Kulkarni

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Kulkarni is a Marathi Brahmin surname common amongst Deshastha Brahmins, the CKP community, and Karhade Brahmins of Maharashtra. “Kulkarni” is also a Brahmin surname in a few parts of northern Karnataka. The name "Kulkarni" is a combination of two words (kula and karni). Kula means "family", and Karanika means "archivist". Historically, Kulkarni was the title given to the village record keeper.<ref name="Bloch1970">Template:Cite book</ref>

As per the historian P.J. Marshall, both Kulkarni and Deshpande were specialized scribes who "served great households and enhanced other, familiar, administrative mechanisms at their disposal".<ref name="Marshall2005">Template:Cite book</ref>

HistoryEdit

Before British rule, the Maharashtra region was divided into many revenue divisions. The medieval equivalent of a county or district was the pargana. The chief of the pargana was called Deshmukh and record keepers were called Deshpande.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Gandhi's Tiger and Sita's Smile: Essays on Gender, Sexuality, and Culture - Google Books">Template:Cite book</ref> The lowest administrative unit was the village. Village society in Marathi areas included the Patil or the head of the village, collector of revenue, and Kulkarni, the village record-keeper. These were hereditary positions. The Patil usually came from the Maratha caste. The Kulkarni was usually from literate communities such as Brahmin (mainly from Deshastha<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and the Karhade sub-castes<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>) and CKP castes. The Kulkarni operated at the village level but at a pargana level, the recordkeeper had titles such as Deshkulkarni, Deshpande, or Nadkarni (in Karnataka).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="IWI">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Tamaskar1978">Template:Cite book</ref> The Kulkarni watans (land rights) were abolished in 1950.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Notable KulkarniEdit

SaintsEdit

Dnyaneshwar: Pre-sainthood name Dnyandev Kulkarni (1275–1296)
Eknath: Pre-sainthood name Eknāth Kulkarni (1533–1599)
Samarth Ramdas: Pre-sainthood name Narayan Kulkarni (Thosar) (1608–1681)
Nivruttinath: Pre-sainthood name Nivrutti Kulkarni, elder brother and teacher of Dnyaneshwar
Sopan: Pre-sainthood name Sopan Kulkarni
Muktabai: Pre-sainthood name Mukta Kulkarni
Mahipati: Chronicler of many Indian saints, author of the Bhaktavijaya (1715–1790)

Historic figuresEdit

Ramchandra Pant Amatya (1650–1716): The third Peshwa, Finance Minister (Amatya) to Emperor (Chhatrapati) Shivaji and Imperial Regent (Hukumat Panah)
Parshuram Trimbak Kulkarni (1660–1718): Held post of Pant Pratinidhi, the fifth Peshwa and the founder of Aundh and Vishalgad princely states.

EntertainmentEdit

Atul Kulkarni: Marathi film and theater actor
Chandrakant Kulkarni: Film director
Girish Kulkarni: Marathi film actor
Mamta Kulkarni: Bollywood actress
Mrinal Dev-Kulkarni: Marathi television actress.
Saleel Kulkarni: Marathi singer and composer
Sameep Kulkarni: International Sitarist
Sandeep Kulkarni: Marathi actor
Sonali Kulkarni: Bollywood actress
Sonalee Kulkarni: Marathi film actress
Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni: Film Director

LiteratureEdit

G. A. Kulkarni (1923–1987): Short story writer

SportsEdit

Nilesh Kulkarni: Indian cricketer
Raju Kulkarni: Former Indian cricketer
Shubhangi Kulkarni: Indian woman cricketer and secretary of the Women's Cricket Association of India
Vineet Kulkarni: Indian cricket umpire

ProfessionalsEdit

Ravi S. Kulkarni (born 1942): Indian mathematician
Sudha Kulkarni Murty: Kannada writer, Founder of Sudha Murty Foundation and wife of N. R. Narayana Murthy
Srinivas Kulkarni (born 4 October 1956): US-based astronomer born and raised in India

ReferencesEdit

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