Haksar

Haksar is a Kashmiri caste.^[1] They are native to the Kashmir Valley within the disputed Jammu and Kashmir; however, some Haksars are Kashmiri Pandits, who have a long tradition of Indian administrative service based on fluency in a link language - Persian under the Mughuls and English under the British.^[2] In light of this fact, the Haksar family historically became a prominent administrative family in other parts of India, namely in Indore and Gwalior.^[2]

Notable people

• P. N. Haksar^[3]

References

1. Panorama of Indian Anthroponomy: An Historical, Socio-Cultural and Linguistic Analysis of Indian Personal Names. Mittal Publication. Retrieved 2007-03-25. Kashmir: Naming patterns of the Kashmiri Pandits are almost the same as are found there among the Brahmins of the centro-eastern region with componential preferences with regard to the second component. Some of these are: (1) + Narayan: Jagdish - (Sapru), Anand - (Mulla), Parameshwar - (Haksar), Hriday - (Kunjru), Jagat-,Laxmi-,Brij-,Shyam-,etc. (2) + Krisn: Roop-, Maharaj-, Brij-, Avta-, Tej-, Mohan-, Hari-, Kumar-, Jay-, Pyare-, Nipun-, Apurv-, etc. (3) + Nath: Hriday-, Omkar-, Raghu-, Amar-, Balji-, etc. (4) + Lal: Moti-, Jawahar-, Krishan-, Ziya-. Moreover, at present the names of Kashmiri Pandits are drawn from the same sources as by the Hindus of northern India, but some of the names of the Kashmiri Pandits, recorded in earlier literary works show that names drawn from Persian sources too were current among them. e.g. Aftab Pandit, Balkak Dar, etc. Interestingly, in Kashmiri 'Pandit' surname is attested with Muslims as well, e.g. Mohd Shafi Pandit, Charman J & K Public Service Commission.
2. The New Cambridge History of India, Volume 3, Part 6: The Indian Princes and their States. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 2007-03-25. Kashmiri brahman pandits who, like the Bengali kaayasths, had a long tradition of administrative service based on fluency in a link language - initially Persian under the Mughals and then English under the British - had migrated to Delhi, Lucknow and Lahore from the late eighteenth century onward. By the 1820s they had entered princely states as educators and administrators. The Haksar family was prominent in Indore and Gwailor, the Kak family in Jodhpur, and others in Bharatpur.
3. Mitra, Ashok (12 December 1998). "The P.N.Haksar Story". Rediff.com. Retrieved 8 July 2012.