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'''Wani/Vani''' (or '''Wanie''', '''Wyne''', '''Wain''') is a surname of a caste found throughout [[India]] and [[Pakistan]], especially in [[Jammu and Kashmir (Union Territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[Punjab]] and [[Maharashtra]]. Both Wain (pronounced like wine with a nasal 'n') and Wani/Vani are acceptable pronunciations. <br />
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Historians agree that the Wani/Wain belong to the merchant caste and were originally [[Kashmiri Hindus]].<ref name="ASI2005"/><ref name="Rajghatta2019">{{cite web |last1=Rajghatta |first1=Chidanand |title=View: Most Pakistanis are actually Indians |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/view-most-pakistanis-are-actually-indians/articleshow/70811241.cms |publisher=[[The Economic Times]] |access-date=21 November 2020 |language=en |date=28 August 2019}}</ref> Even among those Wani/Wain who converted from [[Hinduism]] to [[Islam]], the profession of these people remained primarily in [[trade]] and [[commerce]]. Taareekh Hassan has mentioned that Wani Muslims became one of the highest castes among [[Sheikhs]] (Wani also use Khwaja as their prefix).<ref name=":0" /> <br />
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Wains are divided into several sub-castes such as [[Kesarwani|Kesar-Wani]] (those who sell saffron),<ref name="ASI2005">{{cite book|title=People of India: Uttar Pradesh, Volume 42, Part 2|year=2005|publisher=Anthropological Survey of India|language=en |isbn=9788173041143|page=769|quote=The Kesarwani Bania, or simply the Kesarwani, as they are popularly referred to, are an important group of the Vaishya or business community. They were also referred to as Baniya, Bani and Bakkal in the British time. From Kashmir, they came to Kara- Manikpur at the end of the twelfth century.}}</ref> Tal-Wain (those who sell oil), Pui-Wani, Baand-Wani, Bas-Wani, Tarangar-Wani, Kakar-Wani, and Par-Wani. Because of the adoption of different trades by members of the tribe, various branches of the tribe have come into existence. In the 1931 census about 72,311 people were identified with ''Wani'' caste. Some Wanis have migrated from the Kashmir Valley to [[Punjab]] region, as well as [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[Madhya Pradesh]] and [[Bihar]].<ref name=":0">pages 259 to 260 of vol.1 of Tawaareekh Aqwaam e Kashmir {Histories of the Tribes of Kashmir} by Muhammad Deen Fauq, written in 1934 A.D. ; Published by Nigarshat, 24 Muzang Road, Lahore, Pakistan, in 2003 A.D</ref><ref name="Singh1998">{{cite book|last=Singh|first=K.S.|title=India's Communities, Volume 5|year=1998|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|language=en|isbn=9780195633542|page=1663}}</ref><br />
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==People with the surname==<br />
*[[Ashfaq Majeed Wani]] (1966–1990), Separatist militant<br />
*[[Burhan Wani]] (1994–2016), Kashmiri militant<br />
*[[Jagannath Wani]] (1934–2017), Indo-Canadian statistician and philanthropist<br />
*[[Nazir Ahmad Wani]] (died 2018), Indian soldier<br />
*[[Mansukh C. Wani|Mansukh Wani]] (died 2020), Indian-American scientist<br />
*[[Rangnath Wani]], Indian politician and member of the Shiv Sena<br />
*[[Mohan R. Wani]] (born 1965), Indian biologist and immunologist<br />
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== See also ==<br />
*[[Vaishya Vani]]<br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Kashmiri-language surnames]]<br />
[[Category:Sanskrit-language names]]<br />
[[Category:Pakistani names]]<br />
[[Category:Surnames]]<br />
[[Category:Bania communities]]<br />
[[Category:Indian surnames]]<br />
[[Category:Hindu surnames]]<br />
[[Category:Kashmiri tribes]]<br />
[[Category:Kashmiri Hindus]]<br />
[[Category:Kashmiri Muslims]]<br />
[[Category:Vaishya community]]</div>Ajay Kumar