Wani (surname)

Last updated

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.

Contents

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 (Wani also use Khwaja as their prefix). [3]

Wains are divided into several sub-castes such as Kesar-Wani (those who sell saffron), [1] Tal-Wain (those who sell oil), 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. [3] [4]

People with the surname

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khatri</span> Caste in South Asia

Khatri is a caste of the Indian subcontinent originating from the Punjab region that is predominantly found in India, but also in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In the subcontinent, they were mostly engaged in mercantilistic 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 and some were scribes learned in Sanskrit or Persian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kashmiris</span> Ethnolinguistic group native to the Kashmir Valley

Kashmiris are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group speaking the Kashmiri language, that live, have lived, or their ancestors have lived, mostly, but not exclusively, in the Kashmir Valley, which is now in the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Wani may refer to:

Dhar or Dar is a Kashmiri surname and clan native to the Kashmir Valley in Jammu and Kashmir, India, and common today among Kashmiri Hindus and Kashmiri Muslims. Outside Kashmir, it is used by members of the Kashmiri diaspora, in places like Punjab, Bengal, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, and more commonly in recent times by the global Kashmiri Pandit diaspora following the Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus in 1989–1990.

Gurjar or Gujjar is an ethnic nomadic, agricultural and pastoral community, residing mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were traditionally involved in agriculture and pastoral and nomadic activities and formed a large heterogeneous group. The historical role of Gurjars has been quite diverse in society: at one end they have been founders of several kingdoms and dynasties and, at the other end, some are still nomads with no land of their own.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agrahari</span>

Agrahari, Agraharee or Agarhari is an Indian and Nepali Vaishya community, They are the descendants of legendary king Agrasena. Predominantly, they are found in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Terai region of Nepal.

Kashmiri Muslims are ethnic Kashmiris who practice Islam and are native to the Kashmir Valley in Indian-administered Kashmir. The majority of Kashmiri Muslims are Sunni. They refer to themselves as "Koshur" in their mother language.

The Muslim Gaddi are a Muslim community found mainly in northern India. After the independence in 1947, the Gaddi of the states of Haryana and Delhi migrated to Pakistan and are now found in the provinces of Punjab and Sindh. In Pakistan and North India, some community members have started to refer to themselves as Ghazi in a way to reconstruct identity.

The Qassab, are members of a north Indian community or biradari. Occasionally most Quresh caste members are referred to as the Qassab. At present, Qassab who are engaged in meat cutting and selling business are referred to as Qureshi.

The Muslim Teli are members of the Teli caste who follow Sunni Islam. They are found in India and Pakistan.

The Qassar are a South Asian Muslim caste whose traditional occupation is washing clothes. They are considered to be Muslim converts from Hinduism, where the Dhobi castes are launderers. Muslim Dhobis are found throughout the Indian subcontinent.

The Kesarwani, also known as Kesarvani, Keshri or Kesri, are sub Bania caste found in India. They originated in the Kashmir region and are now found in other parts of northern India, to which they migrated during the Mughal era. Kesar refers to saffron, which they traded, and Wani refers to the Kashmiri caste to which they belong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darzi</span> Muslim community, found in North India and Pakistan

Darzi is a profession which is done by the people of different religions and communities of the world for their livelihood or as business in modern times. Talking about the old times, the tailoring business can be seen among the communities. In the Indian tradition, it was customary to wrap it over the body rather than wearing it. Nowadays wrap clothes tradition is limited, most of the people prefer to wear stitched clothes. In Indian subcontinent, there is long history of caste division in the society. If we talk about the caste Darzi, they can be found in Hindus and Muslims (Idrisi) community of Uttar Pradesh are those Turkic Muslim tribes of the 13th century who were settled in Delhi and different states of India. who were soldiers in origin and later became related to this particular profession. The Darzi are a community of tailors, numbering around more than 73,548,009 Many people are choosing Tailoring as a profession besides their ethnicity. According to the data of National Commission of Backward Classes, Darzi castes is enlisted in central and in every state caste lists of Other Backward Class (OBC) but Idrisi is enlisted in Uttar Pradesh state caste list.

Bhānds are the traditional folk entertainers of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. In India and Nepal, the Bahand are now an endogamous Muslim community, which is no longer involved in their traditional occupation of folk entertainment. They include actors, dancers, minstrels, storytellers and impressionists.

Mochi are a community, found in North India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.They are the traditional shoemakers of South Asia.

The Kashmiri diaspora refers to Kashmiris who have migrated out of the Kashmir into other areas and countries, and their descendants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kashmiri Hindus</span> Ethnic Kashmiris who adhere to Hinduism and are native to the Kashmir Valley

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punjabi Tamba and Kurta</span> Type of sarong and shirt, traditional costume in Punjab

Punjabi Kurta and Tamba are traditional costume for men of Punjab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus</span> Exodus of Hindus from the Kashmir Valley in the 1990s

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.

References

  1. 1 2 People of India: Uttar Pradesh, Volume 42, Part 2. Anthropological Survey of India. 2005. p. 769. ISBN   9788173041143. 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.
  2. Rajghatta, Chidanand (28 August 2019). "View: Most Pakistanis are actually Indians". The Economic Times . Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  3. 1 2 pages 259 to 260 of vol.1 of Tawaareekh Aqwaam e Kashmir {Histories of the Tribes of Kashmir} by Muhammad Deen Fauq, written in 1934 A.D. ; Published by Nigarshat, 24 Muzang Road, Lahore, Pakistan, in 2003 A.D
  4. Singh, K.S. (1998). India's Communities, Volume 5. Oxford University Press. p. 1663. ISBN   9780195633542.