Anand

Anand is a name of Indian origin derived from Sanskrit Ananda, meaning bliss. It is used as a given name for men and, less commonly, as a surname. The form is common across several Indian languages, including Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, and Bengali, and appears in various transliterations such as Anant or Ananda depending on language.

The city of Anand is the district headquarters of Anand district in Gujarat. The city is known for its dairy industry as the base of Amul, a major dairy cooperative that is part of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation. The area is also associated with agricultural education and research, and Anand hosts educational and research institutions linked to agriculture and animal husbandry.

Notable people and culture connected to the name include Viswanathan Anand (born 1969), an Indian chess grandmaster and former World Chess Champion, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Anand Kumar (born 1973) is an Indian mathematician and educator known for the Super 30 program which coaches underprivileged students for IIT entrance exams. In cinema, Anand is the title of a 1971 Hindi drama film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, starring Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan, remembered for its themes of friendship and mortality.