Kapoor
Encyclopedia
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
: ਕਪੂਰ, Hindi: कपूर) is the name of a gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
of punjabi descent belonging to the Khatri
Khatri
Khatri is a caste from the northern Indian subcontinent. Khatris in India are mostly from Punjab, region but later they migrated to regions like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu, Uttarkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber...
(Kshatriya or warrior) Varna. They are part of the "Dhai Ghar", meaning two and a half houses. Kapurs, Malhotra
Malhotra
Malhotra is a Suryavanshi Khatri family surname originating from the Punjab region of the Indian Subcontinent, today straddling India and Pakistan.The Malhotras belong to the kshatriya varna ....
(also called Mehras or Mehrotras), Khanna
Khanna
Khanna is a common last name in India Pakistan. It can mean:* Khanna, Ludhiana, a city in the Ludhiana district of Punjab* Khanna , a prominent clan from the Khatri community of the Punjab region straddling Northern India and Pakistan...
and Seth
Seth
Seth , in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, is the third listed son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, who are the only other of their children mentioned by name...
(also called Kakkar
Kakkar
For the Pashtun tribe, see KakarKakkar are a Punjabi clan found in India and Pakistan . Kakkars are found among Hindu/Sikh as well as Muslims...
) marry their children with each other. Kapoor can not marry a Kapoor but can only marry Malhotra, Khanna or Seth. This leaves three "Ghars" to marry out of which they are not supposed to marry any of their mother's side relatives with mother's paternal last name (it could be Khanna, Malhotra or Seth). Which makes it "Dhai Ghar Marriage that is why the word "Dhai Ghar".
The clan hails originally from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
The Maharajas of Burdwan
The Zamindars of Burdwan in BengalBengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
belong to the Kapoor clan, and held the title of Maharajah. Maharajah Bahadur Tedj Chand Ray adopted Chinilal Kapur. His descendants continued as the Maharajas of Burdwan. The family continued as rulers of Burdwan until zamindari was abolished by the government of India in 1955/56. While called maharajahs they were in no sense rulers or aristocrats but wealthy Banias who had purchased the right to collect rent in the District of Burdwan from the British during the Permanent Settlement of Bengal. The area remaining however under direct administration of the British via the Indian Civil Service officers on the Bengal State. They also were never members of the Chamber or Council of Princes such as the Maharaja of Patiala or Kapurtala. Thus the title Maharaja was only honorific as was the case in much of India. During the three centuries that they held the estate of Burdwan, the Kapoor family extended their patronage to various scholars and artists, including:
- Paramahansa YoganandaParamahansa YoganandaParamahansa Yogananda , born Mukunda Lal Ghosh , was an Indian yogi and guru who introduced many westerners to the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga through his book, Autobiography of a...
, swami and philosopher - Sadhak KamalakantaSadhak KamalakantaSadhaka Kamalakanta was a poet of India of the late 18th century. He is often considered to have followed the example of Ramprasad, both in his poetry and in his lifestyle.-Early life:...
, BengaliBengali languageBengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
poet and singer
Several famous buildings and tanks in Burdwan were built by the Maharajas of Burdwan, including the Sarbamangala temple, the Baikunthanath Siva temple, the Shyam sagar tank, the Ranisagar tank, the Bijoy Toran and the Rajbadi (palace). In 1882, the Burdwan Raj College was started in Burdwan, which was supported entirely by the estates of the Kapoor dynasty.
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
in his "The Hungry Stones And Other Stories" writes: "the Chhota Lord had been heard to say that in all Bengal, the only really respectable families were those of the Maharaja of Burdwan and the Babus of Nayanjore."
Kapoor family of Bollywood
Prithviraj KapoorPrithviraj Kapoor
Prithviraj Kapoor , 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was a pioneer of Indian theatre and of the Hindi film industry, who started his career as an actor, in the silent era of Hindi cinema, associated with IPTA and who founded Prithvi Theatres, a travelling theatre company based in Mumbai, in...
(1906–1972), a noted pioneer of Indian theater and of the Hindi film industry, belonged to the Kapoor clan. He was born at Samundri near the town of Lyallpur
Faisalabad
Faisalabad , formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has...
