SURTIS –AN AAM JANTA………..
Will Hillary rise to emerge over Obama? Will Shoaib Akhtar procure NOC from the other side of the LOC? Will the lawyers of lalaland get justice? None of these questions were bothering the aam aadmis of Surat over the weekend. All that we were worried about was whether or not the weather would wither our tropical treat. April showers are after all disastrous for May flowers. As if the Arab attack on mangoes was not enough to delay the arrival of our gastronomic delight!
Raised on fun, freedom and food, Surtis prefer pure breed over hybrid. Earliest childhood memories for majority of us therefore, include,’ the mango hoarding sessions ‘practiced by our grandparents. Most rooms in the house would be converted into larders, strewn with gunny bags where the king of fruit would preside, crowned with hay. On a daily basis, the precious potassium rich procurements would be sniffed, segregated and savoured with great passion. What would begin with a tender fresh aroma of the juicy, summer fruit; would turn into a full, robust fragrance around the house as the treasure switched colours deep as jewels-emerald green to ruby red to gold.
Even as Spanish chefs ‘spherify’ mango juice with hydrocolloids to make it look like caviar for avant garde cuisine, Surat is one place where mangoes are prepared in varied desi versions. Sliced, diced or spiced, we Surtis love this one right to the core.
Picked as early as its budding stage,’morva’ for fresh dry salad pickle by tossing it in a fenugreek-chilli mixture and ‘panechi’, made with water, salt and turmeric. Kagda Keri is popularly used for sweet and spicy chutney as well as ‘chunda and murabbas’ that make cool consumption in hot summers. Raw Rajapuris are pickled [methiya Keri, gol Keri, etc.] to be savoured with Surti food around the year. Its strips and seeds are Sun-dried to be powdered for tangy Amchur and masala gutlis.
In our city where food and fruit is looked upon as a status symbol, the supreme Ratnagiri Alfanso rules the roost followed by the Valsad haphoos. With mercury rising, arrive the aces of aam ras-Rajahpuri, Kesar, and Pairi.Surti households concoct their own combination of these to produce a lip smacking variety of mango pulp that is savoured with 7 padi rotli, puris or the Surti exclusive-Khaja .Some lace the juice with ghee, salt and cumin powder before relishing it others use Mango seeds, ‘gotlas’ to cook a spicy curry called’ fajeto’ to be savoured with rice.Dussheri, Chausa, Safeda, Popat, Mulgubbo and Karanj Keri trail into town later, spreading sweetness. Last but not least Neelam and Langdo tag along, to offer the gourmets a final delight. As distinct as each mango is in its flavour, Surtis sure know how to maximize its use.
The migrants have brought in recepies like;’aam panna,’and ‘aam ki lunji’ which have found instant fan following in our town. Crave-a-licious mango desserts- shrikhand, shakes and sorbets are prepared at home and roadside kiosks. Bitter gourd, Alocacia leaves, Idla and Salang Ni daal are frequent team members of the surti mango meal. Special ras-puri, ghosh-puri dinners are hosted during this season.
Surtis easily succumb to their taste buds. In spite of not actually being a local produce, Mangoes rule Surti hearts more than any other food. Little wonder then, that the royal Mango, is the King of fruits and we Surtis are the loyal –‘Aam’ Janta.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
PENNING CHAUTAPUL’S CHALK DE! CHAPTER…….
The world famous, perennially snow capped, highest mountain of the Alps is shivering with fear of threatened existence. Not because of Global warming [at least for now] but because the Surtis are calling products named after it –Mount Blank! Jokes apart, it is nice to see that the finest writing instruments from Mont Blanc are now accessible in town. Thanks to the Mall mania, Lalas need not wait to visit Joon in New York, Smythson’s in London or Zaveri Bros. Mumbai for the same.
Among earliest Surti stationers were the vendors wandering around Chautapul ,selling chalks and slate pens; their descendents still do .In the 1950’s owning a Pratap pen was as good as it could get for Surti students.’ Swan’ was overpowered in prestige, only by ‘Brahmam’ a 14 carat gold nib, ink pen manufactured in Madras if you please. Being gifted a’ Reform ‘or ‘Tiku’ by visiting rich relatives would turn the event into the talk of the then small town. ‘Senator’ sustained the70’s. Ball point tip pens were then a big no-no for students since they were notorious to spoil handwriting. So when the Luxor micro tip pen was introduced to Tapi town in the early 80’s it was the biggest hit since Sholay!
Navin pen mart at Lalgate pioneered selling fancy pen ware. In absence of computers, account books and registers sold like hot cakes and selling stationery along with them, made Kagzi brothers at Limda Chowk, Popular book store Tower road, Modern in Sagrampura and Athwa General Store at Athwalines dream destinations for the same.
