AN INTRODUCTION BY THE HISTORIAN COMMITTEE

An effective history is one that helps to bring out the values and ideals that are always present in the minds of the people. It should stimulate and develop the work of community reform in the right direction. History inculcates values and ideals expressed through ordinary people’s activities. Writing such an effective history is the first sign of a progressive community. This book has been prepared with the modest aim of writing such a history of the Kutch Kadwa Patidar community. Undoubtedly, this book will form the centerpiece of the rich literary collection of the community.

While many books on K.K.P. cover the historical events of the community, it is now time to prepare a book on the essence and understanding of history. No other book has come to our notice that weaves these historical events together and creates a picture of history, conveying a message of learning and understanding from that picture. The chapter entitled “Background – Itihasa Ek Aklan” in Volume 1 of this book will shed further light on this matter.

The events recorded at that time, covering 550 years of struggle, complete abandonment of the Pirana Satpanth and return to Sanatan Dharma, are numerous. The purpose of this book is not to rewrite the articles of historical events. The purpose of this book is to assess the history. The events of history, which have come to our attention, are intended to be used to study power and intelligence, and to put the understanding and knowledge of them in plain language before the people. In this book we have elaborated on those events but evaluated them in a way that the common man can understand.

For the type of history of the K.K.P community, the analysis of history has been done in three periods.

The first period talks about—Who is K.K.P. and where does it originate? What were the reasons for the decline of the community? What were the factors that further led to the weakening of the community?

In the second period, we will see how the community was attacked when it was weak. The heathens used tricks that the community fell for. The heretics of “Destruction of Ideology” had a strategy, but the community did not recognize it. They were brainwashed into cooperating with these attacks instead of resisting them, leading to the loss of their cherished eternal religion and degradation. This book describes the complete and pitiful situation of the community so that they can learn from their mistakes and avoid them in the future.

In the third period, we will see the community leaders take steps to revive their dying community. They abandoned the Pirana Satpanth religion, which was a branch of Islam, and embraced Sanatan Dharma. This book explains these events in simple language and methodically. It is important to note that this was not the return home of an individual but the return home of the entire community.

However, the community can only truly return home when they create their own social, religious, and other organizations, as well as the basic facilities necessary for their survival. Breaking away from the Pirana Satpanth Dharma and creating their own separate Sanatan community from scratch may be unique in history.

It is crucial to liberate the community from the Pirana Satpanth mentality if we want to achieve the true homecoming of the community. The first Sanatani communal conference will be held from May 11th to May 14th, 2023. This conference will take the main step necessary to free the community from the Satpanth mentality, and the decision to close the doors of the Sanatan community for the Satpanthis will be made. This will mark the beginning of the intellectual and mental liberation of the community from Satpanth, and over the next few years, we will see a gradual completion of the true homecoming of the community. This book covers the importance of this matter and the systematic history of reaching this point.

When writing history, it is essential to include both the good and the bad. Only writing about the good things in history is incomplete and keeps future generations in the dark. The shortcomings and flaws of history are just as important as the good stories, as they point us in the right direction for the future.

This book is not a “History of community” but a “Sacred Odyssey: Returning from Pirana Satpanth to Sanatan Dharma,” which is a crucial difference. Therefore, it does not include the history of the community’s presidents or ministers, who made speeches in institutions or who gave donations. Such information can be found in reports or reports of that time. Instead, this book focuses on the history of revolutionary steps taken to bring the community back to Sanatan Dharma. It covers the time, difficult situations, tactics adopted in the midst of opposition, sacrifices made, and the good and bad results of the movement.

During such a long homecoming, many heroes put their energies into this Bhagirath work. Some people made their life’s goal to work for the community’s interest and wasted their precious lives in doing so. This book captures the personal information of all such people and their works. The main four waves of the Sanatana Dharma revolution of the community came in stages, and they are named after the originator and the main leader of the wave to identify the campaigns. However, this does not mean that the work of other leaders of his contemporaries was less important.

It is the duty of the present generation to tell the true history to the future generation, whether it is good or bad. When writing history, it is essential to focus on the shortcomings and flaws of a man, movement, institution, or organization, but this should not be taken as an effort to defame or discredit them. The main purpose of highlighting the flaws is to help people learn from their mistakes and experiences. I am proud to say that some of the elders who have made mistakes have been generous enough to admit their faults and suggested including them in the history books so that no one repeats them in the future. Their courage and greatness should be admired.

Although this text covers almost all the significant events in the history of the Homecoming, we apologize if any important event has been missed. Please bring any such lapses to our notice so that we can rectify them in the future.

Only when history is supported by strong and true evidence will people take it seriously and accept it. Therefore, this book is based on basic evidence, avoiding the use of fake evidence and stories of miracles. The committee traveled to many places to gather evidence, and the historical committee is forever grateful to the people who have preserved and decorated the evidence over the years.

We should applaud the hard work of those who have preserved the evidence over the years. Special attention should be given to those who have brought such important evidence to us. The main names in this regard are:

This book has been meticulously prepared by reading and analyzing hundreds of documents mentioned in the Bibliography/Reference List chapter. Whenever references are made in other chapters, the corresponding reference text and page number are given. Additionally, footnotes have been added to further elaborate on certain points. This delicate work required a lot of hard work.

In a novel experiment for the history of the community, this book includes a QR code for each chapter. By scanning the code with a mobile app, the book can be read online. The book can also be read in English online using the same QR code. With the help of Google Translate, it can be read in other languages as well. If reading is difficult, the book can be read aloud by using features like online screen reader/narrator on a computer or mobile device. All these facilities are usually available online for free, so please take advantage of them.

If any errors are found after publication, the ONLINE version (version) of the book will be amended and the updated version can be viewed online. Please note that the articles are included in Part/Volume 2 of the book.

Reading and referencing historical documents is a time-consuming task that requires a thorough approach. Despite the limited time available to us, we have completed the task of writing this book as suggested by Ma Umiya and Bhagwan Shri Lakshminarayan. We took advantage of the opportunity of community service that God has given us. 

We apologize if there are any historical aspects that we may have missed despite our best efforts. If there are any mistakes in this book, it is my fault and not that of society or community. 

Before concluding, I would like to express my special thanks to each member of our Historian Committee. Responsibilities were divided according to area and subject, and with their cooperation, this work was completed. The list of members of the Historian Committee is given separately. I would like to give a special thanks to Elder Shri Suryakantbhai Parasottambhai Dhanani who read every word of the book with a keen eye and accomplished the difficult task of correcting the spelling and grammatical errors. 

It is a matter of great pride that this book is a history of an exploited, deprived, poor, illiterate and helpless community that has fought for self-repatriation for 550 years. There is a proud history of successful struggle, and this book is a glorious account of the progress and prosperity achieved through this struggle. 

It is with great joy and pleasure that the members of the Historian Committee present this book to you.

CA Shri Patel Chandrakant Kantilal Chhabhaiya
Convenor of Historian Committee
On the occasion of the first K.K.P Sanatan’s Community Gnyati Adhiveshan (i.e., Community Convention) – 2023

Place: Mumbai
Date: Ram Navami – 30-Mar-2023 / Vikram Samvat 2079 Chaitra Sud 9 / Indian National Calendar 9 Chaitra 1945