- published: 17 Nov 2015
- views: 1657119
Patel (also known as a Patidar) is surname of Indian origin mainly used by people belonging to Hindu Agricultural Communities viz. Kurmi or Kunbi, Hendre, Koli or Koeris, Teli, etc. Muslim Community people of Maharashtra and Gujarat in India and Pakistan also use Patel surname.
The name Patel is found primarily in the Indian state of Gujarat, along with Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka, as well as metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, and Delhi. Within the United Kingdom, it is the twenty-fourth most common surname nationally, and the third most common in the Greater London region. In the US, the surname "Patel" ranks 174 among the top 500 list of most common last names. The majority of those with the Patel last name are Hindus. However, Parsis and Muslims also carry the surname "Patel" (see also Muslim Patel).
Patel represents a section of Gujarati population that were historically farmers and landowners; the term patel itself meaning "village headman". The Patels forms large population in the state of Gujarat in India and also the United Kingdom and the United States. Gujarati Patels were historically landowners and farmers, and traditionally strict vegetarians. The Patel community varies by religion and ideology, with disparate groups having their own samaj (social gatherings) and mandirs. Traditionally Gujarati Patels married within their own gol (circle), though this custom had faded in the modern era. Patel community is a business community.
Shernaz Patel is an Indian film and theatre actor, who works in Hindi and English films, most known for her roles in films like Black (2005) and Guzaarish (2010) and English language theatre in Mumbai. She made her theatre debut with The Diary Of Anne Frank in 1984. Since then, she has acted in several noted productions in Mumbai-based English theatre, and formed RAGE theatre group in Mumbai, with Rahul da Cunha and Rajit Kapur in 1993.
Born in Mumbai, Shernaz is the daughter of Gujarati stage veterans Ruby and Burjor Patel and grew up in a theatre environment.She did her schooling at Fort Covent school, where she participated in plays directed by Pearl Padamsee. She graduated from the Elphinstone College, University of Mumbai. Subsequently she did her Masters in Acting from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
She made her film debut with Mahesh Bhatt's TV film Janam (1986) alongside Kumar Gaurav. In 1992, she performed the lead in the English play, Love Letters for the first time, along with Rajit Kapoor, under the direction of Rahul da Cunha. The play is still being performed.