A visit to even the most modest of stationery shops in Surat these days has a different story to tell. As one enters, there is a grand welcome with an array of bouquets of multi coloured pens set row wise in jars. Some Surti stores tease and tempt offering limited and unlimited editions from Parker, Schaeffer, Caran’d ache, Pelikan, Cross pens. Lamy, Waterman, Cartier and Dupont now visit town on order.
Surti mommies upgrade their kid’s stuff on a monthly basis. The Alphabet eraser with a translucent green head has been bid adieu I notice, replaced by Big Mac and cricket kit replicas in the name of erasers. Steadler, Crayola, Faber Castell are household names now, for lead and colour options. The good old geometry set box is a goner too, now we have fancy cases with four compartments. Kids in town casually use files, punch machines and staplers from Korea, binders, sticker charts, 3-d scales from China, aromatic hand made paper from Jaipur. In times where Black boards have turned white, chalks and slate pens are the only ones that have retained their authentic colours and flavours swear the chalk munching junkies!
What disheartens one is the fact that when the world’s best instruments for writing are now easily available to us, penmanship unfortunately is dying an untimely death. Around the globe, both male and female prefer e-mails; lap tops have replaced letter pads.’ The Grid’ is set to become the future of text technology. Mobile Short Message Service causes Hara-kiri of the text, daily making Wren and Martin tremble. As we proceed towards a paperless phenomenon, stationery has become just that-stationary. Pens are pocketed as fashion, Paper is used for packaging and books are procured more as décor than for records. Though our budget for these has amazingly increased, our usage of the same has drastically decreased. Changing times have ‘nanonized’ our form of communication; let’s pray pen and paper will always be around. Hope, Chautapul’s ‘Chalk de!’Chapter never closes with a ‘chuck de!’ by the Generation next, of Tapi town.
The world famous, perennially snow capped, highest mountain of the Alps is shivering with fear of threatened existence. Not because of Global warming [at least for now] but because the Surtis are calling products named after it –Mount Blank! Jokes apart, it is nice to see that the finest writing instruments from Mont Blanc are now accessible in town. Thanks to the Mall mania, Lalas need not wait to visit Joon in New York, Smythson’s in London or Zaveri Bros. Mumbai for the same.
Among earliest Surti stationers were the vendors wandering around Chautapul ,selling chalks and slate pens; their descendents still do .In the 1950’s owning a Pratap pen was as good as it could get for Surti students.’ Swan’ was overpowered in prestige, only by ‘Brahmam’ a 14 carat gold nib, ink pen manufactured in Madras if you please. Being gifted a’ Reform ‘or ‘Tiku’ by visiting rich relatives would turn the event into the talk of the then small town. ‘Senator’ sustained the70’s. Ball point tip pens were then a big no-no for students since they were notorious to spoil handwriting. So when the Luxor micro tip pen was introduced to Tapi town in the early 80’s it was the biggest hit since Sholay!
Navin pen mart at Lalgate pioneered selling fancy pen ware. In absence of computers, account books and registers sold like hot cakes and selling stationery along with them, made Kagzi brothers at Limda Chowk, Popular book store Tower road, Modern in Sagrampura and Athwa General Store at Athwalines dream destinations for the same.
A visit to even the most modest of stationery shops in Surat these days has a different story to tell. As one enters, there is a grand welcome with an array of bouquets of multi coloured pens set row wise in jars. Some Surti stores tease and tempt offering limited and unlimited editions from Parker, Schaeffer, Caran’d ache, Pelikan, Cross pens. Lamy, Waterman, Cartier and Dupont now visit town on order.
Surti mommies upgrade their kid’s stuff on a monthly basis. The Alphabet eraser with a translucent green head has been bid adieu I notice, replaced by Big Mac and cricket kit replicas in the name of erasers. Steadler, Crayola, Faber Castell are household names now, for lead and colour options. The good old geometry set box is a goner too, now we have fancy cases with four compartments. Kids in town casually use files, punch machines and staplers from Korea, binders, sticker charts, 3-d scales from China, aromatic hand made paper from Jaipur. In times where Black boards have turned white, chalks and slate pens are the only ones that have retained their authentic colours and flavours swear the chalk munching junkies!
What disheartens one is the fact that when the world’s best instruments for writing are now easily available to us, penmanship unfortunately is dying an untimely death. Around the globe, both male and female prefer e-mails; lap tops have replaced letter pads.’ The Grid’ is set to become the future of text technology. Mobile Short Message Service causes Hara-kiri of the text, daily making Wren and Martin tremble. As we proceed towards a paperless phenomenon, stationery has become just that-stationary. Pens are pocketed as fashion, Paper is used for packaging and books are procured more as décor than for records. Though our budget for these has amazingly increased, our usage of the same has drastically decreased. Changing times have ‘nanonized’ our form of communication; let’s pray pen and paper will always be around. Hope, Chautapul’s ‘Chalk de!’Chapter never closes with a ‘chuck de!’ by the Generation next, of Tapi town.
P IS FOR PROFANITY……..SURTIS ‘SWEAR’ BY IT!
