GujaratDevelopment of

Gujarat

Gujaratis live in Gujarat, one of the western states in India. The name comes from "Gujara," a branch of the White Huns. This group ruled the area during the eighth and ninth centuries. Gujara also is the name of a pastoral caste (social class).

Geography

o The State has a long coast-line of about 1600 kms. and is the longest among all States of country

o It is comprised of 25 districts, which are further sub-divided into talukas. A taluka consists of a city or town that serves as its headquarters.

o Gujurat accounts for 6.19 percent of the total area of the country.

Geographyo     The State is situated on the west coast of India

o Population of 50,596,992

o     It is bounded by the Arabian Sea in the West, by the States of Rajasthan in the North and North-East, by Madhya Pradesh in the East and by Maharashtra in the South and South East.

o     The State has an international boundary and has a common border with Pakistan at the north-western fringe.

Cultural Heritageo Gujaratis have a cultural heritage that can be traced back to a civilization that existed 3000 years ago.

o Gujarati literature dates to the twelfth century.

o Many groups contribute to Gujarati culture. From the Vaishnavas come the legends and mythology of Krishna, to whom are ascribed the popular Raas and Garba folk dances. Jains influenced temple architecture and developed a distinctive style of painting. Muslim architecture in Gujarat combined Hindu elements with its own styles.

Garba Video

Language

o The language, Gujarati, comes from Sanskrit—an ancient language.

o There are several dialects of Gujarati. These include Kachchi, Kathiawadi, and Surati. Bhili, a language similar to Gujarati, is spoken by tribal groups in northern and eastern Gujarat.

o Gujarati is written in a cursive script. Many Gujaratis can also understand and speak Hindi.

Language

Clothing

Gujarati men wear the dhoti (loincloth consisting of a long piece of white cotton wrapped around the waist and then drawn between the legs and tucked into the waist), accompanied by a shirt and coat closed with strings.

Clothing

Women wear the sari (a length of fabric wrapped around the waist, with one end thrown over the right shoulder) and choli (tight-fitting, cropped blouse).

FoodGujarati cuisine is mostly vegetarian, reflecting the strong influence of Jains and the Vaishnavas in the region.

o Jowar, Bajri are the main staples.

o Roti - unleavened bread made from flour. This is eaten with a variety of vegetable dishes.

o Kadhi - a savory curry of curds and fried cakes made from pulses (legumes), is a popular dish.

o Srikhand - a rich dessert made with curds and spiced with saffron, cardamom, nuts, and fruit. Gujarat is also known for its delicious ice cream.

Foodo Lunch is usually roti and buttermilk. The main meal is eaten in the evening and consists of rice, split peas (dal-bhat), and vegetables.

o Meals are served on a thali, a metal tray on which roti, rice, and small bowls are placed. The bowls may hold vegetables such as eggplant, potatoes, beans, dal (lentils), and dahi (curds).

Sports

Gujarati girls play house, dress their dolls, and hold mock wedding ceremonies. Boys play marbles, spin tops, fly kites, and play such games as kabaddi (team wrestling). Khokho, a kind of team tag game, is another popular local pastime. Soccer, cricket, field hockey, and basketball are enjoyed throughout Gujarat.

Khokho

Cricket

Peopleo Gujarat is home to number of groups that settled from outside including Huns, Sakas, Muslims, Parsis. Gujarat is devided mostly along caste lines.

o The largest caste is Koli Patel which makes up 20% of the population. The second largest is Patidar or Kanbi which makes up roughly 15% of the population.

o Other major groups are Adivasi, Rajput, Vaniya, Harijan, Lohana, and number of other small sub-castes. The two largest caste, Koli and Kanbi, are distributed throughout Gujarat while other are found only in certain areas of Gujarat.

Religion

Break-down by Population

o Hinduism –26,964,228

o Jainism – 491,331

o Buddhism – 11,615

o Sikhism – 33,044

o Islam – 13,606,920

o Christian - 181,753

Major Holidays

Navratri is one holiday that is widely celebrated throughout the state. Navratri means "nine nights" and is celebrated on the nine nights leading up to Dasahara (the festival of the goddess Durga). It is a time of gaiety, when men and women gather in village squares and temple compounds to sing and dance.

Major Holidays

On the day of Diwali, old and young, rich and poor wear new dresses and share sweets. They also burn fire crackers. The North Indian business community starts their financial new year on Diwali and new account books are opened on this day.

Major Holidays

Holi is an annual festival celebrated on the day after the full moon in the Hindu month of Phalguna (early March). It celebrates spring, commemorates various events in Hindu mythology and is time indulging in general merrymaking.

During Holi, Hindus attend a public bonfire, spray friends and family with colored powders and water, and generally go a bit wild in the streets.

Holi

Famous PeopleMahatma Gandhi - (October 2, 1869– January 30,1948) was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian Independence Movement.

Kalpen Suresh Modi - (born on April 23, 1977) is an American actor who goes by the stage name Kal Penn.

Harold & Kumar

Government and Politics

o Gujarat is governed by a Legislative Assembly of 182 members.

o The term of office for a member of the Legislative Assembly is five years.

o The administration of the state is led by the Chief Minister.

o Narendra Modi has served as Chief Minister of the state since 2002.

Economyo The economy of Gujarat is one of the most prosperous states of the country, having a per-capita GDP 2.47 times India's average.

o Gujarat controls some of the largest businesses in India.

o With 19.8% of the country's total industrial output, it is the most industrialized state in India.

Year Gross State Domestic Product

1980 74,270

1985 139,880

1990 279,960

1995 718,860

2000 1,084,840

Industryo Major Agricultural produce of the state include cotton, peanuts, dates, sugar cane, milk & milk products. Industrial products include cement, and Petrol.

o Gujarat ranks first nationwide in gas-based thermal electricity generation with national market share of over 18% and second nationwide in nuclear electricity generation with national market share of over 16%.

o Over 4% of the S&P CNX 500 conglomerates have corporate offices in Gujarat.

Industryo The worlds largest ship breaking yard is in Gujarat near Bhavnagar at Alang.

o Reliance Petroleum Limited, one of the group companies of Reliance Industries Limited founded by Dhirubhai Ambani operates the oil refinery at Jamnagar which is the world's largest grass roots refineries.

Industrial Growtho During the period 1960-90, Gujarat established itself as a leader in various industrial sectors - Textiles, Engineering, Chemicals,Petrochemicals. Drugs & Pharmaceuticals. Dairy, Cement & Ceramics. Gems & Jewellery, etc.

o Post-liberalization period saw Gujarat's State Domestic Product (SDP) rising at an average growth rate of 12.4% per annum in real terms (from 1994 -2002).

Amul

o formed in 1946, is a dairy cooperative movement in India

o managed by an apex cooperative organisation, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF), which today is jointly owned by some 2.41 million milk producers in Gujarat, India

Amul

Amul’s products range includes milk powders, milk, butter, ghee, cheese, curd, chocolate, ice cream, cream, shrikhand, paneer, gulab jamuns, basundi, Nutramul brand and others.

Amulo Amul is the largest food brand in India with an annual turnover of US $868 million (2005-06)

o Currently Amul has 2.41 million producer members with milk collection average of 5.08 million litres/day.

o Amul is the largest producer of milk and milk products in the world.

Sales Turnover US $ (million)

1994-95 355

1995-96 400

1996-97 450

1997-98 455

1998-99 493

1999-00 493

2000-01 500

2001-02 500

2002-03 575

2003-04 616

2004-05 672

2005-06 850