SOS= SPIRIT OF SURAT...................
We live in these times, where ‘fear factor’ is not just a daring reality show with Akshay kumar and 13 beauties but also a way of life for us. These days, humans protect places of worship to God. After innocent Ahmedabadis bore the brunt of some of the worst terror attacks the country has ever experienced, it seems Surat was supposed to be next in line when the faceless cowards planned city,city,bang!bang! Or was it? As speculation along with innumerable rumours surround us it seems as though nothing can shock us Surtis anymore. It is not as if we treat death or issues related to it as frivolous, but fact remains that our aam janta is handling this matter quiet casually.
Surat’s favourite new reality show on t.v. is the live coverage of the discovery and defusing of non functioning live bombs. Found around prime crowded areas, within Tapi town. In these days of high alert, it seems the Surtis have proved to be more alert than the governing bodies. Almost all the explosive material has been discovered by Surtis .As if that was not enough; a couple of Surtis calmly carried these bombs and left them in the middle of the road or near a police station for further investigation! Thank God for small mercies, the bombs turned out to be ‘sursuriyas’ [kaput crackers].
The bomb defusing ceremony seems to have turned into a circus of sorts. Once the lime green packet is found [all so far in same colour], 25 and counting, the press reaches there and hoards of people gather around taking personal videos on their mobiles. Then, after the Surtis discuss how the bomb was discovered; the Surti bomb squad-our brave gang of 4 arrives on the scene. Do note that at present we have just one protective bodysuit between these brave men. So, one of them wears the gear but not the helmet [too heavy and claustrophobic] whilst the others assist in plain clothes and bare hands.
The bombs are then picked up, dissected and defused. All this is witnessed by hundreds of people from close distance as they cheer and capture the moment in their mobiles. The bomb squad is made to pose for pictures, holding the dissected paraphernalia. What is it that makes this team so brave? How on earth do they show the courage to defuse live bombs so casually? Are they not worried because these bombs are low impact ones? Also, most Surtis are treating the matter as an entertainment event. One does hope that in the coming days, some adventurous youngster does not try to ape this act! The public probably think this is a piece of cake to handle. Let’s not forget that the bomb in adajan garden that blew up on 25th of May this year might have been a trial run.
On the business front, Surtis who earn from Rs. 50 to the ones that earn RS.50, 000 daily are complaining that business has seen bad days and will further suffer if they stay indoors, so in spite fear in their hearts; they are trying to resume a normal worklife, even if it is for a limited time period. As far as their personal lives are concerned, some are thinking of taking a holiday and yet others are finding means to entertain themselves indoors with card parties, watching movies in their home theatres or organising parties at private farms. The Surat standard time for socialising now begins at 8p.m instead of 10 p.m.
The lesson that Surtis have learnt in the past five days are-
1. Everybody now knows who the mayor is and what he looks like.
2. The administration is, as clueless as we are.
3. Cautious Surtis are the sole reason that our city has been safe so far.
4. The new colour for danger is lime green not red.
5.’There is no need to fear’, our C.M.has bravely stated this advice .
SOS-The signal used as a sign for save our souls in times for distress, stands for ‘sursuriyas of surat’ it also stands for ‘Spirit of Surat’ and that dearies is what keeps us ticking.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
DAY TAALI! SURTI SWING IS KING………………
Is it just me or are the Surtis swinging as they walk these days? Methinks the reason behind their graceful gait might very much be the fact that garba classes have commenced .All around Tapi town, from varachha to piplod, citylight to ghodod, parle point to choriyasi dairy road; Bachey, budhey and jawan Surtis are giving it a go to learn dodhiyu in these times of dearth e disco. Its legal dating for the young lovers, de stressing for the elders and skill attaining for the kids. Also for a tuppence of an amount, you get to work out for three months and lose weight as you joyfully dancercise to jhankaar beats.
I know dearies that the nine nights of Navratri are still a couple of months away but what on earth can hold back us fun loving Surtis? The festival is a season of brisk business for many. Enthusiastic Surtis prepare for the same, way in advance. First there are these garba classes, then there are the garba dresses on which unlimited time and moolah are spent .Designing for this season’s Navratri wear has already started full swing, in the backlanes of Maniyara Sheri from where the most popular creations come forth. The trend this year in garba gear is sure to be a cosplay of films like Jodha Akbar. Gota borders will add glitter and glam to skimpy cholis, flowing ghaghras and dhoti- kediyas.Surtis love dressing up and partying and what better way other than this - an entire trimester of Fashion, fun and dance to enjoy and celebrate.
