Gaekwad Explained

Gaekwad (also spelt Gaikwar and Gaikwad; mr|Gāyǎkǎvāḍǎ) is a surname native to the Indian state of Maharashtra.^[1] The surname is found among the Marathas, Kolis, Mali and in Scheduled castes.^{[2] [3] [4]} It is also a common surname among Bharadis,^[5] Dhor,^[6] and Mahar communities of Maharashtra.^{[7] [8]}

Etymology

The Marathi historian D.S. Parasnis and his co-author, the British Raj High Court judge, C.A. Kincaid of colonial-era India, wrote in 1908 that the origin of the name Gaekwad is a combination of two Marathi words. In mr|gai|italic=yes means cow and Marathi: kavad means small door. Therefore, gaekwad (or gaikwad) denotes cow door.^[9]

Notable people

Notable people with the surname include:

• Gaekwads of Baroda - Maharajas of Baroda State
• Keerti Gaekwad Kelkar (born 1974), an Indian television actress and model
• Anshuman Gaekwad, a former Indian cricketer and two-time Indian national cricket coach
• Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, known by his stage name Rajinikanth, an Indian actor and politician
• Sunil Gaikwad Member of Parliament 16th, Maharashtra
• Ravindra Gaikwad, a member of the 16th Lok Sabha of India
• Hiralal Gaekwad, an Indian cricketer who played in one Test in 1952
• Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Indian women cricketer
• Ruturaj Gaikwad, Maharashtra domestic and Chennai Super Kings Cricketer
• Raju Gaikwad, professional footballer

See also

• Caste system in India

Notes and References

1. Book: Communalism and Indian Princely States: Travancore, Baroda, and Hyderabad in the 1930s. Dick Kooiman. Manohar. Gaekwad is actually a surname and not a title or designation.. 2002. 9788173044212.
2. Book: Maharashtra in maps. Kamal Ramprit Dikshit. Charulata Patil. Maharashtra State Board for Literature and Culture. 1986. 106. Maratha surnames like More, Kadam and Gaikwad are found even among the scheduled caste people.
3. Book: Bhanu, B. V.. People of India: Maharashtra. 2004. Popular Prakashan. 9788179911013. en.
4. Book: Prasad, R. R.. Encyclopaedic Profile of Indian Tribes. 1996. Discovery Publishing House. 9788171412983. en.
5. Book: The Tribes and Castes of Bombay, Volume 1. Reginald Edward Enthoven. Asian Educational Services. 1990. 113. 9788120606302.
6. Book: Global Encyclopaedia of the South Indian Dalit's Ethnography, Volume 1. Nagendra Kr Singh. Global Vision Pub House. 2006. There are no sub-divisions among Dhor Kakkayya of Dharwad district. The following surnames are found among them: Sindhe, Pol, Hatgar, Holkar, Borade, Gaikwad, Ingle, Mankar, Salunke and Kavale. 181. 9788182201682.
7. Book: Untouchability and Its Origin. Tulasīdāsa Viṭhūjī Geḍāma. Yugantar Education Society. 1999. 158. In Maharashtra we find surnames of Jadhav, Chavan, Pawar, Gaekwad, Thorat etc. among the Maratha caste as well as Mahar caste.
8. Book: Dr Ambedkar and Untouchability: Analysing and Fighting Caste. Christophe Jaffrelot. Orient Blackswan. 2006. 152. 9788178241562. Gaekwad was typical of the Mahar old guard who had joined Ambedkar in the early days. It was a group largely rural in background.
9. Book: Tale of the Tulsi Plant and Other Studies. Kincaid. C.A.. Parasnis. Dattatray Balwant . Asian Educational Services . 1994 . First published 1908 . 52 . 9788120603448.