August 20, 2011.

Dear friends,

It gives us immense pleasure to welcome you all to Gujaratotsav 2011 event. Today, we are here because we are proud of our rich heritage and being Gujarati. We all have a deep commitment to preserve and promote Gujarati culture and values here in the USA. SFVGA has been in existence as a vibrant non-profit organization for past couple of decades, serving and uniting the local Gujarati community.

In the first board meeting of 2011, our SFVGA board, decided to organize this event, celebrating 50 years of in San Fernando Valley. The focus is to refresh our memories and learn more about our own Glorious history and off course today’s Vibrant Gujarat! Our SFVGA members have worked very hard for many days to present this information in the form of a skit along with Audio-Video clips.

To make our celebration memorable, we are very happy to have renowned Gujarati singers Shri Ashitbhai Desai and Smt. Hemanginiben Desai with us today. Their contribution to Gujarati Sugam Sangeet and Bhajans has been extra ordinary. Shri Ashitbhai has won All Radio’s Best Singer Award in 1969 at the age of 18.

We are very thankful for the great support of all our sponsors, reflective of their commitment to support our culture through such authentic Gujarati event. We are also encouraged by the large presence of SFVGA members and their friends from across the Southern California. Together, we have clearly expressed that although we are living thousands of miles away from Gujarat, Gujarat lives within us!

Thank you.

Gujaratotsav 2011 Committee Members

Pranav Desai (Committee Chairperson) Rajesh Patel (Board Liaison member for committee) Dinker Shah Bindu Jogani (Board Liaison member for committee) Vijay Bhatt Purnima Ahuja Ameesh Pandya Shanti Sheth Jitendra Mehta Roopa Maniar Sudhir Banker Rajni Thakkar Dilip Bhatt Surbhi Shah Navendu Trivedi Kirit Doshi

Gujaratotsav 2011 Page 1 GUJARAT: A BRIEF JOURNEY THROUGH THE AGES . . . . . By MANDHATA CHAUHAN

PROLOGUE: Humans, being social animals, politics is inherent in their genes. Nations comprise of humans and that is the reason, why nations behave like human-beings. Ultimate goal of politics is to gain power - economic and/or military. Whenever a power vacuum occurs in a region, external forces would try to fill-in that void. The situation would invariably lead to conflict. GUJARAT is no exception to this rule, it had its periods of tranquil prosperity, often that was shattered by fierce clashes on the battlefields. If one believes strongly enough in something, one must fight for it. Early Rajput princes adhered to the principles of warfare as enunciated by the Vedas, which inculcated justice and fair play without deceit and surprise attacks, while treating adversary as an equal. These rules were not respected by the invading armies. Owing to lack of adequate transportation and communications in a vast country like India, different regions had developed their own languages, cultures, politico-socio-economic philosophies independently of others. This evolution had kept the people of various regions of India from thinking united, as one nation, which in turn, made it easy for the outside powers to manipulate them. Although, the religions have been at the contention, for many wars in the world, Indian religions have been remarkably tolerant of the other religions that came to India. Despite all those wars, destruction and mayhem thru ages, GUJARAT remains to-day, a magnificent amalgam of a variety of positive influences. This is abundantly evident as social impact of the historical events, in its culture, art, music, dances, architecture, costumes and a vibrant economy humming along melodiously. This is our delightful heritage.

ANCIENT ERA: Amongst archeologists it is an accepted belief that GUJARAT is a product of the Indus Valley Civilization - of Mohenjo-Daro descent. Nevertheless, the recent excavations of Lothal and Dholavira, are evidence enough for some archeologist to contend that GUJARAT was the cradle of Saraswati River Civilization. Saraswati river ran parallel to the Indus river from the Himalayas (3000 BC), but, had dissipated into the earth, as a consequence of massive earthquakes. Vedas have prolific references to the river, hence, it is inferred that the Vedas originated on the banks of Saraswati.

Chandragupta Maurya (322- 294 BC) sprinkled the imperial grandeur into the glorious history of GUJARAT, when he ordered building of the dams on the Sudarshan Lake and other water reservoirs in Girinagar, (Junagadh). Chandragupta's grandson, Ashoka, ordered building canals from the Sudarshan Lake to irrigate the farmlands in the area, to which his rock edict reads as an eloquent witness, at Mount Girnar. This was, perhaps, one of the oldest experiments in water conservation, in India. When the Gupta Empire started to deteriorate, their Maitrika Commander (470 AD), established Maitrika state and moved his capital from Girinagar to Vallbhipur (near Bhavnagar). Maitrika kingdom encompassed all of GUJARAT reaching all the way to Malwa. Maitrika University rivaled the renowned Nalanda University, according to writings of the Chinese traveler Hsuan-Tsang (640 AD).