Towns all over our country are known for their distinct dialect and manner of speaking; the nawaabi andaaz of Lucknow’s tehzeeb, the sugar coated chatter of Calcutta, the respectful regal tone of Jaipur, in Gujarat itself there are a number of accents in which Ahmedabadi, Kathiyawadi etc. Gujarati is spoken. When it comes to our town though, the otherwise sweet sounding language takes an about turn.’shu che?’ becomes’ hu che?’ and ‘tamay aavo’ becomes ‘tu chal ni’.Other than being casual about the way they speak, Surtis are also most definitely well known for their profanity. I mean, I have yet to hear a social, business or casual conversation in town which does not include more than one #~*$#! Expletive word in every delivered dialogue!
The ‘it’ slang word does not exist in Surat because every slang word is part of a normal Surti conversation. While one wonders what mothers, sisters, fathers, brother-in laws and their body parts have got to do with conversations that neither involve them nor revolve around them; the average Surti would loose half his talk time in case he was forced to frame a sentence without profusely swearing!
Surat has a number of communities and sub castes of Gujaratis that dwell here. We have the Patels, Ghachis, Golas, Khatris, Vanias etc. Although they all speak differently, they are bound together by their profanity. No one raises a surprised brow at the most inaudible word spoken publicly.
Since it has always been a business community, education has never been that important to the average Surti. Family business has beckoned many a young soul to discontinue studies midway, irrespective of caste and creed. Grammar in Tapi town therefore is also one of the poorest in the state and pronunciations too go for ahem! A six!
In case the otherwise efficient Surti lala was asked to make a business deal come through without using his slang words, it would be a catch 22 situation for him! Every Surti sentence is incomplete until it is peppered with slang.
Surtis do not mean to swear at their friends and associates, in fact they use these with people they converse with on a day to day basis as terms of endearments!Surtis swear when they are in a good mood, smilingly and do so angrily when they are in a bad mood. So that means, if a Surti does not swear when in conversation, you do not feature in his close group of normal people and he is trying really hard to keep the talk straight!
Minding his ‘P’s and ‘Q’s would be torture for a Surti and he would rather answer in ‘yes’ or’ no’ than converse in situations that call for the same. Watching cricket, flying kites, eating out, chatting on the mobile, shopping, driving, in short every normal activity that a Surti does has to have a reaction that begins and ends with exclamatory remarks.
One thing is for certain, if there was ever a competition for original, innovative, maximum and widely used profanity world wide, Surtis would win hands down, no competition there sir, not even from the infamous down under-Australia.Surtis casually speak words that would make any human from out of town go drastically red in the face.
The other ‘P’word that Surtis are well known for is Promiscuous, but this is a newspaper with family readership and I most definitely am not getting into that explicit conversation, lest I get showered with spicy Surti slang of the profane kind!
Towns all over our country are known for their distinct dialect and manner of speaking; the nawaabi andaaz of Lucknow’s tehzeeb, the sugar coated chatter of Calcutta, the respectful regal tone of Jaipur, in Gujarat itself there are a number of accents in which Ahmedabadi, Kathiyawadi etc. Gujarati is spoken. When it comes to our town though, the otherwise sweet sounding language takes an about turn.’shu che?’ becomes’ hu che?’ and ‘tamay aavo’ becomes ‘tu chal ni’.Other than being casual about the way they speak, Surtis are also most definitely well known for their profanity. I mean, I have yet to hear a social, business or casual conversation in town which does not include more than one #~*$#! Expletive word in every delivered dialogue!
The ‘it’ slang word does not exist in Surat because every slang word is part of a normal Surti conversation. While one wonders what mothers, sisters, fathers, brother-in laws and their body parts have got to do with conversations that neither involve them nor revolve around them; the average Surti would loose half his talk time in case he was forced to frame a sentence without profusely swearing!
Surat has a number of communities and sub castes of Gujaratis that dwell here. We have the Patels, Ghachis, Golas, Khatris, Vanias etc. Although they all speak differently, they are bound together by their profanity. No one raises a surprised brow at the most inaudible word spoken publicly.
Since it has always been a business community, education has never been that important to the average Surti. Family business has beckoned many a young soul to discontinue studies midway, irrespective of caste and creed. Grammar in Tapi town therefore is also one of the poorest in the state and pronunciations too go for ahem! A six!
In case the otherwise efficient Surti lala was asked to make a business deal come through without using his slang words, it would be a catch 22 situation for him! Every Surti sentence is incomplete until it is peppered with slang.
Surtis do not mean to swear at their friends and associates, in fact they use these with people they converse with on a day to day basis as terms of endearments!Surtis swear when they are in a good mood, smilingly and do so angrily when they are in a bad mood. So that means, if a Surti does not swear when in conversation, you do not feature in his close group of normal people and he is trying really hard to keep the talk straight!
