Malhotra
Malhotra (Hindī: मलहोत्रा) is a Khatri family surname originating from the Punjab region of the Indian Subcontinent, today straddling India and Pakistan and is common with both Hindu and Sikh families. The Malhotras belong to the Kshatriya Varna (the princely military order in Vedic society).
Along with the Khanna and Kapur clans, the Mehra/Malhotra clan forms the Dhai Gar(which means 2 1/2 families), in the Kshatriya Khatri clan hierarchy.
Origin
The Malhotras are the descendants of the Kshatriya King Yudhishtra (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, yudhiṣṭhira), who was the eldest son of King Pandu and Queen Kunti and king of Hastinapura and Indraprastha. He was the principal protagonist of the great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata and its focal point, the Kurukshetra War, and for his unblemished piety, was known as Dharmaraja ("The most pious one").
In current times, the Malhotra clan, in line with their Kshatriya origins, plays a prominent role in the Indian Armed Forces, where they form the top brass in the Indian Army and to a lesser extent the Navy and Air Force.
The Malhotra family were the subject of the 500 long Television series "Swabhimaan" directed by Mahesh Bhatt.
Malhotra and Mehrotra
Mehrotra is a modified form of Malhotra , which is itself may be an extended form of Mehra (Punjabi: mérā ‘chief’, ‘master’).
The Malhotras are from the Punjab and the Mehrotras are from the state of Uttar Pradesh. The Mehrotra clan along with the Tandon, Kapur/Kapoor, Seth and Verma clans form the small Khatri community of Uttar Pradesh. The Tandon, Kapur, Seth and Verma clans are also found among Punjabi Khatris. However the social, cultural, linguistic and religious customs of the Khatris of Uttar Pradesh are distinct from those of Punjabi Khatris .
Prominent Malhotras
ARMED FORCES
- General Om Prakash Malhotra PVSM, 13th Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army, former Governor of Punjab, Administrator of Chandigarh
- General J. C. Malhotra, (retd) PVSM, AVSM, VSM
- Lt. General Yash Malhotra AVSM
- Lt. General S P Malhotra PVSM
- Major General Raj Krishan Malhotra AVSM
- Major General I C Malhotra
- Major General Deepak Malhotra, Commandant of the Army Selection Centre South
- Surg Vice Admiral S Malhotra, Director General Medical Service (Navy)
- Rear Admiral H C Malhotra
- Vice Admiral Vijay Malhotra
- Rear Admiral M.S. Malhotra
GOVERNMENT
- Professor Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Politician; Deputy head of the BJP, Chairman Parliament Public Accounts Committee
- Justice H.R.Malhotra; Justice Delhi High Court
- R. N. Malhotra; Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Executive Director IMF
- S.G.Malhotra ; Secretary-General Lok Sabha (Parliament)
- Subhash Malhotra; Director General of Police, President of the Indian Police Service Officers’ Association (IPSOA)
- Jagmohan Malhotra, former Cabinet Minister for Tourism and Culture, Governor Of Kashmir, Lt. Governor of Delhi
- Additional Solicitor General P P Malhotra
- Justice Ashok Kumar Malhotra, Supreme Court of India
- Ravindra Nath Malhotra, Chairman of the Indian Railway Board
- Ms Nisha Malhotra, Chief Commissioner Delhi Zone
- VK Malhotra, Commissioner of Police, Kanpur
- S C Malhotra Bombay Police Commissioner
- Ajai Malhotra, India's Ambassador to the UN
- Jayant Malhotra MP, Rajya Sabha
ACADEMIA
- Professor Vivek Malhotra ; Professor of Biology, University of California
- Professor Yudhishtar (Malhotra) ; former Head of the English Department University of Delhi, Governor Hindu College
- Dr Yogesh Malhotra ; Founding Chairman of the BRINT Institute
- Paven Malhotra, Senior Editor of the Harvard International Review
- Prof RC Malhotra former Director IIT, Indian Institutes of Technology
- Goldy Malhotra, Principal Modern School Vasant Vihar
BUSINESS
- Arjun Malhotra, CEO Techspan and founder HCL
- Satish Chandra Malhotra: Industrialist; Chairman Empire Industries
- Harbans Lal Malhotra; Industrialist
- Sanjay Mehrotra ; Founder and President of SanDisk Corporation
- [Arjun Malhotra. CEO, Headstrongn Arjun Malhotra. CEO, Headstrong]
- Vikram Malhotra, head of McKinsey & Co.'s New York office
- Dina Nath Malhotra; Publisher, President Emeritus - Federation of Indian Publishers
- Romi Malhotra; Managing Director DELL India
- T K Malhotra Chairman, Automobile Association
- Vikram Malhotra, Managing Director Credit Suisse Bank
OTHER
- Manish Malhotra; Fashion Designer
- Mrs S Malhotra - former Maharani of Indore
- Master Tara Singh (Malhotra) ; Freedom fighter
- Manny Malhotra ; Pro Ice Hockey player, Center for Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers
- Air Commodore Ravish Malhotra, Astronaut
References
- M.A. Sherring, Hindu Castes and Tribes as represented in Banares, 1872.
- Raja Vanvihari Kapur, The History of Khatris
- The Indian Diaspora in Central Asia and Its Trade, 1550-1900 by Scott Cameron Levi.
- http://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/governors.aspx
- Denzil Ibbetson, Edward MacLagan, H.A. Rose "A Glossary of The Tribes & Casts of The Punjab & North-West Frontier Province", 1911 AD, Page 501-526, Vol II
- Temple, R.C. "The Legends of The Panjab", 1884, Reprinted by Institute of Folk Heritage, Islamabd, 1981.
- http://www.tribuneindia.com/1998/98jul26/sunday/filmtv.htm
- Khatris An Elite Group http://www.chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00006053&channel=civic%20center&threshold=1&layout=0&order=0&start=120&end=129&page=1
- http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/malhotra_ravish.htm
- Captain C.E. Luard (comp.), Chiefs and Leading Families in Central India. The Government of India, Calcutta, 1916.
- Tony McClenaghan, Indian Princely Medals: A record of the Orders, Decorations and Medals of the Indian Princely States. Lancer Publications, Spantech & Lancer, New Delhi, 1996.