, in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. He moved to Bombay, India in 1928 and ended up founding a dynasty
Kapoor Family (film)
The Kapoor family is a prominent Indian family with a long history in Bollywood cinema. Many members of the family have been successful actors, film directors, and producers.-Background:...
of movie stars and film-makers. In 1944, he started the Prithvi Theatre
Prithvi Theatre
Prithvi Theatre is one of Mumbai's best known theatres. It belongs to the Kapoor family, one of the most influential actor/director families in Bollywood. The theatre is named after Prithviraj Kapoor who first founded 'Prithvi Theatres', a travelling theatre company in 1944. The company ran for...
, a travelling theatre troupe.
Prithviraj was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his contribution to Indian Cinema posthumously. His son, Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor , born Balbir-Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938 in Calcutta , is an award-winning Indian film actor and film producer. He has also been film director and assistant director in Hindi Films. He is a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema...
, along with his wife, Jennifer Kapoor, has revived Prithvi Theatre in his honour.
Arts and films
- Anil KapoorAnil KapoorAnil Kapoor is an Indian actor and producer who mainly appears in Bollywood films. He won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Yash Chopra's film Mashaal ....
, Bollywood actor, film producer - Anish KapoorAnish KapoorAnish Kapoor CBE RA is a British sculptor of Indian birth. Born in Mumbai , Kapoor has lived and worked in London since the early 1970s when he moved to study art, first at the Hornsey College of Art and later at the Chelsea School of Art and Design.He represented Britain in the XLIV Venice...
, sculptor - Anu Kapoor, Bollywood Actor
- Bharat KapoorBharat KapoorBharat Kapoor is an Indian film and television actor.-Career:He has been acting since 1972 and stard in the television series, Bhagyavidhaata , on India's Colors television channel between 2009 and 2011. -Filmography:*Films:...
, director , writer, producer - Boney KapoorBoney KapoorBoney Kapoor is an Indian film producer and recently he became director of Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited of Sahara India Pariwar....
Film Director and producer - Ekta KapoorEkta KapoorEkta Jeetendra Kapoor is an Indian TV and film producer. She is the Creative Director and Joint Managing Director of Balaji Telefilms, her production company.-Biography:...
Producer for television and movies (Bollywood) - Gita KapoorGita KapoorGita Kapoor is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Shobu Kapoor.Gita had a fierce temper, which was needed to keep her troublesome husband in check. Any success they achieved was down to her...
, Bollywood dancer - Ishaan KapoorIshaan KapoorIshaan Khattar is an Indian actor and the half-brother of Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor. Khattar is the son of actors Neelima Azeem and Rajesh Khattar who separated in 2001. His first role was in Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! where he appeared opposite Shahid Kapoor...
, actor - Kareena KapoorKareena KapoorKareena Kapoor , often informally referred to as Bebo, is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. During her career, Kapoor has received six Filmfare Awards, among nine nominations, and has been noted for her performances in a range of film genres; these include her work from contemporary...
, Bollywood Actress - Karisma KapoorKarisma KapoorKarisma Kapoor , often informally referred to as Lolo, is an Indian actress who made her debut in 1991, and appears in Bollywood films. During her career, she has been part of many commercially and critically successful films, Raja Hindustani being the most notable of them, as it was her biggest...
- Namitha KapoorNamitha KapoorNamitha is an Indian actress, who has appeared in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and Malayalam films.She was crowned Miss Surat during the year 1998. She was a contestant in the 2001 Miss India pageant...
, South Indian movie actress - Neha KapurNeha KapurNeha Kapur Neha Kapur Neha Kapur (Hindi: नेहा कपूर, is an Indian beauty pageant contestant who was crowned Pond's Femina Miss India-Universe in 2006.-Biography:Born in New Delhi, Neha learned classical dance forms when she was very young...
, Beauty queen - Pankaj Kapur, Bollywood actor, film-maker
- Raj KapoorRaj KapoorKnown as Ranbir Raj Kapoor Rāj Kapūr, 14 December 1924 – 2 June 1988), also known as The Show-Man, was an Indian film actor, producer and director of Hindi cinema. He was the winner of nine Filmfare Awards, while his films Awaara and Boot Polish were nominated for the Palme d'Or at the...
, Bollywood actor, producer and director - Ram KapoorRam KapoorRam Kapoor is an Indian television actor noted particularly for his portrayal of Jai Walia on Kasamh Se' & also for his charecter Ram Kapoor in the very populay daily, Bade Achhe Lagte Hain.He rose to prominence as the host of Rakhi ka Swayamvar'. He is the only actor to win the Indian Telly...