Shiv-ism was the most popular religion in Middle East, in the pre-Islamic period. Three Goddesses most worshiped, were represented as stone idols, Manat (Godess of Destiny), Lat and Uzza, as mentioned in Qur'an (Satanic Verses). All three shrines were in the proximity of Mecca and Madina. In order to start a new religion, worship of earlier deities was opposed by Prophet Mohammd (570-632). He ordered his son-in-law, Ali, to destroy the shrines, which, he did, but idol of Manat, was secreted away to Kathiawad for safe-keeping. (Somnath, Professor Romila Thapar, p.48). Hinduism, Shivism, Jainism, and Buddhism were already popular, but, between 7th and 12th centuries, Bhakti movements, as a road to salvation grew. Swami Chakradhara (1194) popularized Vaishnavites (worship of Vishnu). At this time Kabir, Meera, Narsinh Mehta, Chaitanya and Surdas also came to the forefront (History Of Medieval India, Satish Chandra,p.186-196).

RAJPUT ERA: Chavdas were the vassal kings of the Maitrikas of Vallbhipur. Vanraj Chavda founded the new capital of Anhilpur-Patan. Chavdas ruled Gurjar Desh for almost a century. Chalukyas (Solankis of GUJARAT), who had originated in Rajputana, had migrated South to Karnataka, and ruled Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra, had now, conquered GUJARAT from the Chavdas. Mulraj Solanki (942

Gujaratotsav 2011 Page 2 AD), had adopted the Gupta pattern of administration in GUJARAT, Saurashtra and Kutch. He invited many talented people, including Brahmin -Brahmabhatt from the Northern India to settle in Devasthali (Siddhpur) and employed them in key positions in his administration. He initiated the construction of Rudra Mahal (996 AD), dedicated to Lord Shiva, before his death. Mulraj Solanki's regime was the beginning of a golden period of GUJARAT, blossomed into a cultural icon of India, heralding 'renaissance' in music, dance, art, architecture, language, script, agriculture and trade, and came to be known as Gurjar-Desh, Gurjar-Rashtra and finally GUJARAT. GUJARATi took its distinct structure from Marwadi and Malwi. Jain Muni, HemchandraCharya, Kumarpal's trusted Minister, actively promoted the development of the GUJARATi language and grammer. As a result, GUJARAT evolved as a fully definable region, during the Solanki dynasty. Trade with West Asia comprising of imports of horses, wine, and metals and exports of textiles, spices, semi-precious stones, timber and swords, increased several folds by Arab and Bania traders in this era. The guardian family deity of the Solankis was Somnath, at Prabhas-Patan (Veraval). The temple idol was desecrated and plundered during the times of Solanki king BhimDev (I), by Mahmud of Gazni. BhimDev and Parmar King Bhoj of Malwa rebuilt the temple and enhanced the splendor of Someshwarnath. (Somanath temple was rebuilt eight times). No sooner Mahmud of Gazni began retreating, after his devastating attacks on Somanath and annihilating Anhilpur-Patan into rubbles, the sounds of hammer and chisel began to ring up the hills of Abu and Arasur, with the building of splendorous temples at Delwada and Kumbharia. As if the death and destruction caste upon them by the destroyer and the iconoclast, was but, a nightmare that vanished into the thin air of these mountains. Such resilience of the people of GUJARAT was to surface again and again through ages.

