BENCH MARKS FOR THIS VALENTINE…………
Remember the beautiful brown bench in the middle of a lovely garden, in the movie Notting Hill? Ahh! ‘THE’ most romantic place on Earth where William Thacker reads out’ Captain Correli’s Mandolin’ to Anna Scott while the inimitable Ronan Keating hums,’you say it best, when you say nothing at all’-in the background .Well, one would have to travel to Perth, Australia to have the pleasure of sitting on,’ June’s bench from Joseph’.
How about the bench in front of the Taj Mahal, built for Mumtaz, that has been on the wish list of every celebrity couple and recently part of the Bruni-Sarkozy travel struggle?
Makes you want to celebrate St.Valentine’s day in a ‘novel’ new way? Since Surtis generally hit the streets to celebrate anything and everything, let’s take a look at what chances we Surtis have to find a ‘private public place’ in Tapi town where one can read out to a loved one……….
The poolside of Officer’s Gymkhana, next to the Circuit House at Chowpatty.Built on upper level, open to the sky; it overlooks the Tapi and has a divine view of the opposite shore where the birds fly to find their way home. This place is seldom visited by the members. It offers one of the best points in town, to watch the Sun set in the multi-hued, distant horizon.

The patch of sandy beach at Dumas [yes it exists!], opposite the statue of The Universal Mother. With feathery casuarinas, that sway to soothing, gentle breeze. Sea waves that come in flapping on the shore. This tranquil spot is like a scene from your most romantic dream destination. Truly, a little bit of Heaven on Earth.

The Shell Port, Hazira is sheer poetry by the magic of moonlight. Serenely spectacular, even as it’s endless lights dot the skyline. Perfect in every sense, also perhaps the only place in town where one can enjoy jaywalking. It looks out at the Arabian Sea under a blanket of stars that seem to shine the brightest here.

The quaint little garden at the Mount Carmel’s church, Makkaipul. The pious peace and privacy of this place works its magic. Amazingly, it manages to completely detach itself from the buzzing town that lies just on the other side of the hedge. In a class of its own, reminiscent of vintage era. Clean, green, bliss.

If you would rather be at home, no better place than the terrace to get away from domestic help and doorbells. Create an ambience with floating candles, fresh flowers and a barbecue. Take along your guitar, keyboard to strum and play out your favourite tunes together. Forget the bench and cuddle up on a mat spread out on the floor in true Surti style.

Wherever you decide to spend this anniversary of St.Valentine’s martyrdom, make sure you make it memorable for your precious one. Remember though, no dates at’ The Eiffel’, a la ‘Sleepless in Seattle’, since ours is a traffic island! Get going from today and pen down your own thoughts on a love note, which you can read out to your paramour’. Keep it original, so, ‘Quote no more cliché’s and watch out for the touché.’

WEDDING VOWS-----WOWS AND WOES……………
Once upon a time, weddings in Surat were a simple, private affair. No’ Big B influence,’ just a ceremony to sanctify the couple’s confluence .The Sheri where the bride lived [since almost everybody lived within the walled city in those days] would be covered with a colourful ‘mandva’ that gave a rosy hue to the entire lane. So, the said street was officially blocked for two days……….
Day one would be a casual evening, where the family of the bride and neighbours would sing out traditional folk songs and apply mehndi, post dinner. The oldies would relax on ‘gadlas’,chewing away at their betel nut leaves, preening their eyes to see children, grandchildren and great- grandkids mingle.
Day two was the exciting part, where within a ‘mandap’ put up since the morning ,puja would be performed by the bride and parents.Then,the same venue would be done up in fresh, fragrant local flowers, with two’ sankheda’ patlas or chairs facing each other, ready for the wedding. Family members sat around it and blessed the newly weds. Traditional lunch , prepared by a maharaj,was served at an open’ wadi’ down the street .Invitees would eat out of disposable khakhar baaj and dadiyas, in turns which were called ‘pehli pangat’, ‘beeji pangat’ and so on. Sheri boys served Yummylicious food that included farsan, seasonal vegetables- lilva, undhiyu or panchkutiyu, daal, pickles. If the kids got lucky, there would be a sancha ice cream for dessert too, in addition of course, to the ace traditional delicacy- Lapsi.

