Kaushik

Kaushik (Hindi: कौशिक) or Kaushike (Marathi: कौशिके) is the surname and patri-clan (gotra) of Brahmins and Kshatriya named after Brahmarishi Vishvamitra. [1] Kaushik is used as surname by Brahmins and Kshatriya of Vishwamitra or Kaushika gotra. Kaushik/Koushik is ancient Indian'Gotra' applied to an indo-aryan clan. Origin of Kaushik can be referenced to an ancient Hindu text. There was a Rishi (saint) by the name of "Vishvamitra" literally meaning 'friend of the universe','Vishwa' as in universe and 'Mitra' as in friend, he was also called as Rishi "Kaushik".Vishvamitra is famous in many legendary stories and in different works of Hindu mythology.[2][3] Kaushika is pravara of Vishwamitra gotra.[4]

For the sage, see Vishvamitra.

Etymology

The name "Koushika" (i.e. Kaushik) literally means "descended from Kusha".[5]

Other theories

British writer John Garrett (1871) believed that Kush here refers to the name of a place in Central Asia.[6] According to Robert Vane Russell, Kaushik may be derived from Kusha grass.[7]

Notable people

Notable people with the surname include:

Sports

• Shivil Kaushik – an Indian cricketer
• Manish Kaushik – an Indian boxer who won a silver medal in 2018 Commonwealth Games, in the light weight division and gold medal at the 2017 National Boxing Games.
• Haripal Kaushik – an Indian field hockey player, military officer and television commentator
• Jagannathan Kaushik – an Indian first-class cricketer
• Ankit Kaushik – an Indian cricketer
• Aditya Kaushik – an Indian cricketer

Entertainers

• Ashutosh Kaushik – an Indian actor
• Amar Kaushik – an Indian director and actor
• Satish Kaushik – an Indian film director, producer, and actor, primarily in Hindi films and theatre.
• Kavita Kaushik – an Indian actress.
• Dinesh Kaushik – an Indian actor
• Aravind Kaushik – an Indian film director, screenwriter who works in Kannada cinema
• Tashu Kaushik – an Indian film actress and model
• Kabeer Kaushik – an Indian film director and screenwriter
• Rishi Kaushik – an Indian actor who acts in serials

Politicians

• Dharamlal Kaushik – an Indian politician from the Bharatiya Janta Party and the 3rd speaker of Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly from 2009 to 2014.
• Madan Kaushik – an Indian politician from Bharatiya Janata Party. Currently he is a cabinet minister from Uttarakhand under the chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and four time MLA from Haridwar constituency.
• Anil Kaushik – an Indian National Congress Politician from Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. He is an ex-deputy mayor of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation
• Dinesh Kaushik (politician) – an independent politician and current Member of Legislative Assembly in Haryana
• Ramesh Chander Kaushik – an Indian politician and a member of parliament to the 16th Lok Sabha from Sonipat (Lok Sabha constituency), Haryana
• Purushottam Kaushik – an Indian Politician, who was the Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation in the Morarji Desai ministry and later Minister of Information and Broadcasting in the Charan Singh ministry.
• Naresh Kaushik – a member of the Haryana Legislative Assembly from the BJP representing the Bahadurgarh Vidhan sabha Constituency in Haryana

Others

• Ravindra Kaushik – an alleged Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent who lived undercover in Pakistan
• Sudhanshu Kaushik – an international youth activist known for founding Young India Foundation
• Avinash Kaushik – an Indian entrepreneur, author and public speaker
• Bhupendra Nath Kaushik – a Hindi and Urdu language poet, writer and satirist.

References

1. The Eastern Anthropologist, Volumes 42-43. Ethnographic and Folk Culture Society. 1989. p. 218. The list of sages varies in different sacred books, but their gotra names are Kashyapa, Vasishta, Agastya, Bhrigu, Gautam, Bharadvaja, Atri and Viswamitra or Kaushik. Often the names of gotras, such as Kaushik, Kashyapa and Bharadwaja, are employed as surnames by the Brahmans
2. The Eastern Anthropologist, Volumes 42-43. Ethnographic and Folk Culture Society. 1989. p. 218. The list of sages varies in different sacred books, but their gotra names are Kashyapa, Vasishta, Agastya, Bhrigu, Gautam, Bharadvaja, Atri and Viswamitra or Kaushik. Often the names of gotras, such as Kaushik, Kashyapa and Bharadwaja, are employed as surnames by the Brahmans
3. Devdutt Pattanaik. Ram: The Student (Penguin Petit). Penguin Random House India. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
4. Syed Siraj ul Hassan (1989). The Castes and Tribes of H.E.H. the Nizam's Dominions, Volume 1. Asian Educational Services. p. 120.
5. Bibek Debroy. Harivamsha. Penguin UK. p. 435. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
6. John Garrett (1975) [1871]. A Classical Dictionary of India. Atlantic. pp. 732–. GGKEY:YTLNG1DG7JN.
7. "The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India (Volumes I and II)". books.google.co.in.