Minding his ‘P’s and ‘Q’s would be torture for a Surti and he would rather answer in ‘yes’ or’ no’ than converse in situations that call for the same. Watching cricket, flying kites, eating out, chatting on the mobile, shopping, driving, in short every normal activity that a Surti does has to have a reaction that begins and ends with exclamatory remarks.
One thing is for certain, if there was ever a competition for original, innovative, maximum and widely used profanity world wide, Surtis would win hands down, no competition there sir, not even from the infamous down under-Australia.Surtis casually speak words that would make any human from out of town go drastically red in the face.
The other ‘P’word that Surtis are well known for is Promiscuous, but this is a newspaper with family readership and I most definitely am not getting into that explicit conversation, lest I get showered with spicy Surti slang of the profane kind!
Monday, March 17, 2008
IDES OF MARCH…TIDES OF TROUBLE……..
The Ides of March stand for the first day of the Roman lunar calendar.15th of March, the day that dear old Julius Caesar was asked to beware of and assassinated on. Down the ages, this date is one that resonates doomsday for the superstitious just as Shakespeare had warned; a fore bringer of misfortune, according to many soothsayers.
In present day, our Surti Lalas got a taste of the Ides of March throughout the month. It has been a relentlessly cruel month for them………..
As the month began, a staggering stock market and the sensex knocked the senses out of both the sexes who locked more than horns, as the Bears and Bulls saw red. Dabba traders got tinned by the city police, real estate prices plummeted and diamond traders got singed by the scorcher of the share market’s Holi pyre even as Surti housewives blew up family money set aside to retire. In a town where cash is perennially in flow, liquidity saw many a dry day.
The textile sector got a blow by the FM [Budget, not radio silly!] with no relief to old woes. An 8 % addition of excise duty on imported weaving machines turned ‘TUF into tough’ for the weavers. Thus, spelling days of doom to Lalas who own power looms. With global competition warming up, prospects of growth seem bleak at present for Tapi town weavers who were set to go the long haul in upgrading their technology.
Tax evaders who are in the trade of property, diamond and textile have had a long, difficult month. Most of them were actually given the Ides of March i.e. March 15th.as the last day to cough up the indigestible tax returns. I-T officials seem to have hitched the Lalas, hook line and sinker; leaving no nook or corner for escape. VAT evaders ki toh vaat lag gai! With the Fiscal deadline fast approaching for this financial year, there were chaotic queues at offices of the revenue department as Surtis endlessly lined up and set their records straight to avoid being penalized later.
As though all this was not enough, the Jantri’s Jantar Mantar took the town completely unawares. Surat’s Bahumaali Bhavan turned into a clubhouse as the public, police; lawyers and bouncers tussled over equal rights of registration and decided to ‘go to the mattresses’- a la Godfather. Stamp paper demands caused a stampede. Amongst all the hungama, many stories unfolded along with the sleepover ka saman and hot tales arose along with the Tiffin box lids which Surtis came equipped with. The event also brought together snooty socialites from Parle Point to rub shoulders with the humble hasinas of Varachha, as most Surtis register their property in the name of the fairer sex. Lalas had to line up in person for once to officially register property in the proper way. Not being used to function without corruption, many Surtis unnecessarily slipped in extra currency with the registration amount, in hope that it would earn them an upgraded registration [or so they thought]!
Thus the scorching summer has begun with most Surtis in a soup. For once, March ending will bring a sigh of relief to Tapi towners. Hopefully, the month of April will bring in happier times. But, do watch out dear Lalas, because the new month begins tomorrow with April Fools Day! Here’s wishing you a happy one.
The Ides of March stand for the first day of the Roman lunar calendar.15th of March, the day that dear old Julius Caesar was asked to beware of and assassinated on. Down the ages, this date is one that resonates doomsday for the superstitious just as Shakespeare had warned; a fore bringer of misfortune, according to many soothsayers.
In present day, our Surti Lalas got a taste of the Ides of March throughout the month. It has been a relentlessly cruel month for them………..
As the month began, a staggering stock market and the sensex knocked the senses out of both the sexes who locked more than horns, as the Bears and Bulls saw red. Dabba traders got tinned by the city police, real estate prices plummeted and diamond traders got singed by the scorcher of the share market’s Holi pyre even as Surti housewives blew up family money set aside to retire. In a town where cash is perennially in flow, liquidity saw many a dry day.
The textile sector got a blow by the FM [Budget, not radio silly!] with no relief to old woes. An 8 % addition of excise duty on imported weaving machines turned ‘TUF into tough’ for the weavers. Thus, spelling days of doom to Lalas who own power looms. With global competition warming up, prospects of growth seem bleak at present for Tapi town weavers who were set to go the long haul in upgrading their technology.
