Vora Patel

Vohra Patel or Vora Patel (Gujarati વોહ્રા પટેલ) is a community of Sunni Muslim belonging to the Patel family, originally from Gujarat, India, particularly from the Bharuch District. Some members of Vora Patel community migrated to Pakistan after independence and settled in Karachi, Sindh.

The towns and villages in Bharuch and Surat where Vohras reside are not as heavily populated as they once were, as many have migrated abroad, to various countries including the Middle East, Europe, Australia America and Africa.

The United Kingdom is home to the largest population of Vohras outside of Bharuch. Vohras from Bharuch ('Bharuchies') initially settled in the mill towns of Lancashire where many still reside in large numbers. Although primarily situated in the mill towns of Blackburn, Bolton and Preston, there are also large communities in Dewsbury, Leicester and parts of East London. Many Vohras moved to East London during the early eighties as mills began to shut down during the Thatcher period.

Vohras also began to migrate to North America in the early eighties and communities are now found in Chicago, USA and in Toronto in Canada. A large and successful Vohra community is found in Zambia where the first migrants from Bharuch came in the early 1900s. The pioneer being the late Haji Ebrahim Dudhia (Sitpon). Others who followed included the late Haji Ismail Zumla (Halderva), Late Ahmed Nagerseth (Sitpon), Late Umerjee Adam (Achod), Late Yousuf's (Nabipur). Today there is a growing Vohra community in Wanda, South Africa.

Common dishes of Vohras include kichry curry and dal-gosht (lentils with meat) and boiled rice (chaval).

The expatriate community in England is coming under scrutiny as they, like many new arrivals in England appear not have integrated with the indigenous community or with other communities. They are known to marry within their own community, have their own cemeteries, community centres and mosques. However this too is changing as some of the initial settlers are returning to Bharuch on retirement or have died, leaving second and third generations who are religious, but more progressive.

There are many positive contributions made by the Vohras in England and back home.Vohras have set up their own associations in their host countries which continue to fund physical and mental well being of those that they had left behind.In particular the villages and towns of Bharuch have been transformed by the money sent back. However, they are also criticised as they have not used their new-found wealth to set up businesses, factories or educational institutions in Gujarat.These would have benefited the Vohras, Muslims and wider Gujarati communities by providing long term, self-sustaining employment and advancement opportunities.

Some of the able and enterprising do not stay but move abroad as soon as they can. Vohras have become exporters of people from Bharuch.

Mumbai

Also the most probably Muslims patels live in Mumbai (Malad, Goregaon, jogeshwari and also in city side). In Mumbai they are stay in particular area not individual. Here in Mumbai they are try to educate at high level and community as successful as other Gujarati-Muslim community

History and origin

According to the community’s tradition, some were originally Hindus of the Kurmi caste who were converted to Islam by the Sufi saint Sahawa Sindh. They are found mainly in Bharuch, where they live in close proximity with the Sunni Bohras, with whom they share many traditions. They are an endogamous community, but there are cases of marriages with the Sunni Bohra. Cross and parallel cousin marriages are quite common.

The name Vohra can be said to stand not for any single community but for several whose broad similarity is that they are mainly of indigenous origin. Undoubtedly, a number of other communities are also indifenous but their special character, for instance, of being recruited from a particular Hindu caste or community has given them an individuality. such, for instance, are the Girasias, Maleks and Other Rajput and semi-Rajput communities. the word Vohra horever embraces a more general cateagory of primarily agrarian communities which were conerted to Islam most probably during the reign of the Sultans of Gujarat.

Of these Vohras, the one distinct community is the shi'a ismaili community of the Da'udi Bohras and its offshoots which have also formed into distinct communities. Another section is the Sunni Vohra group of communities, whoch is again not one single community but is formed of a number of distincet, regional units which are separate form one another. The tendency of the people to marry in small local units and again to keep marriage connections localized and intimate has further led to the splintering of this broad mass into different units. Broadly, therefore, it is possible to distinguish several regional sections or independent communities.

See also

Many Muslim Muslim Patels are converts from Hinduism. The first of them to embrace Islam was 800 years ago. In Bharuch district(Gujarat-India) many villages are 90 to 100% Muslim Patel.

Famous personalities of Muslim Patels of Bharuch-Baroda districts are Ahmed Patel (Congress Party Leader), Mohamed Fansiwala & Iqbal Patel,(Congress Party activists), Lord Adam Patel(Fasiwala) (Member of the UK House of Lords) Rashid Patel (cricketer), Munaf Patel (cricketer),Aziz Tankarvi, Bekar Khanpuri, Jigar Khanpuri, (Poet), Mohammad Adil Member. Professor Alimuddin Zumla :World's leading authority on Tuberculosis and HIV(see Wikipedia for further information).Ibrahim Master Sitponwala (teacher and social justice worker)

Wellknown Writers and Journalist Ilyas Patel Khanpuri (He has translated 8 Volume of Ma'ariful Qur'an into Gujarati), Maulana Ismail Bhuta, Sultan Akhtar Patel Khanpuri, Master Vali Bhutto, Mufti Farid Ahmad Kavi, Yusuf Munshi Kavi, Munshi Isabhai Kavi, Taalib Devlawala, Ahmad Suleman Patel (Who has written 7 volumes of Qur'anic Stories), Fazal Patel (Star Publicationsm), Mo. Yakub Miftahi. K villages and towns Vansi, Kamboli, Bharuch, Tankaria, Kavi, Devla, Achhod, Amod, Vagra, Valan, Ikhar, Khanpur Deh, Islam Pur, Tankari Bandar, Bhadkodra, Sarod, Dayadara, Manubar, Karmad, Kantharia, Vahalu, Sansrod, Haldarva, Hinglot, Hingalla, Zanghar, Zanor, Machhasara, Kolavna, Mangrol, Tandalja, Vatrsa, Muler, Mosam, Kalm, Pipaliya, Vohra Samni, Juned, Umraj, Sherpura, Nandeval, Paguthan, Sitpan, Pariaz,Kavli, Akota (Vadodra), Nabipur, Chachvel, Mahudhla, Jambusar,Kolavna, Vora Samni and Kothi Vantersa.

Popular Peoples in Profession

--Professor Alimuddin Zumla: World-renowned TB/HIV medical expert whose late parents Haji Ismail Zumla (Halderva) and Hajiani Aman Zumla (Vahalu) came from the Bharuch district of Gujarat.Has written over 22 books on Medicine and has another 100 publications to his name.Has over 20 awards to his name.Currently Director of Infectious Diseases at University College Hospital,London and Royal Free Hospital,London. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alimuddin_Zumla)