Kulkarni
Encyclopedia
Kulkarni Marathi- Kannada-(ಕುಲಕರ್ಣಿ) is a common family name
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...

 in the 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...

 and 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...

 states 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...

.

The name Kulkarni is believed to be a combination of two words (kula and karani). Kula means the root of the family, and Karanika means one who maintains records or accounts
Village accountant
The village accountant is an administrative government position found in rural parts of the Indian sub-continent. The office and the officeholder are called the patwari in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bengal, North India and Pakistan...

. Traditionally, Kulkarni was a title used for people who used to maintain the accounts and records of the villages and used to collect taxes. The title of the Kulkarni was later replaced by the Talati. The Kulkarni Watan was abolished in 1920 and paid Talatis from all castes were appointed to the new office of the Talati. In some cases, the Talatis were the oppressed castes and the abolishing of the Kulkarni Watan system was viewed as a progressive move. Most Kulkarnis belong to the oldest and the original Brahmin caste of Maharashtra, the Deshastha Brahmins. The surname is also found amongst Karhade Brahmin, and the CKP, GSB and Daivajna  communities of 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...

.
In 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...

 Kulkarni is common surname among Vaisnavas/Madhwa & Smartha(Shaiva) Brahmins.
Most Kulkarnis speak Marathi but those from Karnataka Speak Kannada as their mother tongue. The surname Kulkarni is also common in the northern part of Karnataka as well as Maharashtra, and can also be found in the southern part of Karnataka, especially in the Bangalore & Mysore Districts.

Most Kulkarni families originate from Maharastra or northern 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...

 but in more recent times migrated and settled all over the world.

Some of the famous Kulkarnis

Many prominent landmarks and roads in several cities are named after famous Kulkarnis. Some examples are the Kulkarni Garden in Nashik, G. A. Kulkarni road in Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...

 and Kulkarni Galli in Belgaum
Belgaum
Belgaum is a city and a municipal corporation in Belgaum district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the fourth largest city of the state of Karnataka, the first three being Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli-Dharwad....

. In the mathematical field of differential geometry the Kulkarni–Nomizu product is very famous as well.

In the old times, many Kulkarni saints were pioneers of social revival. Some of the examples are: Sant Dnyaneshwar who is widely credited to be the founder of 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...

 literature, Sant Ramdas, Brahma Chaitanya
Brahma Chaitanya
Shri Brahma Chaitanya , born on 'Maagha Shuddha Dwadashi' of 'Shake 1766' in Gondavale Budruk, Taluka Maan, District Satara.A Hindu...

 Shri Gondavalekar Maharaj and Sant Eknath.

In the more recent times, many Kulkarnis have made immense contributions to society and left their mark in a wide variety of fields like entertainment, literature, and academics.

Saints (Sants)

  • Sant Dnyaneshwar: Pre-sainthood name: Dnyāneshwar Kulkarni: 1275 - 1296
  • Sant Eknath: Pre-sainthood name: Eknāth Kulkarni : 1533 - 1599
  • Samarth Ramdas
    Samarth Ramdas
    Ramdas was a prominent Marathi saint and religious poet in the Hindu tradition in Maharashtra, India. Samarth Ramdas was a devotee of Lord Hanuman and Lord Rama...

    : Pre-sainthood name: Narayan Kulkarni (Thosar): 1608 - 1681
  • Nivruttinath
    Nivruttinath
    Nivruttinath was a saint in the Varkari tradition. He was born in to a Deshastha Brahmin family and was the elder brother and the guru of Dnyaneshwar, the first Varkari saint....

    : Pre-sainthood name: Nivrutti Kulkarni : Elder brother and GURU of Dnyaneshwar, was first saint of Varkari Panth and an authority on philosophy of the Nath sect.
  • Sopan
    Sopan
    Sopan was a Hindu bhakti Saint and also younger brother of Sant Dnyaneshwar.Sopan means a new chapter in India, and means polite in Indonesian....

    : Pre-sainthood name: Sopan Kulkarni : Wrote a book "chutye nikhil srivastav" based on the Bhagvadgita's Marathi interpretation along with 50 or so abhangas.
  • Muktabai
    Muktabai
    Muktabai or Muktai was a saint in the Varkari tradition. She was born in a Deshastha Brahmin family and was the younger sister of Dnyaneshwar, the first Varkari saint. Muktabai wrote forty-one Abhang throughout her life span. "Tati ughada dnaneshwara" is one her most insightful works, being a...

    : Pre-sainthood name: Mukta Kulkarni : She is considered as one of the first poetesses in Marathi with around 40 abhangas attributed to her. She was also GURU of Changdev Maharaj
    Changdev Maharaj
    Changdev Maharaj was a mystical yogi turned saint who is believed to have lived in the village of Vateshwar along the banks of the Tapti River for 1,400 years...

    .
  • Gondavalekar Maharaj: Pre-sainthood name: Ganapati Kulkarni: 1845 - 1913

Literature

  • G. A. Kulkarni
    G. A. Kulkarni
    G. A. Kulkarni or simply "GA" , was a legendary Marathi writer of short stories.GA grew up in Belgaum. After earning his masters degree, he taught English at JSS College in Dharwad for about 30 years. He had very strong liking for Dharwad and Belgaum. For medical treatment of his eyes, he...

     (1923 - 1987): Short story writer and a Sahitya Akademi Award
    Sahitya Akademi Award to Marathi Writers
    -Recipients from Maharashtra of Sahitya Akademi Fellowship:* 1970 - Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar* 1971 - Dattatreya Balkrushna Kalelkar * 1973 - Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi* 1979 - Atmaram Ravaji Deshpande...

     recipient for 1973.
  • Gopal Dutt Kulkarni
    Gopal Dutt Kulkarni
    -Biography:Gopal Dutt Kulkarni गोपाळ दत्त कुलकर्णी Born June 1936 in Pune, Maharashtra. Educated at Aundh and Pune. Currently Resident of Nashik, Maharashtra....

     (1936 - ): Writer of both fiction and non-fiction, Anthropologist, Lead writer for newspaper Gavkari.
  • N. K. Kulkarni (1936 - 2004): Pen name 'Enke' has to his credit 13 novels, eight books on literary criticism, 20 one-act plays, biographies and innumerable articles on personalities of the cultural world of Karnataka. He is recipient of Rajyotsava Prashasti
    Rajyotsava Prashasti
    The Annual Rajyotsava Awards are conferred by the Karnataka Government on the occasion of the birth of Karnataka State on November 1 celebrated as Kannada Rajyotsava. The awards celebrate achievements by persons of eminence in their chosen fields...

     Award and Karnataka Patrika Academy award.

Entertainment

  • Atul Kulkarni
    Atul Kulkarni
    Atul Kulkarni born 10 September 1965 is an Indian actor who has won two National Awards and has superstar status in Marathi film industry after successful movies like Valu and Natarang....

    : Marathi Film and Theater actor and has won "Best Actor In A Supporting Role" in 2000 and 2002.
  • Dhondutai Kulkarni
    Dhondutai Kulkarni
    Dhondutai Kulkarni, is perhaps the last living icon of the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana. The legendary Alladiya Khan, who founded the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana, made this Gharana unique by its full-throated singing, its complicated Taans, and its vast repertoire of Raags, which Dhondutai Kulkarni...

    : Last living icon of the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana and awarded the Sangeet Natak Academy Award.
  • Mamta Kulkarni
    Mamta Kulkarni
    Mamta Mukhund Kulkarni is a former Bollywood Actress. During the 90s, she was part of several commercial successes such as Karan Arjun , Sabse Bada Khiladi , Aashiq Awara , Krantiveer among others.-Acting career:Kulkarni made her debut through the Tamil film Nanbargal which was released...

    : Bollywood actress
  • Mrinal Dev-Kulkarni
    Mrinal Dev-Kulkarni
    Mrinal Dev-Kulkarni is an actress in India known for her role in popular serialsonpari. She has acted in both Marathi and Hindi TV serials and films.-Acting career:...

    : popular Marathi actress, on television.
  • Nina Kulkarni
    Nina Kulkarni
    Nina Kulkarni is an Indian film actress and producer. she has appeared in many Hindi and Marathi movies.- Filmography :Folloing table shows list of films-References:...

    : popular Bollywood and Marathi tele-actress.
  • Pallavi Kulkarni
    Pallavi Kulkarni
    Pallavi Kulkarni is an Indian television actress. She appeared in several television series in the mid 2000s. Her most popular show up to date for which viewers still recognize her is Kehta Hai Dil On Star Plus from 2003 to 2005 in which she played headstrong Karishma for which she received much...

    : Television actress.
  • Patthe Bapurao
    Patthe Bapurao
    Patthe Bapurao was a Marathi singer-poet in the tamāshā genre. Born a Brahmin, he married the courtesan Pawala and became one of the most popular performers of early twentieth century. A movie has been made after him, and several streets are named for him in Mumbai and other Indian cities.The...

    : (Shridhar Krishna Kulkarni) Singer-poet famous for writing Tamasha and Lawanis 1868–1941
  • Salil Kulkarni
    Salil Kulkarni
    Dr. Saleel Kulkarni is a renowned Marathi music composer, singer and author from Maharashtra, India. His musical journey started at the age of 3 years, when he performed on All India Radio, Pune. Thereafter, he took his musical lessons from Pt.Gangadharbuva Pimpalkhare, Jaymalabai Shiledar and...

    : Popular Marathi singer Ayushawar Bolu Kahi fame , judge on Marathi TV talent show SaReGaMaPa Marathi
  • Sandeep Kulkarni
    Sandeep Kulkarni
    Sandeep Kulkarni is an actor from India who is also a painter. An actor from theatre, television, and films, his work is popular among Hindi and Marathi audience....

    : Marathi Actor featured in Shwaas
    Shwaas
    Shwaas is a Marathi film, released in 2004. The film was India's official entry to the 2004 Oscars and was ranked 6th in the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film category. Its storyline is based on real-life incident in Pune...

     and Dombivli Fast
    Dombivli Fast
    Dombivli Fast is a critically acclaimed Marathi film by director Nishikant Kamat. It is the story of a middle class bank employee, Madhav Apte, who becomes so disgusted with the corruption he faces in his day to day life that he loses it one day and become a vigilante...

  • Sangeetha Katti Kulkarni
    Sangeetha Katti
    Sangeetha Katti Kulkarni popularly known as Sangeetha Katti is one of themost famous Hindi classical vocalists.-Introduction:Sangeetha Katti was born in Dharwad, Karnataka. She is a daughter of Dr. H. A . Katti and Smt Bharati Katti...

    : Kannada Singer and Hindustani Classical Musician
    Hindustani classical music
    Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...

     & Vocalist
  • Sonali Kulkarni
    Sonali Kulkarni
    Sonali Kulkarni is an Indian actress. She was born in Pune. She has majorly worked in Marathi and Hindi films. She is famous for her role in Dil Chahta Hai.-Career:...

    : Bollywood actress famous for her role in Dil Chahta Hai
    Dil Chahta Hai
    Dil Chahta Hai is a 2001 Indian film starring Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni, and Dimple Kapadia...

     and has won the best actress award at the Milan Film Festival

Sports

  • Nilesh Kulkarni
    Nilesh Kulkarni
    Nilesh Moreshwar Kulkarni is a former Indian cricketer. He is a slow left-arm bowler and left-handed lower order batsman....

    : Indian cricketer and only Indian bowler to take a wicket with first ball he bowled in Test cricket.
  • Raju Kulkarni
    Raju Kulkarni
    Rajiv Ramesh Kulkarni is a former Indian cricketer. He played domestic cricket for Mumbai as a pace and swing bowler...

    : Former Indian cricketer.
  • Umesh Kulkarni
    Umesh Kulkarni
    Umesh Narayan Kulkarni is a former Indian cricketer who played in 4 Tests from 1967 to 1968....

    : Former Indian cricketer.
  • Shubhangi Kulkarni
    Shubhangi Kulkarni
    Shubhangi Kulkarni is a former Indian women cricketer. She was the secretary of the Women's Cricket Association of India when WCAI was merged into BCCI in 2006. She was a leg-spinner and a useful lower order batswomen...

    : Indian women cricketer, was the secretary of the Women's Cricket Association of India.
  • Dhawal Kulkarni
    Dhawal Kulkarni
    Dhawal Sunil Kulkarni is an Indian first class cricketer. He is a right arm medium-pace bowler and right-handed lower order batsman. In first class cricket, he plays for Mumbai and in the Indian Premier League, he plays for Mumbai Indians...

    : Indian Cricket Player, Currently playing from Mumbai Indians (IPL).

Professionals

  • Sudha Kulkarni Murthy: Kannada writer, first woman employee of Tata Motors and Founder of Sudha Murthy Foundation. Notably wife of Narayan Murthy co-founder Infosys
    Infosys
    Infosys Limited, formerly Infosys Technologies Limited is a global technology services company headquartered in Bangalore, India. It is the second largest IT exporter in India with 133,560 employees as of March 2011. It has offices in 33 countries and development centers in India, China,...

    .
  • Shrinivas Kulkarni : Professor, Astrpophysics, California Institute of Technology
    California Institute of Technology
    The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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