Mehta
Mehta is an ancient clan name found in Punjabi Khatris and Gujaratis deriving from Mahita meaning 'great' or 'praised' in Sanskrit.[1]
Mehtas of Punjab
Mehtas in Punjab are a prominent and elite gotra of Khatris. Many are Mohyal Mehtas who also use this surname and are Brahmin. Mehtas have traditionally been landlords, chiefs and wealthy tradesmen. The Mehtas of the Punjab have no ethnic, cultural or linguistic similarities to the Mehta's of Gujurat as the surname is used in both states in different context. The predominant religion, however which they both share is Hinduism. People with this surname can also be found in Himachal and as a successful business class in major cities like Mumbai.
There is also a famous town in Punjab approximately 25 miles north of the city of Amritsar known as Mehta Chowk and is the location of the headquarters of the Damdami Taksal (Punjabi: ਦਮਦਮੀ ਟਕਸਾਲ; [Damadamī ṭakasāl]) a Sikh educational organization in India. It was founded by Guru Gobind Singh himself in 1706 and until 1736 it was known as Damdama Sahib. This place is often considered the highest seat of learning for the Sikhs and is over 300 years old.[2]
Mehtas of Gujarat
In Gujarat Mehta often is used for ‘teacher’ and ‘accountant’, probably because in colonial times a lot of people with Mehta surname were educated and took up those jobs. Some of them use prefix Singh before their surname and most are found in Rajasthan, such as Veer Singh Mehta, a notable Indian neurosurgeon. The Oswal and Porwal also have clans called Mehta.
Some Parsi families which migrated to Western India due to persecution by Muslim rulers in Persia, took Mehta as their surname. Mehtas are today one of the most successful entrepreneurs and industrialists in Gujarat and Mumbai, with the Mehta Group of Companies commonly known as the Mehta Group as just an example.
Religion and Language
Mehtas mostly belong to either Hinduism or Sikhism but minor followers of Jainism and Zoroastrianism exist. They speak either Rajasthani, Punjabi, Pahari, Haryanvi, Hindi or Gujarati language.
Notable Mehtas
Notable individuals with this surname include:
- Anil Mehta - Film director, cinematographer,
- Kalu Mehta - Father of the founder of the Sikh religion Shri Guru Nanak
- Bejun Mehta - American countertenor
- Deepa Mehta - Punjabi Canadian film director and screenwriter
- Gulshan Kumar Mehta - Indian lyricist and actor
- Vipul Mehta- Winner of Indian Idol 6, from Amritsar
- Harshad Mehta - Indian stockbroker, who was later convicted
- Hemant Mehta - American-born Indian author
- Jagat Singh Mehta - Former Foreign Secretary of India
- Madan Lal Mehta - Theoretical Physicist in the field of Random Matrix theory
- Mahendra Mehta - CEO, Vedanta Resources
- Nicky Mehta - singer-songwriter, member of Canadian folk trio The Wailin' Jennys.
- Michael D. Mehta - Ph.D., Canadian-born environmental sociologist and academic
- Pherozeshah Mehta - Indian political leader, activist, and lawyer
- Tyeb Mehta - Indian painter
- Veer Singh Mehta - Indian neurosurgeon
- Veronica Mehta - British Punjabi singer most notably alongside with Rishi Rich
- Vikram Bhagvandas Mehta - Indian mathematician
- Zarin Mehta - Executive director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and Zubin Mehta's brother
- Zubin Mehta - Indian conductor of Western classical music
- Ashok Mehta- Indian film cinematographer
- Jivraj Narayan Mehta-Gujarat First Chief Minister
- Hansa Jivraj Mehta- Freedom Fighter
- Balwantrai Mehta- Gujarat Second Chief Minister
References
- ↑ Mehta Family History http://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=mehta.
- ↑ Kapoor, Sukhbir (2003). Dasam Granth An Introductory Study. Hemkunt Press. p. 12. ISBN 81-7010-325-8.
- Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
- Mehta Name History Surname Mehta in Ancestry.com