GOLWAAD –HEARTH OF THE RANAS.............
If you have been wondering what the majestic statue of the great Rana Pratap atop Chetak, is doing at the Kotsafil road island; the reason it stands there is a tribute by a community that claims to be his descendants .Mythology states, in the ancient days, Rajputs of Mewada adopted the name ‘Gola’ meaning menial servant or slave to protect themselves from the fearsome God, Parshuram. Shiva their protector gave them a mortar and pestle [what they call khandi dasto] for rice pounding as a trade to make a livelihood. Till date, rice pounding in the community holds a sacred significance.
Little is known about them other than what is written in an unpublished Gujarati book ‘Surat no Prachin itihaas’ by Thakordas Dhansingh and ‘Politics of Surat-1850 -1924, by Douglas Haynes.
The community now calls itself the ‘Ranas’. In the 17th century, they basically functioned as rice pounders, tailors, washermen, basket makers and potters, selling their wares in the Sheris of Navapura. Their closest friends were the people of the Ghanchi community that consisted of the oil pressers, milk sellers and firewood traders.
Although they were allowed to worship at temples of the then prevalent upper caste Hindus, their non Brahmanic practice of meat eating, alcohol consumption and widow remarriage were often cited as a threat to local moral order by a certain section of priests. Their approach towards spoken language was often unsavoury and unruly invoking disdain and anxiety, but due to their business, they had ties with members of the Vaniya, Parsi and Daudi Bohra communities.
Around the 1860’s, the golas ventured into the trade of jari making. The art of drawing fine threadlike wires from real gold and silver bullions that were shipped in from the European markets .Members of the joint families provided labour with females and even children performing important tasks. The entire process was carried out within their homes itself.
Thus the cost of hiring non-family members was low and rare. Even when artisans did not have a sufficiently large family, persons from within the caste were appointed for the task and married to a sister or daughter of the family head. The Golwaad community since then has remained impenetrable and extremely self contained.
In 1953,D.R.Gadgil and R.K.Patil wrote a book on the ‘Gold and Silver thread industry’, which states by 1910, Surat became a leading manufacturer of both jari and Kinkhab [silk and gold cloth]; far surpassing Ahmedabad, Yeola, Poona, Delhi and Lahore in the trade, its only rival in competition was Benaras, with its master weavers. In 1930, the Golas with their cost cutting strategy managed near total control in the trade and their traditional occupation officially changed to jari making.
During the First World War, panic struck Surat markets, since it largely depended on trade with Europe. Import restrictions on precious metals meant trouble for the jari makers and traders who had to face skyrocketing prices of gold and silver. Though with passing time just a handful who deal in business of real jari making have survived; the clan has now shifted to making artificial jari and just like the days of yore, gives serious competition to Benaras by helping Surti weavers make synthetic Benarasi sarees.
A lot of the old, walled city areas like Store Sheri, Sidhhmata Sheri, and Wadifalia have now been taken over by them since these are areas close to Golwaad, -a place where till date; the Ranas celebrate each day with tradition of working from home and each evening in Surti spirit, with their favourite ritual of,’batli, dana and a game of cards’.
TAPI TOWN TATTLE-How did the Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward women greet Mutalik on V-day? ’Thong you very much!’