license to carry on banking...

Pankaj Patel

Pankaj Ramanbhai Patel is the current Chairman and Managing Director of Cadila Healthcare, the fifth largest pharmaceutical company in India. Patel was tied for 26th place on Forbes Magazine's first annual list of the 40 richest Indians with an estimated net worth of $510 million...

(Cadila Healthcare)

Cadila Healthcare

'Cadila Healthcare' is an Indian pharmaceutical company head quartered at Ahmedabad in Gujarat state of western India. The company is the fifth largest pharmaceutical company in India, with US$290m in turnover in 2004. It is a significant manufacturer of generic drugs...

Ambalal Sarabhai

Ambalal Sarabhai was a leading industrialist of Ahmedabad and also played an important role in India's freedom struggle. He was founder of Sarabhai group of Companies, like Sarabhai Textiles, Calico Textile Mills, Sarabhai Chemicals & others....

(Sarabhai Group of Companies)

Vikram Sarabhai

Vikram Sarabhai

Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai was an Indian physicist. He is considered to be the father of the Indian space program; legendary Homi Bhabha’s successor as chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission; and was as at home in the world of the arts as in his favourite laboratory. His interests were vast and...

(father of the Indian space program)

Sam Pitroda

Sam Pitroda

Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda popularly known as Sam Pitroda is an inventor, entrepreneur and policymaker. Currently Advisor to the Prime Minister of India on Public Information Infrastructure & Innovations, he is also widely considered to have been responsible for India’s communications revolution...

(C-SAM, Inc.)

Kasturbhai Lalbhai

Kasturbhai Lalbhai

Kasturbhai Lalbhai was an Indian industrialist. He was widely perceived as a nationalist businessman akin to G. D. Birla.- Early life :...

(Atul Limited)

Atul Limited

Atul Limited is a member of the Lalbhai Group, one of the oldest business houses in India. Today, Atul is one of India's largest integrated chemical companies, with a turnover of Rs1,500 crore...

Tulsi Tanti

Tulsi Tanti is the chairman and managing director of Suzlon Energy, a US $2 billion market cap wind power based company. He, along with his three siblings, own 58% of the company. He is from Rajkot Gujarat where he started his first venture which was in textiles in Surat called Sulzer Synthetics P....

(Suzlon Energy)

Suzlon Energy

Suzlon Energy is a global wind power company based in India. In terms of market share, the company is the fifth largest wind turbine manufacturer in Asia...

Adi Godrej

Adi Godrej is an Indian industrialist and philanthropist. , he is one of the richest Indians with net worth of US$7.3 billion. He is 130 on Forbes List of Billionaires. Also He is the second richest person of Parsi descent in the world after Pallonji Mistry.-Career:Godrej received his...

(Godrej Group)

Godrej Group

The Godrej Group is an Indian conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, India. It was founded by Ardeshir Godrej and Pirojsha Godrej in 1897, Lalbaug, Mumbai...

Nusli Wadia

Nusli Wadia is an Indian Parsi entrepreneur, a textile magnate and an important person in the real-estate business. He is the son of Neville and Dina Wadia. His mother Dina Wadia is the daughter of Muhammad Ali Jinnah....

(Wadia Group)

Wadia Group

The Wadia Group is one of the oldest conglomerates of corporate India. It was founded by Sir Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia in 1736. Lovji Wadia secured contracts with the British East India Company to build ships and docks in Bombay in 1736. This, and subsequent efforts, would result in Bombay becoming...

Jehangir Wadia

Jehangir Wadia , also known as Jeh Wadia, is an Indian businessman belonging to the Wadia family. He is currently the managing director of GoAir, a budget airline which he founded, as well as, Bombay Dyeing, a flagship textile company...

GoAir
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Rank !! Name !! Net Worth (Billion USD) !! City !! Company !! Industry
|-
| 1
| Mukesh Ambani

Mukesh Ambani

| 27.1
| Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

| Reliance Industries

Reliance Industries

| Petrochemicals
|-
| 2
| Azim Premji

Azim Premji

| 16.80
| Banglore
| Wipro Technologies
| Software and IT-enabled services
|-
| 3
| Anil Ambani

Anil Ambani

| 13.3
| Mumbai

Mumbai

| Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group

Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group

Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group is one of India's largest conglomerates, headquartered in Navi Mumbai, India. The company, which was formed after Dhirubhai Ambani's business empire was divided up, is headed by his younger son Anil Ambani. It has a market capitalization of US$ 15 billion,...

| Conglomerate

Conglomerate (company)

A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...

|-
| 4
| Gautam Adani

Gautam Adani

| 10.7
| Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad

| Adani Group

Adani Group

| Conglomerate

Conglomerate (company)

|-
| 5
| Dilip Shanghvi

Dilip Shanghvi

| 5.20
| Mumbai

Mumbai

Uday Kotak

| 3.4
| Mumbai

Mumbai

| Kotak Mahindra Bank

Kotak Mahindra Bank

| BFSI

BFSI

Banking, Financial Services and Insurance is an industry term of art for companies that provide a range of such products/services....

