Welcome to our "cyberspace" home of the Gujarati Samaj of Mississippi. It is a pleasure to greet you as we continue to celebrate the growth of the Gujarati Samaj of Mississippi web site. We have improved our  dynamic web site, which is more interactive than before such as online member directory, forum, etc. Along with these features, you may be able to change your contact information online and the changes are instantly viewable online and sharable among other Samaj members. Not only that, the committee members will be able to manage and share the Samaj data over the internet.

Gujarati Samaj of MS was established in 1998 in Jackson, MS with missions:

To promote Gujarati/Indian heritage and culture in state of Mississippi and surrounding states area through several events of interest to members of the Samaj

To organize fund raising events to help the needy persons in events of disasters nationally or internationally

To become a resource for all members of the Samaj

To serve youth, woman, and senior citizen members needs and create networking opportunities to business owners

To help the efforts of bringing all the Gujaratis in the area together and preserve the Gujarati culture in today's and future generations

You are welcomed to contribute your help at any stage, in committees or as participants. Please contact any of the committee members for more information.

GUJARAT

Gujarat is a state in western India. It has an area of 75,686 sq mi (196,077 km²) with a coast line of 1,600 km, and a population in excess of 50 million. The state is bordered by Rajasthan to the north, Maharashtra to the south, Madhya Pradesh to the east and the Arabian Sea as well as the Pakistani province of Sindh on the west 1947. Its capital is Gandhinagar, while its largest city is Ahmedabad. Gujarat is home to the Gujarati-speaking people of India.

The state encompasses major sites of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, such as Lothal and Dholavira. Lothal is believed to be one of the world's first ports. Gujarat's coastal cities, chiefly Bharuch, served as ports and trading centers in the Maurya and Gupta empires. Mohandas Gandhi, considered India's "father of the nation", was a Gujarati who led the Indian Independence Movement against the British colonial rule.

Gujarat played an important role in the economic history of India throughout the history of India. The state has the fastest growing economy in India. It is also, one of the most industrialized states within the nation. Thus, making it the richest state with a GDP per capita income twice that of the country as a whole.

HISTORY OF GUJARAT

Gujarat has a long and glorious history that dates back to the days of Harappan civilization. Many regions in Gujarat were part of the Indus Valley Civilazation.The excavations near Lothal (on the Gulf of Khambhat) and Rangpur have revealed that there was a settlement of the Indus Valley Civilization during 2nd and 3rd centuries BC.

Gujarat has been under the control of several conquerors including Ashoka, Mauryans, Scythians, Guptas, Solanki dynasty and Mughals. The original inhabitant of this land were Dravidians, but was subsequently inhabited by other groups like Gurjars and Parsis.

The name Gujarat has been derived from 'Gujaratta' meaning the land of Gurjars or Khazars. The Gurjars were originally dwellers of Punjab. They passed through Punjab and settled in some parts of Western India, which came to be known as Gujarat. The Gurjars ruled the land during 8th and 9th centuries AD, followed by Muslim rulers until the end of the 13th century. Gujarat then came under the control of Mughals and the Marathas in the mid 18th century followed by British in 1818. The British rule continued till India got her independence in 1947. The first headquarters of the British East India Company was in Surat in Gujarat. It later moved to Bombay, now known as Mumbai.

Gujarat has given birth to many great leaders who have played significant roles in shaping modern India. Prominent among them were Shri Dadabhoy Nauroroji, the grand old man of the freedom struggle, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the architect of a united India and Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Nation were all from Gujarat. These great men had carried the torch of national freedom and integration inculcating qualities like tolerance, brotherhood, non-violence and patriotism amongst Indians. Other leaders included K.M.Munshi, Narhari Parikh, Mahadev Desai,and Ravi Shankar Vyas.

During British rule, Gujarat was a part of the erstwhile Mumbai state. But in 1960, the 'Gujarati' population decided to form a separate union for which there was formation of two new states, namely Gujarat and Maharashtra. Gujarat became a state of Indian union on May 01, 1960 because of this bifurcation. The first capital of Gujarat was Ahmedabad but the capital was shifted to Gandhinagar in 1970.

AGRICULTURE IN GUJARAT

Gujarat is one of the most prosperous states of India owing to its development in agricultural productivity and industrialization. Agriculture forms a major part of the state’s economy. It not only provides food grains to the people but also provides raw materials for agro-based industries. Unfavourable climatic conditions and soil factors in some areas are major concerns for better yield.

The various cash crops grown in the state include groundnut, cotton, tobacco (second highest production in the country), isabgul, cumin sugarcane, jawar, bajra, rice, wheat, pulses, tur and gram. Recently the farmers of Gujarat have started producing bananas and mangoes in large scale.

Other products include honey, wax and bamboo which are produced in fair quantities in different forests. The state also produces medicinal herbs and fruits like jamun and guava. Forests also yield considerable quantities of teak, khair, sadad, hadariyo, manual bamboos and other good quality of wood.

Baroda, Surat, Broach, and Kaira are some of the places that contribute to the agricultural production.

The rural economy of Gujarat depends a lot upon animal husbandry and dairying. Gujarat produced 6.09 million tones of milk and 385 million eggs in the year 2002-03.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRY IN GUJARAT

Gujarat is one of the most prosperous states of India owing to its agricultural productivity and industrial development. The per capita GDP of Gujarat is 2.5 times the country’s average GDP. The state leads the country in various industrial sectors namely, textiles, engineering, chemicals, petrochemicals, drugs and pharmaceuticals, dairy, cement and ceramics, gems and jewellery.

In the past few years from 1994 to 2002, Gujarat’s State Domestic Product (SDP) has been rising continuously at an average growth rate of 12.4 % per annum. Ahmedabad, the largest city of Gujarat is also an industrial hub of India. The city is known for its textile mills and pharmaceutical industries. Some other important industrial centres of the state include Rajkot, Surat, Gandhinagar, Baroda and Jamnagar.

The state contributes to 21% of the country’s exports and 6.42% of the national GDP at constant prices. If the decadal growth of performance of some of the Indian states vis-à-vis other Asian economies with that of Gujarat are compared, one gets quite an encouraging scenario. The industrial growth of Gujarat with a figure of 8.52% could be way ahead of many Indian states and other Asian giants like Singapore, Malaysia and Korea.