Gujaratis are an uncommonly industrious and resourceful people. In India alone, there are some 55 million people who consider Gujarati to be their mother tongue, and possibly 6 million more of them abroad, on every continent, if not in every country. They are known for their entrepreneurial spirit, and their love of business and the profitable deal. After all, paiso bole chhe—money talks. No wonder then, that some of India’s greatest industrial houses—Tata, Reliance, Wipro, and scores of others—owe their existence to brilliant Gujarati businessmen. Beyond business, Gujaratis have made their mark in politics (Mahatma Gandhi was Gujarati as was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel; there have also been two Gujarati prime ministers, Morarji Desai and Narendra Modi— three, if Rajiv Gandhi, whose father was Gujarati, is counted), science, culture, cricket, and many other fields of endeavour. Some of them have also become notorious as conmen, swindlers, and rioters—Gujarat ranks high among states in which communal riots have taken place. Gujaratis are renowned for their delicious vegetarian snacks (often mispronounced as ‘snakes’), stringent dietary restrictions, and love for the garba, natak nights, and sugam sangeet.