Lohanas in Diaspora

22 Warriors and Merchants ____________________________________________________________ Some suggestions for future Research There were only three Gujarati sources which were explored for this provisional and primary report. In order to consolidate the history of the community, the group should consider extending this research project so that a number of additional objectives can be achieved.

First of all, given the serious commitment that that groups has made to this project both in terms of time and funding, I think the group should consider building up a collection of documents that relate to the past and present state of the Lohana communities. In her report Dr Katherine Prior has suggested further study of Gujarati Language documents. Mr Nizar Kanji has also obtained a photocopy of a volume titled Lohana Ratnavali which he proposes to make available for further study. An investigation of these additional resources should help the group to consolidate the knowledge of historical background of both earlier and modern period so that the entry of the Lohana community, especially in the business world can be assessed more fully and its significance explained much more in the context of what we already know about the economic profile of Indian minorities in the United Kingdom.

The research can expand the two related areas of investigation. This report outlines the history of the Lohanas as the warriors and Kshatriya who fought bravely to sustain their military and political power against overwhelming odds they faced from their aggressors. This narrative can be made a bit more coherent and systematic by bringing together traditional history of the community with documented history of the earlier Hindu and Muslims kingdoms so that the part which the Lohanas played in the evolution of this history can be located more firmly. In contrast to less firmly based body of information about premodern Lohanas, modern documents and records should provide plenty of additional material for documentation of more recent history of the Lohanas as an example of their skilful and successful adaptation to migration and social change since the beginning of this century. This seems to me to be one fruitful venue for further inquiry.

In their deeply felt quest for knowing more about the ancient Lohanas, I don’t think the group should overlook the question of history of the Lohanas in the United Kingdom since they began to settle here since the early fifties but especially after the period of decolonisation and expulsion from East and Central Africa I also believe that the history of migration of the Lohanas to East and Central Africa is of critical importance in the history of the Lohanas