Chopra

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For other uses, see Chopra (disambiguation).

Chopra is a Khatri Hindu and Sikh surname. Punjabi Khatris and Ramgarhia Sikhs are among the communities that have clans named Chopra.[1] They belonged to the Barah-Ghar/ Bahri sub-caste of the Khatris which includes the clans of Dhawan, Kakkar, Kapoor, Khanna, Mehra, Malhotra, Sehgal, Seth, Tandon, Talwar, and Vohra.[2]

The clan claims to originate from one man called "Chaupat Rai" who was killed in a battle with Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. His descendants who were born before his death took the name of their forefather and hence came to be known as Chopra.[3]

Diwan Mulraj and Diwan Sawan Mal were from Chopra Khatri families and served as the army generals under Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Sikh Empire. Sawan Mal Chopra was renowned for capturing Multan from the rule of Afghans while Mulraj was known to have rebelled against the British which led to the 2nd Anglo-Sikh war.[4][5]The ancestors of the Chopras were expert gamblers ,so much so that they were called the incarnation of Maharaja Nala.[6]

Diwan Sawan Mal Chopra, governor of Lahore and Multan

They were concentrated in Majha region of Punjab in modern day countries of India and Pakistan which includes Gujranwala, Amritsar, Lahore etc.[7][8] Dr. Satyapal, a prominent freedom fighter from Gujranwala who was arrested by the British along with Saifuddin Kitchlew was a Chopra Khatri.[9]Lala Jagat Narain, the founder of Punjab Kesari and a freedom fighter was also from a Chopra family.[10] Kavi Tahikan was a soldier by profession who also served as one of the 52 poets/writers of Guru Gobind Singh belonged to a Chopra family of Jalalpur town of Gujrat district.[11][12]

Notable people[]

People listed may or may not be affiliated to the clans or the religions, include:

  • Aakash Chopra (born 1977), Indian cricketer who played for the Indian cricket team from late 2003 until late 2004
  • Aditya Chopra (born 1971), Indian film producer, screenwriter and director
  • Akshat Chopra, Indian child film actor, model, dancer, anchor
  • Amarjit Chopra, Indian chartered accountant
  • Aneesh Chopra (born 1972), the first Federal Chief Technology Officer of the United States (CTO)
  • Anjum Chopra (born 1977), member of the India national women's cricket team
  • Anupama Chopra (born 1967), author, journalist and film critic
  • Baldev Raj Chopra (1914–2008), Indian director and producer of Bollywood movies and television serials
  • Daniel Chopra (born 1973), Swedish professional golfer
  • Deepak Chopra (born 1946), Indian medical doctor, public speaker, and writer on subjects such as spirituality, Ayurveda and mind-body medicine
  • Deepak Chopra (Canada Post), President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada Post Corporation
  • Deeya Chopra (born 1983), Indian television actor
  • Gaurav Chopra (born 1967), Indian television and theatre actor
  • Gotham Chopra (born 1975), American author and entertainment/media entrepreneur
  • Harshad Chopra (born 1983), Indian television actor
  • Joyce Chopra (born 1936), American director and writer of feature films and television
  • Mallika Chopra (born 1972), Indian American author and businesswoman
  • Meera Chopra (born 1983), Indian film actress who appears in Telugu and Tamil films
  • Michael Chopra (born 1983), English footballer who played for Sunderland F.C, Cardiff City & Ipswich Town
  • Mohan Chopra (1921–1969), Hindi intellectual
  • Nikhil Chopra (born 1973), retired Indian cricketer; cricket analyst
  • Neeraj Chopra (born 1997) Olympic gold medal winner for India at 2020 Tokyo Olympics
  • Parineeti Chopra (born 1988), Indian actress and cousin sister of Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra
  • Pamela Chopra, Indian film producer, playback singer and writer
  • Pooja Chopra (born 1986), beauty pageant titleholder from Pune City
  • Pransh Chopra (born 1984), Indian film actor who appears in Bollywood films
  • Prem Chopra (born 1935), actor in Hindi and Punjabi films
  • Priyanka Chopra (born 1982), Indian actress and former Miss World
  • Ravi Chopra (born 1946), Indian movie producer and director
  • Roshni Chopra (born 1980), Indian actress, television presenter and the winner of NDTV Imagine's reality show, Dil Jeetegi Desi Girl
  • Sanjeev Chopra (born 1961), ex-Indian Civil Servant, Public Policy Analyst and Festival Director of Valley of Words .
  • Sanjiv Chopra (born 1949), Professor of Medicine and Faculty Dean for Continuing Medical Education at Harvard Medical School
  • Shaili Chopra (born 1981), Senior Editor and lead female anchor at ET Now, the Economic Times' business news channel
  • Sherlyn Chopra (born 1984), Indian model, singer, actress and Playboy model
  • Shiv Chopra, Canadian microbiologist and human rights activist
  • Suneet Chopra, Indian communist politician and trade unionist
  • Tanuj Chopra, American filmmaker
  • Tisca Chopra (born 1973), Indian film actress, most known for her role in Taare Zameen Par (2007)
  • Uday Chopra (born 1973), Bollywood actor, producer, and assistant director
  • Varun Chopra (born 1987), English cricketer, captained the English U-19 cricket team
  • Vidhu Vinod Chopra (born 1952), Indian director and producer
  • Vijay Kumar Chopra (born 1932), the second son of Lala Jagat Narain and his wife Shanti Devi
  • Vikram Chopra, Indian film director, screenwriter, and actor
  • Yash Chopra (1932 - 2012), Indian filmmaker, film director, screenwriter, and Bollywood producer

References[]

  1. ^ Hanks,Patrick (17 November 2016). The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780192527479. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  2. ^ Hanks, Patrick (2003-05-08). Dictionary of American Family Names: 3-Volume Set. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-508137-4.
  3. ^ Dogra, R. C.; Mansukhani, Gobind Singh (1995). Encyclopaedia of Sikh Religion and Culture. Vikas Publishing House. ISBN 978-0-7069-8368-5.
  4. ^ Gupta, Hari Ram (1978). History of the Sikhs: The Sikh Lion of Lahore, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, 1799-1839. Munshiram Manoharlal. ISBN 978-81-215-0515-4.
  5. ^ Bobby Singh Bansal, Remnants of the Sikh Empire: Historical Sikh Monuments in India & Pakistan, Hay House, Inc, 1 Dec 2015
  6. ^ The Illustrated Weekly of India. Published for the proprietors, Bennett, Coleman & Company, Limited, at the Times of India Press. April 1971.
  7. ^ Lipski, Alexander (1969). South Asia Series Occasional Paper. Asian Studies Center, Michigan State University.
  8. ^ Gauba, Anand (1988). Amritsar, a Study in Urban History, 1840-1947. ABS Publications. ISBN 978-81-7072-015-7.
  9. ^ Goyal, Shailja (2004). Dr. Satyapal, the Hero of Freedom Movement in the Punjab. PBG Publications.
  10. ^ Singh, Fauja (1972). Eminent Freedom Fighters of Punjab. Punjabi University, Department of Punjab Historical Studies.
  11. ^ Commission, Indian Historical Records (1960). Proceedings of the ... Session. The Comission.
  12. ^ Singh, Harbans (1992). The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism: S-Z. Punjabi University. ISBN 978-81-7380-530-1.
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