The Patni are a community found in the states of
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
and
Maharashtra in India and
Sindh in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
. The Patni are a trading community who are said to have originated and settled in the town of Patan in Gujarat. The community spread from Patan to the cities of
Himatnagar
Himatnagar or Himmatnagar is a municipality in Sabarkantha district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the district. The city is on the bank of the river Hathmati.
History
Himatnagar was founded in 1426 b ...
,
Veraval
Veraval also known as Somnath is a municipality and the headquarters of Gir Somnath district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is also known for the hub of fishing industries in India.
Geography
Veraval is located at . It has an average ele ...
, Govindpura, Naodra, Kajli, Chorvad, Keshod, Junagadh and
Jamnagar. They speak Vohra Gujarati and Kathiawari Hindi.
They largely dominate the fishing business in the port of
Veraval
Veraval also known as Somnath is a municipality and the headquarters of Gir Somnath district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is also known for the hub of fishing industries in India.
Geography
Veraval is located at . It has an average ele ...
in Gujarat and are engaged in transportation in Maharashtra. They are given the
reservations and were regarded as
Other Backward Class
The Other Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with General castes, ...
by the Central Government as of 2015.
History
The Patni are a trading community who are said to have settled in the town of
Patan, the historic capital of Gujarat, during the rule of
Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi. They originated in the town of Prabhas Patan in Gujarat. The community spread from Patan to the cities of Veraval, Govindpura, Naodra, Kajli, Chorvad, Keshod and Junagadh. They speak Kathiawari Hindi & Vohra Gujarati.The Patnis are essentially a community of traders and fish merchants, a profession they have practiced for generations. They are
Sunni Muslims and their customs are similar to the other
Gujarati Muslims communities. Presently they are situated in different parts of India, mainly in
Veraval
Veraval also known as Somnath is a municipality and the headquarters of Gir Somnath district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is also known for the hub of fishing industries in India.
Geography
Veraval is located at . It has an average ele ...
,
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
,
Ahmedabad and to some extent in
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...
. After the
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
of Pakistan in 1947 some members of the Patni Jamat migrated and settled mainly in
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
. Many for business and education purpose people have migrated to abroad in places of Middle East,
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
,
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, Australia, Europe and North America.
In older days community was dealing in sea transportation by wooden country-craft and the owner of country craft were known as Vahanvatu and they were rich and went to Gulf as well as Africa. There were no mechanised vessels at the time and the journey and communication was tough with homeland. Thereafter time has changed and other communities have entered into this business with mechanised vessels and the traditional trades of wooden country craft ended.
Current circumstances
After 1990, many members of these community migrated outside Veraval, to
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
,
Indore
Indore () is the largest and most populous city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is the only city to ...
&
Jalgaon
Jalgaon () is a city in Maharashtra, India. The city is located in North Maharashtra, and serves as the administrative headquarters of its namesake district, the Jalgaon district. Jalgaon is colloquially known as the “''Banana City of Indi ...
. They started running small transport businesses, Hajibhai & Co was the first, which started in Malegaon in 1950's. Soon their transport businesses started running successfully. Much of their workforce were brought from their hometown
Veraval
Veraval also known as Somnath is a municipality and the headquarters of Gir Somnath district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is also known for the hub of fishing industries in India.
Geography
Veraval is located at . It has an average ele ...
. Soon, Patni settled in almost all big cities of Maharashtra. There are some Patni who have remarkable setup & big name in the transport world such as Arco Transport, Sarco Transport, Batco Logistics LLP, GMC Transport, Ashu Transport, Hajibhai Transport etc.
Today mainly Patni are doing fisheries business. In very large numbers they have fish shops, freezing plants for exporting fish to entire world, and also fishing boats. Veraval is very much known as "fisheries hub" in India and fortunately this trade is by and large under Patni community's control.
[https://m.timesofindia.com/city/surat/fishermen-the-biggest-catch-in-veraval-polls/amp_articleshow/61789051.cms]. Several Patni went to
Kutchh region for Fishing .In early 2000s, some of the Patni also went to Gulf Nations & UK for employment.
"Samast Patni Jamat", a non-profit organization was formed by prominent community members in 1920. Since then, it also conducts Presidential election in every 3 years for the post of 'Patel'. 'Patel' is considered as executive functionary of the organization. The organization looks after the welfare of the Patni Jamat. Recent Elections took place in December 2020 in which Anwarbhai Mahmmadbhai Chauhan defeated Afzal Hussain. Anwarbhai Chauhan is 'Patel' since 2016.
It owns several
town halls in the Patni-dominated areas in the various cities across India & Pakistan. It also runs several educational institutions in the city of Veraval like Sabana Girls High school, I.D Chauhan High School and M.Y English Medium School and also few schools in
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
. It also runs several hospitals in Veraval and Patni Hospital in Karachi.
Clans in Patni Jamat
All these clans are of equal status and they marry each other, They are an indigenous community although they do marriages in the larger Sunni Muslim community.
The Patni Jamat is now made up of a number of clans, the main ones being the Varin, Sailor, Sassa, Mughal, Chauhan, Panja, Karvat, Kapadiya, Bhoda, Nakhwa, Khokhar, Sumra, Mevati, Chachya, Bagji, Agwan, Belim, khathaai, Diwan, Bandhani, Khan, Bekar Pirosh, Batli, Bharari, Chaga, Virbhar, Bagas, Chawda, Kothari, Khanjamal, Mirza, Kuresi, Karwat, Sherpakka, Chinai, Jangsai, Pyarji, Alvi, Sayanji, Kakasiya, Parmar, Jamadar, Babi, Kutub, Khamma, Malek, Gadai, Adhi, Piros, Tidu etc.
References
{{Indian Muslim
Social groups of Pakistan
Social groups of Gujarat
Muslim communities of India
Muslim communities of Gujarat