BhimDev's successor, KaranDev founded the town of Karnavati (near Mani-Nagar) on Sabarmati river. KaranDev and MinalDevi's son Siddhraj Jaisinh (1094-1142) was the most prominent of the Solanki Emperors, that most meticulously and efficiently ruled GUJARAT, Saurastra, Kutch and Malwa. One of the most tragic fables of the time, popular with the Barots (bards), is that of Ranak Devi. Siddharth Jaisinh was engaged to Ranak Devi. But, she was married off to Ra'Khengar of Junagadh, by her family. Siddhraj Jaisinh invaded Junagadh. In the war, Ra'Khengar, the ruler of Junagadh, was killed. RanakDevi, his queen, in the Rajput tradition of the time, instead of surrendering to Siddhraj, chose to become 'Sati'. RanakDevi's temple still stands in Wadhwan, as a monumental reminder of her love for her husband, Ra'Khangar. Another melancholy episode that became a folklore of the time, was that of Jasma Oden. Siddhraj had ordered construction of Sahastra-Ling Talao (lake) in Patan, to conserve water for the use of his people. While the construction of the lake was going on, he came across Jasma Oden, a woman employed to dig the lake. Siddhraj fell in love with her beauty, and wanted to marry her. Jasma Oden was a married woman, and so, she gave Siddhraj a 'Shrap' (curse) that his lake would never have water. The magnificent Sahastra-Ling Talao still stands barren as a memorial to Jasma Oden, in Patan. Shahstra-Ling Talao, a lake adorned by one-thousand shrines of Shiv-Lings on its banks. It is a spectacular confluence of the pragmatic architectural splendor, intertwined with symbolizing reverence for Hindu religious sanctity for water. The five kilometer lake, used to get water from river Saraswati, by canals. The awe-inspiring lake still leaves an onlooker with an ever-enduring memory of its grandeur. Solanki kings had built thousands of wells throughout GUJARAT, but, Rani-Ni-Vav (Queen's step- well) is a seven-story marvel outside Patan. Its steps are interwoven with sculptures of Lord Vishnu's Avtaras, Jain Tirthankars, Hindu Goddesses and glamorous Apsaras. VishalDev Vaghela followed the Solanki Dynasty, who built the famous temples of and Vishalnagar (Visnagar). King Virdaval Waghela entrusted his two distinguished Diwans, Vastupal and Tejpal to building magnificient temples at Abu, Girnar and Shatrunjay. For a thousand years, Rajput kings had repelled the invaders. But, KaranDev Vaghela was the last Hindu Rajput king of GUJARAT, since the superior forces of Alauddin Khilji conquored Anhilpur-Patan.

Vanraj Chavda was the founder of the strategically important town of in 8th century. It was considered the strategic gateway to Malwa, Khandesh and Daccan, (thick Narmada river jungles had made them impregnable), for highways ran thru the town which made it a militarily and a commercially viable artery to central and southern India. It also collected lucrative customs duty for the goods that went thru it. Chauhans of Ranthambhor (Rajasthan), descendents of the last Rajput Emperor of Delhi, Prithviraj Chauhan, had established their kingdom in Champaner in (1300 AD). Because of its strategic importance, in South GUJARAT, many Sultans of GUJARAT had tried to conquer it. Hindu kings had never discriminated against any religion and so Champaner had many Hindu, Jain and Buddhist shrines, with Maha Kali temple at the top of the reddish/yellow Pawagadh hill. Garbas/Raas and stage-plays were also a cultural contribution of Champaner to GUJARAT. It was a well-planned city with a distinctly defined drainage system, grain-storages,

Gujaratotsav 2011 Page 3 lakes and tanks for constant water supply with successively fortified walls at regular distances from the top of Pawagadh hills to the surface level. It was Mahmud Begda (1484), who succeeded in capturing the fort, after two years of camping outside the fort and using deceitful tactics.

MUSLIM ERA: The fertile plains of northern India had always been a destination of choice for hordes of invaders from the North-West by the tribes that had just converted to Islam. For the reason of its geography, the Rajput ruled states suffered the brunt of this aggression from various Mongol-Turk-Afghan war-lords that repeatedly invaded the subcontinent. Professor Stanley Wolpert (UCLA), in his book, New History of India, wrote, "The Rajputs were the vanguard of Hindu India in the face of Islamic onslaught". Had it not been for the Rajputs, all of India would have been, perhaps, going to the Masjid to-day to pray, like Malaysia, Indonesia, Iran, Eastern Europe and Africa.

Before 1298, Muslims had only occasional contact with this part of India - GUJARAT, because, Rajputana was a formidable obstacle to Muslim to advance from the North. They were allowed two small settlements, in port towns of Bharuch and Khambhat. Abdullah, a missionary from Egypt, during Sidhraj's times preached there. He became the founder of the Bohra faith in the region. It was Allauddin Khilji, who annexed GUJARAT into Delhi Sultanate after destroying Anhilpur-Patan. Nevertheless, the Sultanate was not in a firm control of GUJARAT. When Timur Langh (great grand-father of Babar, the founder of the Mogul Dynasty), brutally ransacked Delhi (1398), thereby pushing Delhi Sultanate to its breaking point. That is when Sultanate- Governor Muzaffer Shah, declared himself independent, Sultan of GUJARAT. His son, Ahmed Shah, moved the capital from Karnavati to the new city named after himself, Ahmedabad, (February 26, 1411, 600 years old). Mahmud Begda, the grandson of Ahmed Shah, in 1487, fortified the city, six miles in circumference, having twelve gates. He was a ruthless but an efficient ruler. He was called Begada, because he had conquered two 'Gadhs', Junagadh (1467) and Pawagadh (1484). He made Khambhat, a commercially viable port. Later, under the Moguls, Surat rose in prominence.