, Tv actor - Ranbir KapoorRanbir KapoorRanbir Kapoor is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood movies.Making his acting debut in the 2007 film Saawariya, for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut, Kapoor went on to earn critical praise for his performance in Wake Up Sid...
, Bollywood actor, son of Rishi Kapoor - Ravi KapoorRavi KapoorRavi Kapoor is an actor of Indian heritage best known for his roles on Gideon's Crossing and Crossing Jordan. Before relocating to Los Angeles, Kapoor worked for ten years as an actor in England. He trained at East 15 Acting School...
, British actor - Rishi KapoorRishi KapoorRishi Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor, film producer and director.-Early life:Born in Chembur Mumbai, Kapoor is the second son of film director and star Raj Kapoor. He did his schooling with his brothers at Campion School,Mumbai. His brothers are well-known actors: Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv...
, Bollywood actor - Sanjana KapoorSanjana KapoorSanjana Kapoor is an Indian theatre personality and former Indian film actress, who has been running the Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai since 1993. till 2012 February. -Biography:...
- Sanjay KapoorSanjay KapoorSanjay Kapoor is a Bollywood actor and producer.Son of film producer, Surinder Kapoor, he is the younger brother of actor Anil Kapoor and producer Boney Kapoor and brother-in-law of actress Sridevi...
, Bollywood actor - Sanjeev KapoorSanjeev KapoorSanjeev Kapoor is an Indian chef and entrepreneur. Kapoor stars in the TV show Khana Khazana, which is the longest running show of its kind in Asia; it broadcasts in 120 countries and in 2010 had more than 500 million viewers...
, gourmet chef - Shahid KapoorShahid KapoorShahid Kapoor is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films. He is also a trained dancer.Starting off his career by working in music videos and advertisements, Kapoor made his Bollywood debut as a background dancer in Subhash Ghai's Taal . Four years later, he made his acting debut in Ishq...
, Bollywood actor, son of Pankaj Kapur - Shakti KapoorShakti KapoorShakti Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor. He is notably known for playing vulgar comic and villainous roles. He is known for acting alongside comedian Kader Khan as his sidekick along with Asrani in over 100 films.-Early life:...
, actor - Shammi KapoorShammi KapoorShammi Kapoor was an Indian film actor and director. He was a prominent lead actor in Hindi cinema from the late 1950s until the early 1970s....
, Bollywood actor - Shashi KapoorShashi KapoorShashi Kapoor , born Balbir-Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938 in Calcutta , is an award-winning Indian film actor and film producer. He has also been film director and assistant director in Hindi Films. He is a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema...
, Bollywood actor, director and producer - Shekhar KapurShekhar KapurShekhar Kapur is an Indian film director and producer. A critically acclaimed director, he rose to popularity with the movie Bandit Queen...
, film-maker - Sonam KapoorSonam KapoorSonam Kapoor is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood films. Kapoor made her acting debut in the unsuccessful film Saawariya opposite newcomer Ranbir Kapoor, which earned her a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She earned her first commercial success in I Hate Luv...
, Bollywood Actress - Steven Kapur, also known as "Apache Indian", a pop singer
- Surinder KapoorSurinder KapoorSurinder Kapoor was a Bollywood film producer and was President of the Film & Television Producers Guild of India from 1995 to 2001. His three sons, Boney, Anil and Sanjay, are also involved in the film industry. He was born in Peshawar, British India. His daughter, Reena, is married to Sandeep...
- Tusshar KapoorTusshar KapoorTusshar Kapoor is an Indian actor. He is the son of Bollywood actor Jeetendra and Shobha Kapoor and brother of Ekta Kapoor. He studied at the University of Michigan and graduated with a BBA from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business.Tushar made his debut with Mujhe kuch kehna hai alongside...
, Bollywood actor
Science and medicine
- Dr. Yash Pal Kapur (1927–2009) Professor Emeritus and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Michigan State UniversityMichigan State UniversityMichigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
, with a specialty in otolaryngologyOtolaryngologyOtolaryngology or ENT is the branch of medicine and surgery that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck disorders....
and hearing impairmentHearing impairment-Definition:Deafness is the inability for the ear to interpret certain or all frequencies of sound.-Environmental Situations:Deafness can be caused by environmental situations such as noise, trauma, or other ear defections...
, and a special interest in loss of hearing in juveniles; advisor to the World Health Organisation and president of Hearing International.