At the Core-Book review

AT THE CORE-GLIMPSES AT SURAT’S GLORY


Surat is one of the fastest growing cities in the world sparkling as bright as diamonds that are polished here(80% of the entire world's uncut stones are polished here); a town by the river Tapi which holds its place in history with illuminating memories of a glorious past. Here is where the Sun God presided, the city named Suryapur after him, Rander on the yonder shore named after his wife Rannade, Tapi known as his daughter-Suryaputri, part of which is renowned as Gupt Ganga, where the Ganges visits to wash her sins.

The original Gateway to India for the globe, where flags of 84 countries once furled high making a statement for the town’s trading talent. With the advent of visitors and settlements came the array of heritage that weaved itself within this textile town’s social fabric and till date reflects in Surat’s culture and construction.

‘At the Core’, Understanding the built heritage of Surat and Rander - a book by Urban Management Centre (UBC),supported by Surat’s Municipal Corporation (SMC), provides a peek into the past, within the walled city which was once a melting pot of global culture and commerce. Co-authored by UBC’s founder director Manvita Baradi and deputy director Meghna Malhotra, the book is beautifully wrought and consistently appealing.

Post an introduction to Tapi town by SMC Commissioner Ms.S.Aparna, the book begins with Surat’s extensive dateline which goes way back to 300BC, when it was known as Laat Pradesh and proceeds to its position as the best performing JnNURM city in present times. This documentation goes far deeper to the core within; providing Surat’s history to the significance of data.

An expansive study of structures within the old walled city,’At the Core’ brings forth the expressive embellishments on Surat and Rander’s listed buildings of heritage value zooming in on about 2,417 from the 4,450 listed by the Surat Municipal Corporation.

Photographed by the staff and associates of UBC, the pictures provide an opportunity to soak in at ease intricate wood carvings within the timber and teak from Burma and Dang which were treated to withstand weather. While locals will instantly be able to recognize and relate to these, captions of locations would have been a helpful hint to tourists.

A handful of black and white aces which are in a class of their own have been clicked by Surat’s legendary photographer V. N. Mehta and have been generously shared by his great grandson Rajesh Mehta are fabulous and reminiscent of the city in the early and mid twentieth century and have successfully captured the essence of Surat’s spirit and spunk

The architecture within the inner city influenced by Arabesque style from the Mughal period to European and Colonial style combined with traditional style and skill of local workmanship displays genius craftsmanship within structures which now look dilapidated at first look. But then, lets not forget, this city has survived fires and floods, ravaging and plague and still stands tall.

From secret catacombs in basement of the Nagarsheth‘s haveli which were a safe passage to the river banks during the Maratha raids to stained glass window panes and Art Deco styling with skylights that brought in the sunlight with row houses that ran side by side from ornamental ‘otlas’ (front porches) upto service entry ‘vadas’ (backyards).The intermingling of ancient and modern fresco and design is visible in a wide and vast variety in segments of the city where people of privilege resided. The built heritage suggests the then veritable economic boom in a city which by no means has ever had a sluggish economy.

Enriched by ancient maps and paintings provided from the British Library Board to modern day satellite visuals,it documents the ‘Sheharpanah’ and ‘Alampanah’,Surat’s old inner and outer city walls along with its twelve entry gates.Since Rander was the Southern tip of Bharuch at the time this book chronicles in, it has been named separately .
Unlike Ahmedabad, Surat and Rander do not have any structures by Le Corbusier but, its orderly grid of sheris, majestic ovaras and jharokhas, artistic chabutras and cemeteries, lofty fort, intricately carved mosques and temples are proof enough of the finest architecture of its time in a city which was influenced by maritime trade and was cosmopolitan centuries ahead of the rest of India.

‘At the Core’ packages all that and more while simultaneously weaving the warp and weft of history, the wealth of which is as rich as the kinkhwab and brocade woven within its heritage structures.