In the 50’sand 60’s, temples and sheris were the only place where Navratri was celebrated. It’s a trend that’s fondly carried on till this date where single, double and triple clap garbas are performed to devotional songs sung in praise of Durga Ma’s nine incarnations. The women folk then started performing arvachin [modern] and prachin [ancient] style of ethnic garbas in mahila mandals. Also, municipal schools held garba competitions on the day of Sharad poonam which later were performed at Surat’s famous amphitheatre-Rangupvan.The 70’s and 80’s saw a more modern trend with dandiya and’ disco dandiya’ coming to age where both women and men dancing to frenzy on filmy music celebrated Navratri in freestyle at community halls or rented grounds. By the mid 80’s, visiting Ahmedabadi’s showed a new way of swirling to us Surtis, that was when the dodhiyu first came to town full fledge ……
This fancy new style became a rage as Surtis swung in, out and all around to get the dodhiyu right. As if the steps were not complicated enough, the hands too were to be twisted and turned without climaxing into a taali [clap]! That of course was just the beginning I mean the 6 and 8 step dodhiyu is just a base for fuddy duddies these days. Surti dodhiyu today has more ingredients in it than Surti undhiyu! We are into the 36 and 42 and still counting, steps these days; with prance fervour enough to put peacocks and butterflies to shame! In actions that make you forget whether you are going to or fro, the dodhiyu drill puts your head in a dizzy spell for sure. No wonder one needs to practice from right now if, in the garba season, one wants to part of the performing crowd.
Most of the classes are run by talented youngsters; they all begin with a small prayer and offerings to goddess Amba, who resides in the centre of the swirling human circle. Dodhiyu these days is performed to popular numbers from films and Falguni Pathak’s garba hits. In case you plan to join one, here are some tips-
Find one which is well ventilated and close to your home.
Stick surgical medi tape to protect your toes [footwear not allowed]
Carry a bottle of water or lemonade to replenish.
Wet tissues are a great idea in these humid days.
Wear stretchy, comfy, cotton clothes.
So go for it Surti, put your hands together and de taali to day time taali! Since the 9 nights of passion are still miles away; hang loose and let the dodhiyu dhamaal make you sway.
Is it just me or are the Surtis swinging as they walk these days? Methinks the reason behind their graceful gait might very much be the fact that garba classes have commenced .All around Tapi town, from varachha to piplod, citylight to ghodod, parle point to choriyasi dairy road; Bachey, budhey and jawan Surtis are giving it a go to learn dodhiyu in these times of dearth e disco. Its legal dating for the young lovers, de stressing for the elders and skill attaining for the kids. Also for a tuppence of an amount, you get to work out for three months and lose weight as you joyfully dancercise to jhankaar beats.
I know dearies that the nine nights of Navratri are still a couple of months away but what on earth can hold back us fun loving Surtis? The festival is a season of brisk business for many. Enthusiastic Surtis prepare for the same, way in advance. First there are these garba classes, then there are the garba dresses on which unlimited time and moolah are spent .Designing for this season’s Navratri wear has already started full swing, in the backlanes of Maniyara Sheri from where the most popular creations come forth. The trend this year in garba gear is sure to be a cosplay of films like Jodha Akbar. Gota borders will add glitter and glam to skimpy cholis, flowing ghaghras and dhoti- kediyas.Surtis love dressing up and partying and what better way other than this - an entire trimester of Fashion, fun and dance to enjoy and celebrate.
In the 50’sand 60’s, temples and sheris were the only place where Navratri was celebrated. It’s a trend that’s fondly carried on till this date where single, double and triple clap garbas are performed to devotional songs sung in praise of Durga Ma’s nine incarnations. The women folk then started performing arvachin [modern] and prachin [ancient] style of ethnic garbas in mahila mandals. Also, municipal schools held garba competitions on the day of Sharad poonam which later were performed at Surat’s famous amphitheatre-Rangupvan.The 70’s and 80’s saw a more modern trend with dandiya and’ disco dandiya’ coming to age where both women and men dancing to frenzy on filmy music celebrated Navratri in freestyle at community halls or rented grounds. By the mid 80’s, visiting Ahmedabadi’s showed a new way of swirling to us Surtis, that was when the dodhiyu first came to town full fledge ……
This fancy new style became a rage as Surtis swung in, out and all around to get the dodhiyu right. As if the steps were not complicated enough, the hands too were to be twisted and turned without climaxing into a taali [clap]! That of course was just the beginning I mean the 6 and 8 step dodhiyu is just a base for fuddy duddies these days. Surti dodhiyu today has more ingredients in it than Surti undhiyu! We are into the 36 and 42 and still counting, steps these days; with prance fervour enough to put peacocks and butterflies to shame! In actions that make you forget whether you are going to or fro, the dodhiyu drill puts your head in a dizzy spell for sure. No wonder one needs to practice from right now if, in the garba season, one wants to part of the performing crowd.