Mogul Emperor Akbar, conquered Ahmedabad (1573), and brought it under control of Delhi again. Akbar was the first Muslim king that made India his home. Until then all those invaded India, just plundered riches of India and left behind a ghastly trail of death, destruction and mayhem. Akbar wanted to weave into Indian tapestry of art, architecture, culture, tradition, administration and history, his own vision of the greatness of the country. But, unfortunately that trend ended with Aurangzeb. During the Mogul reign, Ahmedabad thrived as a trade center of textile goods, which were exported as far away as Europe thru the ports of Surat and Khambhat, by enterprising GUJARATi Banias. Shah Jahan, Mogul Ruler, spent prime of his life in Ahmedabad. He sponsored the construction of Moti Shahi Mahal in Shahibaug. Mogul Faujdars appointed Nawabs to administer the region. Control of GUJARAT gave them an unprecedented power and prestige, financial and manpower resources, command over gateway to Malwa, Khandesh and Deccan. But, soon enough breakdown of such a remote-controlled authority gave rise to local powers to fill the vacuum.

Resourceful Parsis had landed in Sanjan from Iran, sometime in the 7th century and made GUJARAT their home. Of the Europeans, first Portuguese (1512-1619), and then DUTCH, followed by the British (1609), appeared on the shores of Surat as traders. Sir Thomas Roe obtained permission of the Mogul Emperor Jahangir, to establish a factory in Surat (Surajpur), and DUTCH followed them. Portuguese withdrew from Surat, when Princess Catherine of Brenganza was married to Charles II of England in 1662, and Surat and Bombay islands were given to the British in dowery. By 1687, British had established Presidency in Bombay, while took control of local governance in Surat by 1800.

ANGLO-MARATHA ERA: Marathas began to consolidate their power. Moguls sent Afzal Khan to kill Shivaji, rising Maratha king. Shivaji (1659) killed Afzal Khan at Pratapgadh, using tiger claws. Shivaji had used the guerrilla warfare tactics combined with swift surprise-attack military strategy on the horse-back, developed by Maharana Pratap almost a century earlier, against the Moguls in Rajasthan. Thereafter, Chhatrapati Shivaji invaded and plundered Mogul stronghold, port of Surat, in 1664 and 1672. These were the initial incursions of the Marathas into GUJARAT. Chhatrapati (Emperor) Shivaji appointed the Peshwa (Prime Minister or Pant- Pradhan) to run his day-to-day administration. These Peshwas had control of finances of the military, which put them in a position of power.

Gujaratotsav 2011 Page 4 Before the time of Aurangzeb's death (1707), cracks had begun to develop in the Mogul Empire. The centralized hierarchical vertical power of Mogul Empire from Delhi was coming to an end. GUJARAT was one of the sixteen Subas of the Mogul Empire, throughout India. Constant Maratha raids could not be controlled by the Mogul officers in GUJARAT. In 1748, Sher Khan established Babi Dynasty in Junagadh with the help of the Sultan of Ahmedabad. A towering statesman, his Nagar Diwan, Amarji, made Junagadh a prominent state. Ahmedabad remained under the control of Moguls until 1758, when Moguls surrendered to the contending Marathas - Peshwas (Brahmins) of Poona and Gaekwads (Maratha-Rajput descent) of Baroda. In 1774, a succession dispute arose, when Narayan Rao peshwa was killed and Raghoba wanted to become the Peshwa, bypassing Narayan Rao's son. The British and the Gaekwads successfully supported Narayan Rao's son's candidacy. Gaekwads recognized British power after the treaty of Salbai (1782). Surat went to the British in 1800, and Bharuch in 1803. PilajiRao Gaekwad and Kanoji Kadam-Bande raided region south of Surat and built a fort in Songadh, and took residence there. South GUJARAT's Rajas of Rajpipla and Chhota-Udaipur supported the Marathas. Nizam Haider Qualikhan appointed his Naib, Hamid khan, to take charge of GUJARAT and went to Deccan and declared independence from the Moguls. Royal court appointed Shuja- ut-Khan to replace Hamid Khan. Hamid Khan asked for help of Kanoji and Pilajirao. Shuja-ut Khan was killed and the Marathas, for the first time, entered Ahmedabad. Wealthy Desais of Padra, Chhani, Bhaili and Viramgam needed safety and security from often unruly Moguls, and so, they helped Marathas establish themselves in GUJARAT. Desais collected Chauth for the Marathas. Shroffs and Nagarsheths became very prominent in GUJARAT politics and finance, during the Rajput and the Maratha rule. Until now, the Gaekwads and the Peshwas of Poona shared the revenues collected in GUJARAT. After the treaty of Salbai, Gaekwads and the British shared the revenues. Maharaja Sayaji Rao (1863 – 1939) was the most enlightened of the Gaekwad kings. His was one of the most efficiently and effectively run administration of a princely state of India. He gave to his people, the Baroda College (Maharaja Sayaji Rao University), Gaekwad Railway (first narrow gauge railway in India), , Kirti Mandir, Sur Sagar Lake, Dufferin Hospital, Jamnabai Hospital, Laxmi Vilas Palace, Nazar Baug Palace, , Kamati Baug, the museum, Ajwa water supply, Mandvi, , Polo Grounds and so on.

