The Maher population of Kathiawar region in Saurashtra also known as the Maher, Mihir, Mair or Mer are a community of people who have evolved from the Kshatriya Rajput varna within Hinduism. They have a rich and diverse history involving many battles, valour and sacrifice to uphold their honour & values. Some of the sacrifices made by them were related to fulfilment of sacred oaths, duties and responsibilities towards common people and also to the Jethwa Ranas of Porbandar.

The population of Maher distributed in a number of 155 villages and some 23 nes was reported to be 50,000 according to the Census of 1951 from India. The traditional occupations of the Maher are warriors (soldiers) and agricultural farming. Some of the Maher villages & land was given to them by the Jethwa Ranas of Porbandar as a token for being part of their royal army against invading tribes in the Kathiavar region (Gujarat, India).

Maher Community Association (UK) was founded in 1990. The aim of MCA was to unite all Maher people under one roof and to promote and preserve our culture, heritage, language, social and cultural awareness and respect of Gujarat and India, while serving the community needs.

The activities developed steadily through the past 40+ years and have culminated in a strong and vibrant Gujarati cultural organisation. The foundation of our community is strong due to the hard work and dedication of our past and present executive committee and board of trustee leaders, volunteers, as well as the ongoing support from our local community.

The commitment of its strong cohesive membership has never looked back. Maher community has served a number of activities and services to communities and youth organisations, cultural activities such as: garba, raas, gujarati drama, lok sangeet, children’s party and festival celebration such as, Beej, Holi, Janmashtami, Navratri and today, our goal remains to increase our membership, invest in the next generation – our youth, and to build a new centre in central location to provide resources to our community … from our children to our senior citizens.

As we enter into the new era, we want to lead Maher Community to new services, embracing technology, allowing our youth to participate with excitement and enthusiasm, who will proudly continue to carry our heritage. With the help of every Maher member, our goals and dreams can be reality. We encourage each and every Maher family to engage by becoming a member and participate in its activities and help us grow and build a stronger community.

We believe that everyone can play a role in the community and should have the chance to participate, we build volunteering projects and programmes to reflect this. Our volunteer programmes help to improve health and wellbeing; build stronger, more inclusive communities; and achieve lasting results. Our varied projects will suit you whether you’re looking for part-time volunteering, full-time volunteering or event corporate volunteering.