Tax evaders who are in the trade of property, diamond and textile have had a long, difficult month. Most of them were actually given the Ides of March i.e. March 15th.as the last day to cough up the indigestible tax returns. I-T officials seem to have hitched the Lalas, hook line and sinker; leaving no nook or corner for escape. VAT evaders ki toh vaat lag gai! With the Fiscal deadline fast approaching for this financial year, there were chaotic queues at offices of the revenue department as Surtis endlessly lined up and set their records straight to avoid being penalized later.
As though all this was not enough, the Jantri’s Jantar Mantar took the town completely unawares. Surat’s Bahumaali Bhavan turned into a clubhouse as the public, police; lawyers and bouncers tussled over equal rights of registration and decided to ‘go to the mattresses’- a la Godfather. Stamp paper demands caused a stampede. Amongst all the hungama, many stories unfolded along with the sleepover ka saman and hot tales arose along with the Tiffin box lids which Surtis came equipped with. The event also brought together snooty socialites from Parle Point to rub shoulders with the humble hasinas of Varachha, as most Surtis register their property in the name of the fairer sex. Lalas had to line up in person for once to officially register property in the proper way. Not being used to function without corruption, many Surtis unnecessarily slipped in extra currency with the registration amount, in hope that it would earn them an upgraded registration [or so they thought]!
Thus the scorching summer has begun with most Surtis in a soup. For once, March ending will bring a sigh of relief to Tapi towners. Hopefully, the month of April will bring in happier times. But, do watch out dear Lalas, because the new month begins tomorrow with April Fools Day! Here’s wishing you a happy one.
SURAT’S SPRING SERENADE….............
Holi days are here again! No baba, am not talking about this week that is full of holidays, inspite of the fact that we have Idd, Good Friday, Holi, Easter, all lined up. Am talking of how the entire week past and present is being colourfully celebrated by us Rangeela Surtis. Though Dhuleti is officially at the end of the week, denizens are at it already, there is colour abound all around Tapi town! Everybody is celebrating in their own style, here is a peek:
SMC -Holi Special, H2O-The Surat Municipal Corporation is celebrating Holi since the past 10 days. They are regularly supplying us yellow coloured water to drink, wash and bathe to remind us Phagun is here .Though some spoilsports are constantly complaining about the hygiene hassles of the same. Nevertheless, the corporation is working really hard to maintain the festive mood with the colour density getting deeper by the day. Watch out, by dhuleti you may discover a new shade of brown flowing from your taps if you co-operate with the corporation and do not dampen the SMC’s Holi spirit.
GROCERS- Rang Le, Basanti-It’s the most resplendent time of the year for our spice suppliers. Lanes all over Surat have little dunes of Lal Mirchi powder, Mustard Haldi, Lime Green Dhania powder, Brown Jeera, resting under even more colourful tents .From roadsides of Parvat Patia to Bhatar, Ghodod to Varachha, masala makers are tempting Surti housewives to hoard the same; Rang De their spice storage space this spring season with chili, turmeric, coriander and cumin.
KIDS- Maar, Daala!-Of course this is one festival where spoilt Surti kids have their loving parents spend unlimited moolah on fancy squirters from China and toxic colours from Sachin/Pandesara. But the kids as usual have a mind of their own. If you have been smacked with a smelly plastic pouch in the past week, you will know what I mean. Terraces and balconies have been converted into fortresses by the bachha brigade. Giggling away as they have a go, hurling water packed plastic bags and pouches on unsuspecting pedestrians and riders. It is sad to see how parents support this act of polluting the Town, body and mind with marksmanship; they treat the matter so lightly.
MITHAI -Magic Mantra-The onset of the colour festival has inspired our sweet meat makers to display an array of edible rainbow coloured preparations, along with multi coloured legal addictives like Kewra,Saffron, Pistachio and Rose thandai. Consuming the same will help you instantly colour your internal organs as well, lest you complaint that Holi is only skin deep.
’Holi Hai! Yaar.’so, make sure you spread the smiles.
So folks, even though the D-day is at the other end of this week, we Surtis have been celebrating a vibgyor Dhuleti routine. Jokes apart, do try and spend this fun festival with family and friends in an Eco- friendly way. Celebrate spring in true Surti style, colour Tapi town with Peace, Love and Happiness. Forget past differences because,
SURTI LALAS -Ab Tera Kya Hoga Lala?-Keeping up with the colour theme, this Surti lot is going Pink, Crimson, Red in the face since some time now, as they own up to or try to explain their Tax return goof ups of the past. Without even a sip of bhaang, they claim to be seeing multi coloured stars in broad daylight during the I T department’s survey sessions!
Holi days are here again! No baba, am not talking about this week that is full of holidays, inspite of the fact that we have Idd, Good Friday, Holi, Easter, all lined up. Am talking of how the entire week past and present is being colourfully celebrated by us Rangeela Surtis. Though Dhuleti is officially at the end of the week, denizens are at it already, there is colour abound all around Tapi town! Everybody is celebrating in their own style, here is a peek:
SMC -Holi Special, H2O-The Surat Municipal Corporation is celebrating Holi since the past 10 days. They are regularly supplying us yellow coloured water to drink, wash and bathe to remind us Phagun is here .Though some spoilsports are constantly complaining about the hygiene hassles of the same. Nevertheless, the corporation is working really hard to maintain the festive mood with the colour density getting deeper by the day. Watch out, by dhuleti you may discover a new shade of brown flowing from your taps if you co-operate with the corporation and do not dampen the SMC’s Holi spirit.
