KhojaThe Khoja or Khuwaja are a mainly Nizari Isma'ili Shia community of people originating in Gujarat, India. The word Khoja is derived from the Persian word Khwaja, a term of honor, the word Khoja is used to refer to members of Baniya caste groups (Vaishyas), who converted to Islam from Hinduism under Muslim pirs (saints). In India, most Khojas live in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and the city of Hyderabad. Many Khojas have also migrated and settled over the centuries in East Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and North America.
Bhatia casteBhatia is a group of people and a caste found in Punjab, Sindh and Gujarat. Traditionally, they have been a trading and merchant community. The Bhatias primarily live in Northwestern India and Pakistan. The Bhatias, Lohanas and Khatris were similar communities and were known to intermarry. The Bhatias recruit Saraswat Brahmins as priests. The Bhatias are a mercantile community - traditionally they were merchants and traders. The Bhatias primarily live in Northwestern India and Pakistan. According to B.N.
JamnagarJamnagar () is a city located on the western coast of India in the state of Gujarat of Saurashtra region. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jamnagar district and the fifth largest city in Gujarat. The city lies just to the south of the Gulf of Kutch, some west of the state capital, Gandhinagar. India's largest private company, Reliance Industries, has established the world's largest Oil Refining and Petrochemicals Complex in Jamnagar district.
LohanaLohana, also referred to as Loharana, Thakkar and Lohrana, are an Indian trading or mercantile jāti. Lohanas claim to be descendants of Lava, son of Rama, and to descend from the Raghuvanshi dynasty. The Lohanas are divided into many separate cultural groups as a result of centuries apart in different regions. Thus there are significant differences between the culture, language, professions and societies of Gujarati Lohanas, Sindhi Lohanas, and Kutchi Lohanas. Matthew A.
PatidarPatidar (Gujarati: Pāṭidār), formerly known as Kanbi, is an Indian landlord and agrarian caste and community mostly found in Gujarat but also in at least 22 other states of India. The community comprises at multiple subcastes, most prominently the Levas and Kadvas. They form one of the dominant castes in Gujarat. The title of Patidar originally conferred to the land owning aristocratic class of Gujarati Kanbis; however, it was later applied en masses to the entirety of the peasant population who lay claim to a land owning identity, partly as a result of land reforms during the British Raj.
Gandhi (film)Gandhi is a 1982 epic biographical film based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of an Indian independence movement against the British Empire during the 20th century. A co-production between India and the United Kingdom, the historical drama was directed and produced by Richard Attenborough from a screenplay written by John Briley. It stars Ben Kingsley in the title role. The biographical film covers Gandhi's life from a defining moment in 1893, as he is thrown off from a South African train for being in a whites-only compartment and concludes with his assassination and funeral in 1948.
BangaloreBangalore (ˈbæŋɡəlɔːr,_ˌbæŋɡəˈlɔːr ), officially Bengaluru (ˈbeŋgɐɭuːɾu), is the capital and largest city of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than 8 million and a metropolitan population of around 11 million, making it India's third most populous city and fifth most populous urban agglomeration, as well as South India's second-largest urban agglomeration, and the 27th largest city in the world.
Dawoodi BohraThe Dawoodi Bohras are a religious denomination within the Ismā'īlī branch of Shia Islam. The majority are in India, Pakistan, Yemen, East Africa, and the Middle East, with a growing presence across Europe, North America, South East Asia, and Australia. The worldwide population is about one million. The Dawoodi Bohras are a close-knit community who follow the tenets of Islam. Whilst adherence to traditional values is important for the community, they are also known for their mercantilism and having a modernist approach to their lifestyles.
Gujarati literatureThe history of Gujarati literature (ગુજરાતી સાહિત્ય) 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. Gujarat Vidhya Sabha, Gujarat Sahitya Sabha, Gujarat Sahitya Akademi and Gujarati Sahitya Parishad are Gujarat-based literary institutions promoting the Gujarati literature. Such factors as the policies of the rulers, the living style of the people, and the worldwide influence on society are important for any literature to flourish.
Christianity in IndiaChristianity is India's third-largest religion with about 26 million adherents, making up 2.3 percent of the population as of the 2011 census. The written records of the Saint Thomas Christians state that Christianity was introduced in the Indian subcontinent by Thomas the Apostle, who sailed to the Malabar region in the present-day Kerala state in 52 AD. The Acts of Thomas mentions that the early Christians were Malabarese Jews, who had settled in India before the birth of Christ.
