Gujarat is a state on the western coast of India with a coastline of 1,600 km (990 mi) – most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula – and a population of 60.4 million. It is the fifth-largest Indian state by area and the ninth-largest state by population. Gujarat is bordered by Rajasthan to the northeast, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu to the south, Maharashtra to the southeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and the Arabian Sea and the Pakistani province of Sindh to the west. Its capital city is Gandhinagar, while its largest city is Ahmedabad. The Gujarati people of India are indigenous to the state, and their language Gujarati, is the state's official language. The economy of Gujarat is the fifth-largest in India, with a gross state domestic product (GSDP) of ₹16.48 trillion (US$220 billion) and has the country's 11th-highest GSDP per capita of ₹216,000 (US$2,900). Gujarat ranks 21st among Indian states in human development index. The state traditionally has low unemployment and is widely considered one of the most industrially developed states of India and a manufacturing hub.
Ahmedabad is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,633,927 makes it the fifth-most populous city in India, and the encompassing urban agglomeration population estimated at 6,357,693 is the seventh-most populous in India. Ahmedabad is located near the banks of the Sabarmati River, 25 km (16 mi) from the capital of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, also known as its twin city.
According to the 2011 national census, the population of Ahmedabad was declared to be 7,214,225. This figure was only limited to the municipality region. The total population of the Ahmedabad Urban Agglomeration came to 7.2 million people. There were 886 females to every 1000 males in 2001. Now there are 904 women to 1000 men in 2011. Ahmedabad had a literacy rate of 79.89% in 2001 which rose to 89.62 percent in 2011. Out of this, male and female literacy are 93.96 and 84.81 percent as of 2011 census. According to the census for the ninth plan, there are 30737 rural families living in Ahmedabad. Out of those, 5.41% live below the poverty line. There are 439,843 people who live in slums in the city. The majority of residents of Ahmedabad are native Gujaratis and speak Gujarati. There is also a sizable population of Punjabis, Marathis, Tamils, Sindhis, Malayalis and Marwaris who bring in their native language and culture to the city. The government institutions and military base near the city also bring peoples from across India. The city's population has increased in a major way following increasing economic expansion and modernization.
The Gujarati people or Gujaratis, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who speak Gujarati, an Indo-Aryan language. While they mainly inhabit the Indian state of Gujarat, they have a diaspora worldwide. Gujaratis are prominent entrepreneurs and industrialists and many notable independence activists were Gujarati, including Mahatma Gandhi and Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
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.
Umashankar Jethalal Joshi was an Indian poet, scholar and writer known for his contribution to Gujarati literature.
Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak, also known as the Ranjitram Gold Medal, was founded by Gujarat Sahitya Sabha and is considered the highest literary award in Gujarati literature. The award is named after renowned Gujarati writer Ranjitram Mehta. It is awarded since 1928.
Pankaj Ramanbhai Patel is an Indian billionaire businessman, and the chairman of Cadila Healthcare, the fifth largest pharmaceutical company in India.
Disha Vakani is an Indian film and television actress. She is known for playing the role of Daya Gada on the sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah.
Gujarati cinema, also known as Dhollywood, is the Gujarati language film industry. It is one of the major regional and vernacular film industries of the cinema of India, having produced more than one thousand films since its inception.
Badruddin Shaikh was an Indian politician and a member of the Indian National Congress. He was the Leader of Opposition in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation from 2010 to 2020.
Kevi Rite Jaish is a 2012 Indian Gujarati-language drama film directed by Abhishek Jain and produced by Nayan Jain. The film is a satire on the fascination and obsession of the Patels' – a Gujarati farmer community – migration to the U.S. Over the last half century, thousands of Patels have migrated to the US and have come to dominate its motel industry. The film stars Divyang Thakkar, Veronica Kalpana-Gautam, Tejal Panchasara, Kenneth Desai, and Anang Desai. The success of the film started a "new wave" in the Gujarati cinema.
Starting in July 2015, the people of India's Patidar community, seeking Other Backward Class (OBC) status, held public demonstrations across the Indian state of Gujarat.
Hardik Patel is an Indian politician and activist, currently serving as the Working President of Gujarat Congress since 2020.
Gujarati Americans are Americans who trace their ancestry to Gujarat, India. They are a subgroup of Indian Americans.
Shyamal-Saumil is an Indian classical music duo formed in 1980, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, composed of the Gujarati singers, Dr. Shyamal Munshi and Saumil Munshi. Shyamal-Saumil achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success in the 1980s and early 1990s, helping to popularize Gujarati classical music, known as "Sugam Sangeet" while experimenting, innovating, and branching out into other forms of media, like cinema and theatre. Shyamal-Saumil are known for their inclusive music, having created a plethora of albums for children, adolescents, and adults, and also having delved into and having explored different cultures and religious folk music in their works.
Bhupendrabhai Rajnikant Patel is an Indian politician and the incumbent Chief Minister of Gujarat since September 2021. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He started his political career in municipal bodies of Ahmedabad before being elected the member of Gujarat Legislative Assembly representing Ghatlodia constituency in 2017.
Jay Amitbhai Shah is an Indian businessman and cricket administrator. He became the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary in 2019. He is also the president of Asian Cricket Council.
The Gujarat Literature Festival, also known as Gujarati Sahitya Mahotsav, is a literary festival which takes place annually in the Indian city Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The festival is held generally in December-January.
Sharifa Vijaliwala is an Indian Gujarati language writer, critic, translator and editor from Surat, Gujarat, India. She is a recipient of a 2018 Sahitya Akademi Award for Vibhajanni Vyatha, a collection of critical essays in Gujarati, and has won several Gujarat Sahitya Akademi awards for her literary work.