GROCERS- Rang Le, Basanti-It’s the most resplendent time of the year for our spice suppliers. Lanes all over Surat have little dunes of Lal Mirchi powder, Mustard Haldi, Lime Green Dhania powder, Brown Jeera, resting under even more colourful tents .From roadsides of Parvat Patia to Bhatar, Ghodod to Varachha, masala makers are tempting Surti housewives to hoard the same; Rang De their spice storage space this spring season with chili, turmeric, coriander and cumin.
KIDS- Maar, Daala!-Of course this is one festival where spoilt Surti kids have their loving parents spend unlimited moolah on fancy squirters from China and toxic colours from Sachin/Pandesara. But the kids as usual have a mind of their own. If you have been smacked with a smelly plastic pouch in the past week, you will know what I mean. Terraces and balconies have been converted into fortresses by the bachha brigade. Giggling away as they have a go, hurling water packed plastic bags and pouches on unsuspecting pedestrians and riders. It is sad to see how parents support this act of polluting the Town, body and mind with marksmanship; they treat the matter so lightly.
MITHAI -Magic Mantra-The onset of the colour festival has inspired our sweet meat makers to display an array of edible rainbow coloured preparations, along with multi coloured legal addictives like Kewra,Saffron, Pistachio and Rose thandai. Consuming the same will help you instantly colour your internal organs as well, lest you complaint that Holi is only skin deep.
’Holi Hai! Yaar.’so, make sure you spread the smiles.
So folks, even though the D-day is at the other end of this week, we Surtis have been celebrating a vibgyor Dhuleti routine. Jokes apart, do try and spend this fun festival with family and friends in an Eco- friendly way. Celebrate spring in true Surti style, colour Tapi town with Peace, Love and Happiness. Forget past differences because,
SURTI LALAS -Ab Tera Kya Hoga Lala?-Keeping up with the colour theme, this Surti lot is going Pink, Crimson, Red in the face since some time now, as they own up to or try to explain their Tax return goof ups of the past. Without even a sip of bhaang, they claim to be seeing multi coloured stars in broad daylight during the I T department’s survey sessions!
TAPI TOWN’S TRAFFIC TRIVIA…
Press, Horn. O.k. Please, A.2.A.V.K.V? Before you raise a surprised brow, let me explain the reason behind this lingo; driving around a city is a great way to know more about its people and culture. Here are a few observations while cruising along the streets of our hometown Surat-
U-19? Me-15! -- So what if we do not have a player to qualify for the under 19 cricket team? Should there ever be a competition for underage drivers; Surtis will beat the others hands down [literally] to win the world championship! Our kids are so talented; we have 15 year olds who handle a four wheel drive as easy as apple pie.
Yours, mine and ours…..Surtis love to share, they are not selfish .So, when they listen to music in their vehicles, they make sure the entire neighbourhood is listening. Often at a signal a jugalbandi can be enjoyed by the music blaring out of different cars and autos. It is after all rare to hear Atif Ali, Bon Jovi perform along with Bappida.
Time table rules-Our traffic police is extremely organized. They do not trouble tired drivers with all the tiresome rules. Everyday is fixed for a certain norm. So on Mondays, you are fined for not using helmets, on Tuesdays for not using seat belts, On Wednesdays for not carrying P.U.C and so on. If you figure out the days of the ‘fine routine’, you will be ticket free this season.
Tow in time-Surtis are allowed to park wherever, whenever they please to do so. The tow truck visits each area twice a day. All the time in between is efficiently utilized by students, housewives and chauffeurs to park their vehicles however they wish to do so in areas that proclaim to be a ‘No Parking Zone.’
Left, Right and Centre- Surtis are very competent drivers .Although they drive right hand drive vehicles, they follow rules of International driving standards and change the routes as per their mood. They can drive at great speed on the wrong side of the street, change lanes like Formula 1 drivers, and enter No Entry zones. Auto drivers signal by foot, cyclists do not even bother. Surtis work very hard to make sure that if you can drive in Surat, you can drive anywhere in the World.
Pillion million, nano is moto—two seaters are easily converted to four seaters by Surtis. The backrest and petrol tank of bikes accommodate happy Surti families with ease as also friends who bond on their bikes.
Vintage wonders—although we do not have cars to qualify in this bracket, we do have auto rickshaws and trucks on the road which belong to the long bygone past era .In spite of living on a prayer, these run around selflessly for public service.
Hearing Disability-Surtis make sure you remember their signature tune so they spend money to use high decibel tunes as music while reversing their cars, lest you forget who was visiting.
