Kamat
Encyclopedia
Kamath or Kamat is a common surname amongst the Goud Saraswat Brahmins of the Konkan
and Malabar
coasts of India
in the states of Goa
, Karnataka
, Kerala
and Maharashtra
. They usually speak Konkani
and is considered as their mother tongue. And most often Marathi
or Kannada as their secondary language. The surname is believed to be derived from kaali maTTaachi which means people from Kali Math. The intelligence of the Kamats is attributed to their ancestors, who spent time in the Math learning from the goddess Kali. Another opinion holds that it was derived from profession as many GSB names are Kamats were said to be land owners among GSB families - the name could have been derived from "kaam mathichen", meaning work of the soil. The Konkani meaning of "Kamot" seems to be "cultivator". However, in modern times, the surname is no more linked to profession.
of Goa and Canara
. "Kamat" is mostly used in Goa, around the Uttara Kannada
district in Karnataka, and Konkan
in Maharashtra
. Kamath is used around Dakshina Kannada
and Udupi district
s of Karnataka and also in Kerala
. "Camotim" was used in the erstwhile Portuguese
territory of Goa
but has given way to "Kamat" today. The name is also in use among some Konkani Catholics who trace their ancestry to the Goud Saraswat Brahmins of Goa
.
There are many GSB families, original "Kamats" from Goa who migrated to Maharashtra in the 16th Century during the Portuguese rule and they adopted the place name from Goa where they
originally belonged to.
Kasaragod Kamath which is one of the biggest of GSB families and they are proud to keep track of the last 5 generations. They maintain a family tree which is containing names of all family members for the last five generations and it is updated every year on the auspicious day of Sri Vinayaka Chaturthi. Vinayaka chaturthi is celebrated by Kasaragod Kamaths in their 200 year old family house in a most traditional way.
The "Kamat"(GSB) surname is also use in north bihar specially in district of Darbhanga, Madhubani etc
Konkan
The Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
and Malabar
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
coasts of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in the states of Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
and Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. They usually speak Konkani
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
and is considered as their mother tongue. And most often Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
or Kannada as their secondary language. The surname is believed to be derived from kaali maTTaachi which means people from Kali Math. The intelligence of the Kamats is attributed to their ancestors, who spent time in the Math learning from the goddess Kali. Another opinion holds that it was derived from profession as many GSB names are Kamats were said to be land owners among GSB families - the name could have been derived from "kaam mathichen", meaning work of the soil. The Konkani meaning of "Kamot" seems to be "cultivator". However, in modern times, the surname is no more linked to profession.
Variations
Kamat is a common surname of Goud Saraswat Brahmins (GSB) and of a few Konkani Roman CatholicsKonkani people
Konkani people , form a group of people mainly found in the Konkan Coast of western India whose mother-tongue is the Konkani language....
of Goa and Canara
Canara
Canara can refer to:* Kanara – a region in Karnataka, India* Ovidiu – a town in Constanţa County, Romania...
. "Kamat" is mostly used in Goa, around the Uttara Kannada
Uttara Kannada
Uttara Kannada also known as North Canara or North Kanara, is a district in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is bordered by the state of Goa and Belgaum District to the north, Dharwad District and Haveri District to the east, Shimoga District and Udupi District to the south and the...
district in Karnataka, and Konkan
Konkan
The Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
in Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. Kamath is used around Dakshina Kannada
Dakshina Kannada
- Geography :The district geography consists of sea shore in the west and Western Ghats in the east. The major rivers are Netravathi, Kumaradhara, Phalguni, Shambhavi, Nandini or Pavanje and Payaswini which all join Arabian sea. Vast areas of evergreen forests which once covered this district, have...
and Udupi district
Udupi district
Udupi district , ಉಡುಪಿ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆ) in the Karnataka state of India was created in August 1997. The three northern taluks, Udupi, Kundapur and Karkal, were separated from Dakshina Kannada District to form Udupi district. Udupi district is surrounded by Uttara Kannada district in north, Dakshina Kannada...
s of Karnataka and also in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. "Camotim" was used in the erstwhile Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
territory of Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
but has given way to "Kamat" today. The name is also in use among some Konkani Catholics who trace their ancestry to the Goud Saraswat Brahmins of Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
.
