Marathi people

The Marathi people or Maharashtrians (Marathi:marāṭhī māṇsē (मराठी माण्से), mahārāṣṭrīya māṇsē (महाराष्ट्रीय माण्से)) are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group of India that inhabits the Maharashtra region and as well as some border districts such as Belgaon and Karwar of Karnataka and Madgaon of Goa states in western India. Their language, Marathi, is part of the southern group of Indo-Aryan languages. Although their history goes back more than two millennia, the community came to prominence when Maratha warriors under Shivaji Maharaj established the Maratha Empire in 1674. Marathi people are credited to a large extent for ending the Mughal rule in India.

History

Although Marathi people have been in Maharashtra for millennia, the community gained prominence during the days of the Maratha empire.

History from ancient to Medieval Period

Zakir Naik

Zakir Naik (born 18 October 1965 in Mumbai, India) is an Indian Islamic preacher, who has been called an "authority on comparative religion", "perhaps the most influential Salafi ideologue in India", and "the world's leading Salafi evangelist". He is the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), and founder of the "comparative religion" Peace TV channel, through which he reaches a reported 100 million viewers. Unlike many Islamic preachers, his lectures are colloquial, given in English not Urdu or Arabic, and he wears a suit and tie rather than traditional garb.

Before becoming a public speaker, he trained as a medical doctor. He has published booklet versions of lectures on Islam and comparative religion. Although he has publicly disclaimed sectarianism in Islam, he is regarded by some as an exponent of the Salafi ideology, and, by some, as a radical Islamic televangelist propagating Wahhabism.

Biography

Zakir Naik was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. He attended Kishinchand Chellaram College and studied medicine at Topiwala National Medical College and Nair Hospital and later the University of Mumbai, where he obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS).