The Gujarat Region Culture (GuRCul) Program
The University of Florida has established the FIRST program at a major university in the United States to encourage the academic study and public understanding of Gujarati culture.
Why study Gujarat? With one foot in the culture of the ancient ports which connected India with the rest of the world, and the other foot in the twenty first century, Gujarat is the gateway to Indian culture in more ways than one.
THE WORLD CAME TO GUJARAT… Gujarat was the gateway to India. Ancient Gujarat had dozens of important sea ports linking the sub continent with the rest of the world. Thousands of ships passed through Bharuch, Khambat, and Surat and sailed from Rome to Java.
…AND THE GUJARATIS HAVE GONE TO DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD. Today, millions of Gujaratis live all over the world. They have made extensive contributions to countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. The state and people of Gujarat have served as gateways to Indian culture in the sub continent and all over India.
HISTORY: It is the site of the earliest culture in the sub-continent. The Harappan Culture, dating back to 2000 BCE flourished in Gujarat. It is the birth place of freedom fighters such as Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhai Patel.
INDUSTRY: Gujarat is one of the most industrialized states in India. Major industrialists and IT specialists have come from Gujarat.
LANGUAGE: Gujarati is one of the top 20 foreign languages spoken in the United States.
A MULTI-CULTURAL SOCIETY: Gujarat has been pluralism in action. it is the home of Parsis, Muslims, Hindus, and Jains.
DANCE: It is the birthplace of Garbha and Dandiya Raas, some of the best known and most colorful folk dances of India.
LITERATURE: Poets like Mira and Narasinh Mehta are known all over India. They and the poetry of hundreds of Gujaratis should take their place in the stage of world literature.
HOME OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS, SCIENTISTS, FREEDOM FIGHTERS: This is the home of Swaminarayan, Dayananda Saraswati, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, and Vikram Sarabhai.