Most of the classes are run by talented youngsters; they all begin with a small prayer and offerings to goddess Amba, who resides in the centre of the swirling human circle. Dodhiyu these days is performed to popular numbers from films and Falguni Pathak’s garba hits. In case you plan to join one, here are some tips-
Find one which is well ventilated and close to your home.
Stick surgical medi tape to protect your toes [footwear not allowed]
Carry a bottle of water or lemonade to replenish.
Wet tissues are a great idea in these humid days.
Wear stretchy, comfy, cotton clothes.
So go for it Surti, put your hands together and de taali to day time taali! Since the 9 nights of passion are still miles away; hang loose and let the dodhiyu dhamaal make you sway.
BEST BAKED SURTI BISCOTTIS ………….
India has proudly produced a record 76.78 million tonnes of wheat in the year 2007-2008.In the wake of which we will not need to import wheat from foreign shores this year, unlike the past two. There was a time in the bygone era when our country always had a surplus of wheat. François Bernier, the famous French physician to Aurangzeb wrote in his book of travels in the 17th century that India had enough wheat to feed chapattis and naans to the entire nation as well as a surplus to make cheap sea biscuits to feed the English, Dutch and Portuguese sailors. In the 19th century, ‘Hindu biscuits’[they were made without using egg white as glace or animal shortening] an Indian version were prepared in desi tandoors and were a much cheaper option than the expensive imported tins of biscuits by Huntley and Palmers.
The earliest history available on baking in Tapi town is that of the Dutch factory bakery. The building that till recent times functioned as our General Post Office, situated opposite the Dutch gardens was originally a Dutch factory. During those times 5 Parsi gentlemen were appointed by the Dutch to knead bread dough for their bakery since Surat did not locally produce commercial bread then. Upon leaving India, the Dutch left their ovens to one Mr.Faramji Dotivala; who then provided bread loaves to the remaining Colonial community in town. After the English left, since bread was looked upon as Christian food, it had few takers and thus the stale bread often dried up .Since it was fermented with toddy, it did not catch fungus but lost all moisture and turned hard. This stale bread found its way to the poor who relished it and found it easily digestible as well. So the bread buns were made smaller and specially dried to be sold as biscuits. It is said that doctors often recommended these as convalescent food to patients.
Later a richer version of the same was introduced by adding ghee to the dried buns and thus the Irani [sadi] and Batasa [makhania] biscuits originated in Surat.Also, the Surti sweetmeat-‘dul ‘made with the plain flour,semolina, flavoured with nutmeg and cardamom was oven baked and the ‘nankhatai’ was invented. Surat’s oldest bakers are the Parsis with their pioneer-Dotivala followed by Saher,Mazda and Khurshed bakeries. Till date these are most popular and sell off freshly baked products between dawn to dusk.
Other bakeries came in much later selling prepacked snacks and fancy iced pastries along with local goods. The Rudarpura area has a Sheri named dahifalia which is now known as the’ bakery moholla’ since most homes here have a ‘bhatti’ running that produces various baked products for the outlets of The New India bakery. Aptly named since it began post Independence in town, its shops are all around from Zhampabazar to Adajan, Bhagal to Parle Point. Surprisingly, the entire Sheri uses the same name for separately owned outlets!
The puff biscuit -‘khari’or ‘padvali’ as it is called was so named because of the layers that it consists of. It is available in various versions of pepper, jam, fenugreek etc along with its most popular plain avatar.Ginger, sesame, cashew, jowar, cocoa, coconut, pepper along with various flavours and essences have all found their way within our baker’s dough and we have infinite local biscuits to choose from. The yeast used for baking is now a derivative of hops and potatoes since post Independence use of toddy has been banned due to its alcoholic nature.