Shady characters-Lalas love to look at their town through rose tinted glasses. So they have films that shade car glasses from light to the darkest shade of brown depending on how deep the owner’s intentions are.
Express way-In this driver’s paradise, the horn is used to express one’s feelings. Be it anger, happiness, calling out friends, Surtis communicate by honking away.
So dearies, if you want to develop your driving skills, improve your vocabulary, and sharpen your reflexes, take a drive around Tapi town. Here scratched, dented and grazed vehicles that are colour blind to red signals, merrily bump around.
Press, Horn. O.k. Please, A.2.A.V.K.V? Before you raise a surprised brow, let me explain the reason behind this lingo; driving around a city is a great way to know more about its people and culture. Here are a few observations while cruising along the streets of our hometown Surat-
U-19? Me-15! -- So what if we do not have a player to qualify for the under 19 cricket team? Should there ever be a competition for underage drivers; Surtis will beat the others hands down [literally] to win the world championship! Our kids are so talented; we have 15 year olds who handle a four wheel drive as easy as apple pie.
Yours, mine and ours…..Surtis love to share, they are not selfish .So, when they listen to music in their vehicles, they make sure the entire neighbourhood is listening. Often at a signal a jugalbandi can be enjoyed by the music blaring out of different cars and autos. It is after all rare to hear Atif Ali, Bon Jovi perform along with Bappida.
Time table rules-Our traffic police is extremely organized. They do not trouble tired drivers with all the tiresome rules. Everyday is fixed for a certain norm. So on Mondays, you are fined for not using helmets, on Tuesdays for not using seat belts, On Wednesdays for not carrying P.U.C and so on. If you figure out the days of the ‘fine routine’, you will be ticket free this season.
Tow in time-Surtis are allowed to park wherever, whenever they please to do so. The tow truck visits each area twice a day. All the time in between is efficiently utilized by students, housewives and chauffeurs to park their vehicles however they wish to do so in areas that proclaim to be a ‘No Parking Zone.’
Left, Right and Centre- Surtis are very competent drivers .Although they drive right hand drive vehicles, they follow rules of International driving standards and change the routes as per their mood. They can drive at great speed on the wrong side of the street, change lanes like Formula 1 drivers, and enter No Entry zones. Auto drivers signal by foot, cyclists do not even bother. Surtis work very hard to make sure that if you can drive in Surat, you can drive anywhere in the World.
Pillion million, nano is moto—two seaters are easily converted to four seaters by Surtis. The backrest and petrol tank of bikes accommodate happy Surti families with ease as also friends who bond on their bikes.
Vintage wonders—although we do not have cars to qualify in this bracket, we do have auto rickshaws and trucks on the road which belong to the long bygone past era .In spite of living on a prayer, these run around selflessly for public service.
Hearing Disability-Surtis make sure you remember their signature tune so they spend money to use high decibel tunes as music while reversing their cars, lest you forget who was visiting.
Shady characters-Lalas love to look at their town through rose tinted glasses. So they have films that shade car glasses from light to the darkest shade of brown depending on how deep the owner’s intentions are.
Express way-In this driver’s paradise, the horn is used to express one’s feelings. Be it anger, happiness, calling out friends, Surtis communicate by honking away.
So dearies, if you want to develop your driving skills, improve your vocabulary, and sharpen your reflexes, take a drive around Tapi town. Here scratched, dented and grazed vehicles that are colour blind to red signals, merrily bump around.
SERIGRAPHY TO SARIGRAPHY, SURTI LALA STYLE……
The word serigraph comes from the root words ‘Seri’ meaning silk in Latin and‘Graphos’
meaning to draw, in Greek. Serigraphy is silk screen printing, one of the oldest forms of print reproduction, an intricate process that demands great expertise. Using this technique to make open and limited editions of art replicas was first made popular in the 1960s, by the American ‘Prince of Pop art’-Andy Warhol. The idea was to make multiple copies of art affordable to a new segment of buyers interested in owning artwork. Original serigraphs are numbered and signed by the artist as proof of authenticity.
Closer home, our ‘whalah Surti Lalas’ have been practicing similar methods to mint moolah.Here is the low down on it……….
Since as early as the thirteenth century, Surat has been a trade centre for textile. Cloth from around the country was processed [dyed, block printed, washed, finished] and exported from here, often bartered for other goods from around the world. From Kinkhabs, Cotton and Silks then, to Polyester now; 1 out of every 3 sarees available in the country these days is manufactured in Surat. Surti Lalas are the undisputed lords of man made textile in the country. Printed fabrics from our town drape people from Kashmir to Kanyakumari not to mention exports to Kenya, Kansas and further on!
