Wani/Vani (or Wanie, Wyne, Wain) is a surname of a caste found throughout India and Pakistan, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Maharashtra. Both Wain (pronounced like wine with a nasal 'n') and Wani/Vani are acceptable pronunciations.
Historians agree that the Wani/Wain belong to the merchant caste and were originally Kashmiri Hindus. [1] [2] Even among those Wani/Wain who converted from Hinduism to Islam, the profession of these people remained primarily in trade and commerce. Taareekh Hassan has mentioned that Wani Muslims became one of the highest castes among Sheikhs. [3]
Wains are divided into several sub-castes such as Kesar-Wani (those who sell saffron), [1] Tal-Wain (those who sell oil), kathar-wani(those who sell grocery) Pui-Wani, Baand-Wani, Bas-Wani, Tarangar-Wani, Kakar-Wani, and Par-Wani. Because of the adoption of different trades by members of the tribe, various branches of the tribe have come into existence. In the 1931 census about 72,311 people were identified with Wani caste. Some Wanis have migrated from the Kashmir Valley to Punjab region, as well as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar Maharashtra. [3] [4]
Events in the year 2002 in the Republic of India.
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Khatri is a caste originating from the Malwa and Majha areas of Punjab region of South Asia that is predominantly found in India, but also in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Khatris claim they are warriors who took to trade. In the Indian subcontinent, they were mostly engaged in mercantile professions such as banking and trade. They were the dominant commercial and financial administration class of late-medieval India. Some in Punjab often belonged to hereditary agriculturalist land-holding lineages, while others were engaged in artisanal occupations such as silk production and weaving.
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Wani may refer to:
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The Kashmiri diaspora refers to ethnic Kashmiris who have migrated out of the Kashmir into other areas and countries, and their descendants.
Kashmiri Hindus are ethnic Kashmiris who practice Hinduism and are native to the Kashmir Valley of India. With respect to their contributions to Indian philosophy, Kashmiri Hindus developed the tradition of Kashmiri Shaivism. After their exodus from the Kashmir Valley in the wake of the Kashmir insurgency in the 1990s, most Kashmiri Hindus are now settled in the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country. The largest group of Kashmiri Hindus are the Kashmiri Pandits.
The Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus, or Pandits, is their early-1990 migration, or flight, from the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley in Indian-administered Kashmir following rising violence in an insurgency. Of a total Pandit population of 120,000–140,000 some 90,000–100,000 left the valley or felt compelled to leave by the middle of 1990, by which time about 30–80 of them are said to have been killed by militants.
Burhan Wani was the leader of Hizbul Mujahideen, an Islamist militant organization and terrorist group of the Kashmir conflict. He had become a popular figure amongst the local Kashmiri populace, having done so primarily through a strong social media presence, and was responsible for moulding the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir into a youth-oriented movement. Wani was a militant leader and had reportedly recruited numerous foot-soldiers through his personal efforts.
The Kesarwani Bania, or simply the Kesarwani, as they are popularly referred to, are an important group of the Vaishya or business community. They were also referred to as Baniya, Bani and Bakkal in the British time. From Kashmir, they came to Kara- Manikpur at the end of the twelfth century.