The British took over the city of Ahmedabad in 1818. Military cantonment was established in 1824 and municipal government was setup in 1858. In 1864, a railway link was created by B B & C I (Bombay Baroda and Central India) Railway, which made Ahmedabad a prosperous industrial and commercial center of GUJARAT linking Northern and Southern India. Textiles and Tobacco industries flourished and huge population migrations took place between rural and industrial centers of GUJARAT. As the Peshwas declined in power, the British replaced them. The British had direct control over Surat, Bharuch, Godhra, Kheda, Dholka, Dhandhuka and Ahmedabad, while the Gaekwads had direct control over Navsari, Mehsana, Amreli and Baroda. Peshwas gradually disintegrated. The British had signed separate treaties with each prince of India.

MODERN GUJARAT: Beehive-activities of the Independence Movement, began in Ahmedabad with Mahatma Gandhi establishing Kochrab Ashram (1915-Paldi) and Sabarmati Ashram (1917-Satyagrah Ashram), in Ahmedabad. Protests against the extension of war-time regulations (Rowlette Act-1919), and Textile workers strike for better civil rights and pay, rocked the city. From here, Gandhiji embarked upon his civil disobedience movement, with Dandi Salt March (1930) and Quit India Movement (1942). The city endured intense Hindu- Muslim riots on the eve of the Independence. British comprised of the western coastal regions of India. When Reoganization of The States Commission decided to keep bi-lingual (1956), the riots broke out through-out the state. Indulal Yagnik led the Maha-GUJARAT movement, which resulted in the birth of today’s GUJARAT state in India and Ahmedabad as its capital. L.D. College of Engineering initiated the Nav-Nirman Agitation (1974), which shook-up not only GUJARAT, but, with Jayaprakash Narayan leading the movement, led to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, imposing 'National Emergency' (1975).

GUJARAT has produced such legends as, Narsinh Mehta, Dhumketu, Umashankar Joshi, Kanaiyalal Munshi, Gandhiji, Sardar Patel, Jinnah, Morarji Desai, Jivraj Mehta, Dhirubhai Ambani, Vikram Sarabhai, Dr, Verghese Kurian and others. GUJARAT State has made some giant leaps in economic development since year 2000. It has experienced double digit growth, especially in the areas such as Agriculture, Auto, Chemical, Infrastructure (Power, Road, Port and Communications), Dairy, Diamond, Oil Refinery, Pharmaceutical, Textiles, and so on, making GUJART as the premier state and the economic growth engine of India.

Gujaratotsav 2011 Page 5 Sponsors of Gujaratotsav 2011

Grand Sponsor: Godrej Properties

Chief Guest: Shri Navin Doshi and Pratima Doshi

Gold Sponsors:

1. Moksha Restaurant

2. Babubhai & Madhuben Mehta 3. Ushakant & Irma Thakkar 4. Govind & Sonal Vaghashia Silver Sponsors:

1. State Bank of India, Canoga Park Branch

2. Wilshire State Bank

3. Vikram & Anjana Kamdar 4. Sharad & Jyothsana Patel 5. Satish & Nidhi Tomar

Gujaratotsav 2011 Page 6