Heavy demand of Screen printed sarees manufactured in Surat, has created an ever hungry market for new prints and designs. The textile designers in town give their best shot for the same but apparently cannot cope up. It is common practice in Tapi town therefore, to go on a ‘print shopping spree ‘! Trendy prints are lifted off original works of renowned artists from out of town, to replicate them on the warp and weft of polyester.Sarees and fabrics by famous designer labels from Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkatta, who put to use talent and expertise to create exclusive prints, are sought and bought by Surti mill masters on a regular basis. Direct copies and modified versions of the same are screen printed on Surti saris to lure buyers who get great value for money in the bargain. Nowadays, imitations of Benarasi weaves, Parsi embroidery, Jamavar etc are also machine manufactured in synthetic fabrics.
’Jo achha dikhta hai, who achha bikta hai!”is the SurtiLala’s, favourite formulae; Trademark or copyright are words that do not feature in his dictionary. Hence, our printing industry mostly thrives on unofficially reproducing designs which are the current flavour of the fashion season. It is the easiest and quickest route to sure shot profit making for our mill maaliks, not to mention the happy housewives who get to keep the designer originals when hubby dearest is through with the ‘sari’graphy. To their credit, so well are the prints replicated by our mills that at times it becomes impossible to tell the original from the copy, at first look.
By the way, while we are on the subject of serigraphy, the 10 day ‘Kala Mahotsav’ in town ended yesterday. For sale at this art festival, were beautiful serigraphs by popular artists like S.H .Raza, Jogen Chowdhury, Thota Vaikuntam, Madhavi Parekh, and Amit Ambalal. There were no takers of these works in Textile town. Upon being explained what a serigraph meant, potential buyers at the gallery, did not want to purchase what was’ a replica of the original.’Kyaa matlab hai?’ Questioned a Lala, “Yeh toh copy hai, hum toh sirf original pasand kartey hai! Iski kyaa value?” He thundered in a tone that would have made dear old Mr. Warhol quiver in his grave. Copy that?
The word serigraph comes from the root words ‘Seri’ meaning silk in Latin and‘Graphos’
meaning to draw, in Greek. Serigraphy is silk screen printing, one of the oldest forms of print reproduction, an intricate process that demands great expertise. Using this technique to make open and limited editions of art replicas was first made popular in the 1960s, by the American ‘Prince of Pop art’-Andy Warhol. The idea was to make multiple copies of art affordable to a new segment of buyers interested in owning artwork. Original serigraphs are numbered and signed by the artist as proof of authenticity.
Closer home, our ‘whalah Surti Lalas’ have been practicing similar methods to mint moolah.Here is the low down on it……….
Since as early as the thirteenth century, Surat has been a trade centre for textile. Cloth from around the country was processed [dyed, block printed, washed, finished] and exported from here, often bartered for other goods from around the world. From Kinkhabs, Cotton and Silks then, to Polyester now; 1 out of every 3 sarees available in the country these days is manufactured in Surat. Surti Lalas are the undisputed lords of man made textile in the country. Printed fabrics from our town drape people from Kashmir to Kanyakumari not to mention exports to Kenya, Kansas and further on!
Heavy demand of Screen printed sarees manufactured in Surat, has created an ever hungry market for new prints and designs. The textile designers in town give their best shot for the same but apparently cannot cope up. It is common practice in Tapi town therefore, to go on a ‘print shopping spree ‘! Trendy prints are lifted off original works of renowned artists from out of town, to replicate them on the warp and weft of polyester.Sarees and fabrics by famous designer labels from Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkatta, who put to use talent and expertise to create exclusive prints, are sought and bought by Surti mill masters on a regular basis. Direct copies and modified versions of the same are screen printed on Surti saris to lure buyers who get great value for money in the bargain. Nowadays, imitations of Benarasi weaves, Parsi embroidery, Jamavar etc are also machine manufactured in synthetic fabrics.
’Jo achha dikhta hai, who achha bikta hai!”is the SurtiLala’s, favourite formulae; Trademark or copyright are words that do not feature in his dictionary. Hence, our printing industry mostly thrives on unofficially reproducing designs which are the current flavour of the fashion season. It is the easiest and quickest route to sure shot profit making for our mill maaliks, not to mention the happy housewives who get to keep the designer originals when hubby dearest is through with the ‘sari’graphy. To their credit, so well are the prints replicated by our mills that at times it becomes impossible to tell the original from the copy, at first look.
By the way, while we are on the subject of serigraphy, the 10 day ‘Kala Mahotsav’ in town ended yesterday. For sale at this art festival, were beautiful serigraphs by popular artists like S.H .Raza, Jogen Chowdhury, Thota Vaikuntam, Madhavi Parekh, and Amit Ambalal. There were no takers of these works in Textile town. Upon being explained what a serigraph meant, potential buyers at the gallery, did not want to purchase what was’ a replica of the original.’Kyaa matlab hai?’ Questioned a Lala, “Yeh toh copy hai, hum toh sirf original pasand kartey hai! Iski kyaa value?” He thundered in a tone that would have made dear old Mr. Warhol quiver in his grave. Copy that?
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