As times changed, so did weddings and their venues .From Sheri to ‘nath ni waadi’ to present day ,where farm houses on the city outskirts are converted into places that resemble ‘Jumbo Circus’.Surti versions of fancy cuisine from around the world along with juices named’anarkali’ and’ toofani minty’, are served by a troupe of stiff, uniformed chaperones. Fake Flora and Fauna of impossible colours are put up all around in the name of décor!
Influenced by Sooraj Barjatya, Surti weddings have become week long’ affairs’ [literally]’.Guest lists too, read like ‘hum aapke hai kaun?’ Everyone is invited. The festivities begin with ‘sangeet’the official word for cocktails .Everybody that the bride/groom’s parents know gets to perform on filmy numbers, with clothes to match. Soon, the stage turns into a who is who? The happiest people in this ceremony are the boozers, huddled in a room, enjoying the alcohol as long as it flows. Also happy are the ‘begaani shaadi mein Abdullah deewana’types, who were invited because they were friends of the bride’s mother’s best friend, but now feel like family and circulate likewise.

Then, follow the Mehndi night, DJ night, and Bachelor/Spinster night etc.which are like fancy-dress dos. The unsaid rule for these though, is ‘BOB’ i.e. bring your own booze and find your own corner. Sometimes, unemployed artists from Mumbai grace these celebrations. DAY 6 is the ‘Mosalu’, a very personal ceremony with only 500 invitees, who get to ogle at part of family fortune being exchanged. Usually a day ceremony, where everybody is sober and sleepy. The elders love this one since they do not feel lost on this important day and get to have their say. Also, a day when everybody cries, for different reasons.
The Wedding and Reception are more or less similar, with the same 2500 people wandering about, clueless. By then, the Bride and Groom have had enough. Tired and weary, as they automatically smile at every face that appears in front of them. I also suspect they hate their designer gear by now. Poor souls, talk about an ‘unforgettable experience.
’Phew! I think that’s a wrap on weddings for this season .Now, I have to deal with the dilemma of my wedding wear not meeting a disastrous end at the dry cleaners. As I sort out what goes where, I realize how much I miss the ‘Sheri lagan maharaj ni khatti mithhi daal.’ Somehow, nothing in the world tastes as good as that did…………….

LOVE AT THE FIRST FLIGHT…………………………………………………Upon trying to enter the newly paved drive way of the under construction premises, you
will be stopped by the guard at the gate and asked,’kidhar jaayengay?’ Before your driver or you have a chance to answer, he will continue,’Jaipur? Delhi? Ahmedabad? Calcutta?’ depending on whatever is the destination of the outgoing flight! Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Surat airport- your gateway to air connectivity. As you wade in, the two and at present only standing structures that meet the eye are the control tower and the terminal. Ample and organized parking space is available surrounded by yet to be developed barren land. With few flights functioning as of yet, most visitors hang around here for either receiving or seeing off relatives due to lack of public transport. Enter the canopy like entrance and you will hear lilting shenaii music to mark the auspicious occasion of the commencement of your journey……
Once you have scanned your luggage [hurrah! we have a proper detector now] you will get checked in within the next 10 minutes thanks to cordial and efficient staff. You are now ready to either wait in the cool, clean lounge [no refreshment counter or bookstore yet] or take the mini bus trip to your airplane. As is the case with most of our domestic airports, you board the flight through the ramp. Cross your heart for the trip ahead, most of the flights have locally trained and helpful staff. Food on board may not be exactly ‘smorgasbord’ but is arranged from the flight kitchen of your destination in case you feel like a bite during the short flight. You are now ready to zoom off the fresh tarmac while the pilots wait for the signal that no ball, bird or buffalo will hinder the take off……Au revoir!……….
If you happen to travel within the U.S. of A, the view from an aircraft is mostly that of concrete jungles, Dubai offers desert heat and dust while Singapore and the Far East will make you feel you are landing on the sea! Most of our Indian Metros have sad slums or industrial waste dumps as the view available. The minute you look out of your flight from Surat, you are immediately smitten by the city’s beauty! The flight route during take off as well as landing is more like a Surat darshan tour. The green stretch ends into the vast Arabian Sea then you turn around and re enter the foliage from way above. Flying over the flyover town is like looking down at heaven, the glistening Tapti as she gently curves with familiar monuments and gardens on either bank, the grand Swaminarayan temple, the artistic dome of the Indoor Stadium, the bridges that connect us both over road and water, the Gaurav Path. The clean, green Surat with its organized urban planning mesmerizes you into love at the first flight. One cannot but help feel proud of the bird’s eye view of our city as it disappears into surreal existence and melts away beneath the clouds .Then, remerges in all its splendour of a buzzing jet set town. You inadvertently leave and enter the town with a smile.
The rattling Vayudoot flights of the 70’s and 80’s that left us jittery are a thing of the past, this new improved airport avatar is our ticket to emotional, physical and financial connectivity. Once famous for our port, in future; we just might be so for our airport .Surat’s airport might not be as busy as New York, as well connected as Paris, as desirable as London’s Heathrow but we do now have a passage to help us get there faster and how! After all, from up there, Surat does look very khubsurat and of course,
’Saare Jahaan Se Achha!’