|-
| 7
| Sudhir & Samir Mehta
| 2.5
| Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad

Pankaj Patel

| 2.05
| Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad

| Cadila Healthcare

Cadila Healthcare

| Pharmaceuticals
|-
| 9
| Anand Jain

Anand Jain

Anand Jain is an Indian business executive. He is the Chairman of Jai Corp Limited, Navi Mumbai SEZ Pvt. Ltd. Mumbai SEZ Limited, Reliance Haryana SEZ Ltd & Urban Infrastructure Venture Capital Private Limited...

| 1.190
| Mumbai

Mumbai

| Jai Corp.
| Infrastructure & Real Estate
|-
| 10
| Ashwin Dani
| 1.03
| Mumbai

Mumbai

| Asian Paints

Asian Paints

Asian Paints is an Indian paint company headquartered in Mumbai, India. Asian Paints is India’s largest paint company and Asia’s third largest paint company, with a turnover of Rs 77.06 billion.It is one of the largest paint corporation that operates in 17 countries and has 23 paint manufacturing...

| Paints
|-
| 11
| Tulsi Tanti

Tulsi Tanti

| 1.00
| Pune

Pune

Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...

| Suzlon Energy

Suzlon Energy

Suzlon Energy is a global wind power company based in India. In terms of market share, the company is the fifth largest wind turbine manufacturer in Asia...

| Wind energy equipment
|-
| 12
| Zeinal Bava
| 1.00
| Lisbon, Portugal
| Portugal Telecom, CEO
| Portugal's State Telecom
|-}

Arts and entertainment

Fabric designs involve use of Batik

Batik

Batik is a cloth that traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. Batik or fabrics with the traditional batik patterns are found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, China, Azerbaijan, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, and Singapore.Javanese traditional batik, especially from...

. The embedding of mirrors (called abhla) in fabric is a favourite among art lovers. Wall hangings demonstrate use of knitting and embedding of mirrors. Gujarati pottery includes different kinds of deeva (lamps) and pots. During the festival of Navratri, youngsters wear traditional dress and go out to play dandia

Dandiya

Raas or Dandiya Raas is the traditional folk dance form of Vrindavan, India, where it is performed depicting scenes of Holi, and lila of Krishna and Radha. Along with Garba, it is the featured dance of Navratri evenings in Western India.-Etymology:...

and sing garbas

Garba (dance)

Garba is an Indian form of dance that originated in the Gujarat region. The name garba comes from the Sanskrit term Garbha and Deep . Many traditional garbas are performed around a central lit lamp or picture/statues of different avatars of Goddess Shakti...

. Typically men wear Kedia

Kedia

Kedia is a village in Central District of Botswana. It is located 15 km south-west of a larger village, Mopipi, and it has a primary school. The population was 793 in 2001 census....

and women wear Ghaghra Cholee to dance in Navratri.

Gujarati films have made artists like Upendra Trivedi, Snehlata, Raajeev, Mahesh Kumar Kanodia

Mahesh Kumar Kanodia

Mahesh Kumar Kanodia was a member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India. He was representing the Patan constituency of Gujarat and is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is well known face in Gujarati cinema.-External links:*...

, Naresh Kanodia, Aruna Irani

Aruna Irani

Aruna Irani is an Indian actress. An accomplished actress and dancer of her time, Aruna Irani has acted in about 300 movies, with many memorable acting performances to her credit...

and Asrani

Asrani

Govardhan Asrani , popularly known simply as Asrani, is an actor in Indian films whose Bollywood career has spanned over 35 years. His wife Manju Bansal is an actress.-Early life:...

popular in the entertainment industry. In the U.S., Bali Brahmbhatt

Brahmbhatt

Brahmbhatt is an Indian surname representing a Vedic/Indo-Aryan peoples, to be found mainly across West India and North India, in India. Primarily Warrior Brahmins, this classic social entity possesses the characteristics of Brahmin as well as Kshatriya as per the caste system prevalent in India...

came up with the hit song "Patel Rap", referring to changing values of Gujarati culture.

There are dedicated television channels airing Gujarati programs.

There are very few well known Gujarati painters like Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh

Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh

Gulam Mohammed Sheikh is an internationally renowned Painter, Writer and Art critic. He was awarded the prestigious Padmashri award for his contribution to art in 1983....

, Moazzam Mirza, Amit Ambalal, Haku Shah

Haku Shah

Haku Shah is a Gandhian, an eminent Indian painter belonging to the Baroda School, he is also a cultural anthropologist, an author of international repute on folk and tribal art and culture...

. UK based Kamal Koria's work often depicts traditional Gujarati village life.

Gujaratis in India

Gujarati diaspora

Gujaratis of Pakistan

Genetics

Food

Dress

Literature

Mention in history

Famous & Notable Gujarati Businessmen and Industrialists

Arts and entertainment

Further reading