History

Kelavkars – The Legacy!

Let me begin by quoting the opinion of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru the first Prime Minister of Independent India; About history he says,

“the roots of the present lay in the past and so I made voyage of discovery into the past, ever seeking a clue in it, if any such existed to the understanding of the present.”

After completing three booklets in my series which belong to the members of the same generation, I divert from that generation all together to narrate the story of how ‘Kelavkar’ surname was bestowed upon us by the society itself. We are Maratha’s by Caste. Who cares right?? Wrong! In Kolhapur they do and being frank in India it matters! When the first question asked to me on entering my 11th Std. (first year of Junior College) “Kelavkar mhanje?” ( under meaning being “what is your caste?”) The point here is not discussing the caste system but trying to explain how we came to be…

If you ask any aware and honest Maratha well worsed with the 96 kula’s(“Shyanav Kula”) and 5 kula’s (“Pancha Kula”) they will tell you without a doubt that the surname Kelavkars is not in the list…and even more amazing is the fact that they are absolutely right!! Even After 200 long years in distinguished public service and more than a Century in Kolhapur people at home can’t spell or pronounce our name correctly!! This is because our roots lie in Dholpur, Rajasthan a town near ‘Chambal Valley’ where the Varna system placed us as “High Class Kshatriya”; ‘Rana’ was the Title they bore and connoted either Chieftain or Minister there; Sometime from 1700-1800 my ancestors migrated from Dholpur (rather escaped with their lives!) to Wasai with major land holdings in Kelvae-Mahim where we were ‘Zamindars’ (land lords)! we became ‘Kelavkar’ (resident of Kelvae) in Vasai (“Bassein”) as it was customary to name people as per their home town. When we setteled in Kolhapur our ancestors understood that the caste system here is far more intricate than the ‘four varna’ system of the north and the high class Kshatriya was most aptly integrated as “Maratha’s” The certificate showing us High Class Kshatriya’s Couldn’t be accepted anywhere so my Great Grand Father made an Affidavit and we became Maratha’s from Kolhapur Maharashtra and for evermore we shall remain…

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