Sojitra | |
Villages in Gujarat | |
Country | India |
---|---|
State | Gujarat |
District | Anand |
Coordinates | 22°33′0″N 72°43′11″E / 22.55000°N 72.71972°E |
Population | Approx. 15,000 |
Sojitra is a village in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is in the Anand district, situated at 22°33′N 72°43′E. Its nearest villages are Isnav (4 km away), Dabhou (6 km away), Gada (4 km), Devataj (2 km), and Limbali (3 km). The village is home to several schools, including Smt. H.J. Patel Primary School for Girls, inaugurated by the Governor of Gujarat in 2006 and The M.M. High School and Library. Sojitra also has a number of temples dedicated to different deities of Hindu and Jain faiths.
Ancient documents and archaeological surveys indicate that Sojitra is an ancient town that has experienced several name changes and been under the control of many different political entities. Popular mythology of the area credits the current incarnation of the village as originally being settled by Sojan Rabari and his family, who named it either Sojanpur or Sojatypur. At some point, this was shortened to Soja, which later morphed into the current name. Virabhai Patel is the father of Sojitra as to the recorded fact from 1116 AC and the descendants. Interesting find in time lineage of King Prithviraj Chauhan (1149–1192 CE), in reference to Solanki Raj BhimDev, our ancestors settled during this period in Davataj and ViraBhai bought the land Davataj from Bhimdev Solanki in this period.
The village proper itself was mostly settled and established by family members of the Patel family line. In 1527, when the immediate area was under the control of Raval rulers, Surabhai Patel left Chapaner and moved to Adalaj and again in 1552 with one of his two sons, Virabhai Patel, to Devataj. In 1575, Muzfarshah the Second, allotted the land of Sojitra to Jeshangbhai Patel, the son of Virarabhai Patel, for hereditary use. The land was distributed among seven inheritors: Harakhjibhai, Sunderbhai, Bhuderbhai, Saudasbhai, Meghabhai, Amabaidas and Mahibhai Pragdas (Mahibhai Pragdas are brothers). The Patidars of the seven Khadkies were their descendents.
Above all, the most notable and prodigal son of Sojitra is Dr Yogendra Kumar Makwana, who went to become home minister in Mrs Indira Gandhi's cabinet. He held various portfolios ranging from home to communications, steel and mines in Mrs Gandhi as well as Rajiv Gandhi's cabinet. Born to a middle-school head master belonging to the vankar community of the scheduled castes, he studied law and practiced in the Gujarat High Court before becoming a member of Rajya Sabha in the year 1973. He made many contributions to the upliftment of the depressed classes, notably among them is the revival of the special component plan of the government of India.