There are many GSB families, original "Kamats" from Goa who migrated to Maharashtra in the 16th Century during the Portuguese rule and they adopted the place name from Goa where they
originally belonged to.
Kasaragod Kamath which is one of the biggest of GSB families and they are proud to keep track of the last 5 generations. They maintain a family tree which is containing names of all family members for the last five generations and it is updated every year on the auspicious day of Sri Vinayaka Chaturthi. Vinayaka chaturthi is celebrated by Kasaragod Kamaths in their 200 year old family house in a most traditional way.
The "Kamat"(GSB) surname is also use in north bihar specially in district of Darbhanga, Madhubani etc
Prominent Kamat/Kamaths
- Late H. V. Kamath - Member of Parliament and the first Constituent Assembly of India
- M V Kamath - Veteran journalist & Chairperson of Prasar Bharati
- K. V. KamathK. V. KamathKundapur Vaman Kamath is the Chairman of Infosys Limited, the second-largest IT services company in India, and Non-Executive Chairman of ICICI Bank, India's largest private bank. Mr...
- MD and CEO of ICICI Bank and ForbesForbesForbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
Asia Business of the Year 2007 - G. R. Kamat - Noted screenplay writer of Hindi and Marathi films, such as Mahal (Ashok Kumar), Kala Pani (Dev Anand), Mera Saaya (Sunil Dutt, Sadhana), Main Tulsi Tere Angan Ki (Nutan, Vinod Khanna), Pukar (Amitabh Bacchan), Baseraa (Shashi Kapoor, Rekha, Rakhee)), Do Premee (Rishi Kapoor), Manchali (Sanjeev Kumar), Do Raaste (Rajesh Khanna), Pedgav che Shahane (Marathi film)
- Dr. K. L. Kamat, scholar, writer, and amateur photographer
- Digambar KamatDigambar KamatDigambar Kamat is an Indian politician and the Chief Minister of Goa, since June 2007. He belongs to the Indian National Congress.-Political career:...
- Chief Minister of Goa (2007 to date) - Krishnanand Kamat - Renowned entomologist and a travel writer in Kannada
- Late Kasaragod Devadasa Krishna Kamath (1919–1991) ,Freedom fighter who took active part in 1942 quit India movement.
- Nihal Kamat,the actor participated in tiatrs. from Neura-Goa.
- Ashok Kamat, Konkani poet, writer & Sahitya Academy Awardee
- Maxwell Pereira-KamathMaxwell PereiraMaxwell Francis Joseph Pereira-Kamath , popularly known as Maxwell Pereira, is a former Joint Police Commissioner in Delhi, India.-Early life and education:...
, Former Joint Police Commissioner, Traffic in Delhi, India. - A. V. Kamat, Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Machine Tools
- Pramod V. Kamat, Law Secretary,Government of Goa
- Subodh V. Kamat , Chief Operating Officer, Lanco Infratech Limited,Gurgaon
- Vinod V. Kamat, Sarpanch, Neura, Ilhas, Goa
- K R Kamath, Chairman & MD of Punjab National Bank,India
- Vithal Kamath, Hotelier owner of 'Kamath' hotels and Orchid.
- Nishikant Kamath, Actor.
- Ulhas Kamath, deputy managing director of Jyothy Labs and Henkel India
- Ramdas Kamat, Noted Classical, Natyasangeet, Marathi Film Music singer, Mumbai, India.
- Umesh Kamat, Marathi Actor
- Ninad KamatNinad KamatNinad Kamat is an Indian Bollywood film actor. Some of his movies are Zabardast, Kabhi Up Kabhi Down, Shiva, Lage Raho Munnabhai, 7½ Phere, Viruddh, Dus, Parineeta, Zeher, Sangharsh, Doli Sajake Rakhna. He has also worked as a Playback Singer in Shiva and Darna Mana Hai...
, Marathi and Hindi Actor - Rekha Kamat, Veteran Marathi Actor
- Damodar V. Kamat, Founder of Kamat Foto Flash in 1945
- Ajit Kamath, Chairman and Managing Director, Arch Pharmalabs