Our local biscuits are hot sellers right from roadside teastalls to the aromatic bakery shops. Whether it’s Shrewsbury or wine cakes, cashew nut macaroons or vegetable puffs, vanilla twists or ravakopra mix, all are available to us Surtis.Even though most bakery products are similar; they differ in taste according to the wheat flour, fat and finish used in preparing them so ,Surti homes have their own favourite bakeries. Visitors to Surat often carry back Padvali, Batasa and Nankhatai neatly packed in cardboard boxes because the original Surti swad of the same is matched by none other in the nation.
So dear surti, before you call out for that second cuppa morning chai, make sure you call in for a fresh batch of warm, local biscuits from down the road. The best way to enjoy them is to dip and nip.After all desi biscuits should be relished in a desi way, what say?
India has proudly produced a record 76.78 million tonnes of wheat in the year 2007-2008.In the wake of which we will not need to import wheat from foreign shores this year, unlike the past two. There was a time in the bygone era when our country always had a surplus of wheat. François Bernier, the famous French physician to Aurangzeb wrote in his book of travels in the 17th century that India had enough wheat to feed chapattis and naans to the entire nation as well as a surplus to make cheap sea biscuits to feed the English, Dutch and Portuguese sailors. In the 19th century, ‘Hindu biscuits’[they were made without using egg white as glace or animal shortening] an Indian version were prepared in desi tandoors and were a much cheaper option than the expensive imported tins of biscuits by Huntley and Palmers.
The earliest history available on baking in Tapi town is that of the Dutch factory bakery. The building that till recent times functioned as our General Post Office, situated opposite the Dutch gardens was originally a Dutch factory. During those times 5 Parsi gentlemen were appointed by the Dutch to knead bread dough for their bakery since Surat did not locally produce commercial bread then. Upon leaving India, the Dutch left their ovens to one Mr.Faramji Dotivala; who then provided bread loaves to the remaining Colonial community in town. After the English left, since bread was looked upon as Christian food, it had few takers and thus the stale bread often dried up .Since it was fermented with toddy, it did not catch fungus but lost all moisture and turned hard. This stale bread found its way to the poor who relished it and found it easily digestible as well. So the bread buns were made smaller and specially dried to be sold as biscuits. It is said that doctors often recommended these as convalescent food to patients.
Later a richer version of the same was introduced by adding ghee to the dried buns and thus the Irani [sadi] and Batasa [makhania] biscuits originated in Surat.Also, the Surti sweetmeat-‘dul ‘made with the plain flour,semolina, flavoured with nutmeg and cardamom was oven baked and the ‘nankhatai’ was invented. Surat’s oldest bakers are the Parsis with their pioneer-Dotivala followed by Saher,Mazda and Khurshed bakeries. Till date these are most popular and sell off freshly baked products between dawn to dusk.
Other bakeries came in much later selling prepacked snacks and fancy iced pastries along with local goods. The Rudarpura area has a Sheri named dahifalia which is now known as the’ bakery moholla’ since most homes here have a ‘bhatti’ running that produces various baked products for the outlets of The New India bakery. Aptly named since it began post Independence in town, its shops are all around from Zhampabazar to Adajan, Bhagal to Parle Point. Surprisingly, the entire Sheri uses the same name for separately owned outlets!
The puff biscuit -‘khari’or ‘padvali’ as it is called was so named because of the layers that it consists of. It is available in various versions of pepper, jam, fenugreek etc along with its most popular plain avatar.Ginger, sesame, cashew, jowar, cocoa, coconut, pepper along with various flavours and essences have all found their way within our baker’s dough and we have infinite local biscuits to choose from. The yeast used for baking is now a derivative of hops and potatoes since post Independence use of toddy has been banned due to its alcoholic nature.
Our local biscuits are hot sellers right from roadside teastalls to the aromatic bakery shops. Whether it’s Shrewsbury or wine cakes, cashew nut macaroons or vegetable puffs, vanilla twists or ravakopra mix, all are available to us Surtis.Even though most bakery products are similar; they differ in taste according to the wheat flour, fat and finish used in preparing them so ,Surti homes have their own favourite bakeries. Visitors to Surat often carry back Padvali, Batasa and Nankhatai neatly packed in cardboard boxes because the original Surti swad of the same is matched by none other in the nation.
So dear surti, before you call out for that second cuppa morning chai, make sure you call in for a fresh batch of warm, local biscuits from down the road. The best way to enjoy them is to dip and nip.After all desi biscuits should be relished in a desi way, what say?
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