Patel

A "caste" that did not stratify into that concrete form until the late nineteenth century but are currently an economic force to be reckoned with. Its members dominate all sorts of sectors from pharmaceuticals, port development, to the steel industry and the food business, among others. Name an industry prominent in and out of Gujarat and it would be difficult not to find a Patel associated with it. Markers to the influence of Patels are ubiquitous. And some might say unnecessary.

The Patels emerged as a caste through hypergamous marriage practices and complex relations with other subordinate castes in the region. Lewa Patels, the Dominant Caste In Central Gujarat, Are Also One Of The Most Visible And Affluent Caste Groups In India And Boast A Global Diasporic Presence (see Gidwani, Capital, Interrupted). The Lewa Patels emerged as an affluent caste through the articulation of caste, class and gender relations with the British Government and other caste groups in their socio political sphere. Hypergamous relations of the Patel caste with the Patidar caste were socially imperative in order to establish their stranglehold in Gujarat.

Sudeep Paul: When you think Patel, you think big. Or vice versa. Even the rupture of the Patidar agitation only served to spell out the import of their name.

Aakar Patel: Why do you people need so much saving? And why must Gujarati Man always have to do it? The Patel is the real native, the best example and in fact the apotheosis of Gujarati Man, is the Patel. He is characterized by his stubbornness and his rigidity.

trivedi

Trivedi means "one who knows three vedas'. They are Gujarati Brahmins and you could say that they belong to the "knowing" ataks (surnames) like Vaidya (another "knowing" ataka).

In other words, these Gujarati "knowing" surnames (atakas) are naturally the highest of the Gujarati Brahmins.

It is also known that the Gujarati girls of these "knowing" Brahmin ataks are open to matrimonial alliances with other Gujarati upper castes, especially afluent upper caste like Lewa Patels.

Suresh Trivedi: I only want the best for my daughter and would like an affluent upper caste Gujarati male like a Lewa Patidar.

Prachi Trivedi: Sound like a plan daddy. You're the best daddy in the world.