Nadar is one of the South Indian Tamil caste and the term also used to refer to the man belong to that caste.The caste also refered as 'chanas'. South India is a geographic and linguistic-cultural region of India. ... A Tamil clad in a vetti This article covers the Tamil people as an ethnic group. ... The word Caste is derived from the Portuguese word casta, meaning lineage, breed or race. ...

History

Nadars belong to the Kshatriyas in the 4 sects as defined by the hindu code of Manu. They are extremly shrewd businessmen. The Nadars are hardworking community and became successful after some struggles early on because of the caste system. Their main occupation was toddy (a kind of liquor) gathering on Palm Trees. The 19th century saw the nadars embracing Christianity in large numbers some out of will and most out of the easier acceptance into christian schools. Today the distribution of nadars between the two major religions, Hindu and Christian, are 60% and 40% respectively. Nadars traditionally have been extremely clanish people. Although outwardly they are united as nadars,there is a clear cut distinction between the nadars of various regions of Southern India. For example the customs and practices of Nadars hailing from Tirunelveli will be completely different from that of Nadars hailing from Madurai or Nagercoil. It is only in the present generation that Nadars,like the current generation of most castes in India, are really opening up. A Kshatriya is a member of the military or reigning order, according to the law-code of Manu the second ranking caste of the Indian varna system of four castes, the first being the Brahmin or priestly caste, the third the Vaishya or mercantile caste and the lowest the Shudra. ... This article is about the Hindu religion; for other meanings of the word, see Hindu (disambiguation). ... Manu has several meanings: A title in Hindu mythology; see Manu (Hinduism) The Manu River in Peru The Manu National Park national biosphere reserve, also in Peru Manu, capital of the Manu province in the Madre de Dios region of Peru. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Christianity is an Abrahamic religion based on the life, teachings, death by crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament. ... This article is about the Hindu religion; for other meanings of the word, see Hindu (disambiguation). ...

The premium placed on education by the Nadar community resulted in a drastic improvement in the socio-economic landscape of the Nadar community, a distinction reserved to upper classes of India. The nadars community are known for their work mostly on small scale business. Most cities in Tamil Nadu will have a provision store run by a person from this community. They are even referred to as Annachi Kadai or Nadar Kadai.

Genetic study

Recent genetic studies on the antigenic variations among south Indian populations suggest nadars to have several genotypic characters shared with East Asian populations consistent with the demographic history of South India and also several unique genetic markers. The study suggested a distinct evolutionary lineage with lesser admixture in the gene pool among groups of Tamilnadu. The gene pool of nadars show more similarity to the East Asian populations (Tissue Antigens. 2003 Dec; 62(6): 542-7), a trend not observed in the Brahmin communities of south Tamilnadu, who are more closely related to the branch of the Indo-European and Central Asian tree (Human Biology 1996, 68(4), 523-37). East Asia can be defined in either cultural or geographic terms. ... A Brahmin (less often Brahman) is a member of the Hindu priestly caste, the highest in the Hindu caste system. ...

Further reading

• D. Templeman. (1996) The Northern Nadars of Tamil Nadu: An Indian Caste in The Process of Change (February, 1996): New Delhi: Oxford University Press

• Robert L. Hardgrave, Jr.(1969) The Nadars of Tamilnad; the political culture of a community in change. From year 1800 british records to 1968. [1] (http://sflib1.sfpl.org/search/dNadars./dnadars/-2,-1,0,B/frameset&FF=dnadars&1,1,)

Famous people

• Kamaraj - Freedom fighter, Politician
• Shiv Nadar - Billionaire, CEO, HCL Group(Infotech)

Kamaraj (July 15, 1903–1975) was an Indian politician widely known as a kingmaker in Indian politics. ... Shiv Nadar, CEO of HCL has an estimated net worth of $2. ...

External link

• concise history of the Nadar community (http://www.kuttyjapan.com/nadar/nadar-history.asp)
• - Nadar community Online Webportal (http://www.nadar.org)