Summer shopping : Souvenirs

Now that we are over and done with the brouhaha over Britain’s wedding royale, it will be oft remembered via the souvenirs that were splurged on, for the same.

No matter what your allowance for a holiday is and whether or not you blow it up, souvenirs are those pleasant little somethings that fit into even the most clinched shoestring budget ,which you carry back home as mementos and gifts .

They are extremely popular because like squirrels, who collect nuts and bury them for winter treats, most of us humans too tend to collect some paraphernalia or the other; hoarding it in secret places to savour precious memories or exhibiting the same with pleasure and pride.

From Swiss bells to NYC t -shirts, wooden Amsterdam shoes, European lace, busts of South Asian Buddha and Egyptian Nefertiti, Indian idols of versatile Ganesha, beaded African animals and Australian fridge magnets; they can be cheap and cheerful or chic and classy. When it comes to collecting souvenirs, its different strokes for different folks.

On visits to Surat during summer holidays as a child, I would be fascinated by the antique lamps and bottle collection that my maternal uncle had. Blown glass in all kinds of colours and shapes with designs and grooves that provided kaleidoscopic visions when held against the light, from antique markets of Burma, England, Belgium, Persia and other countries whose names I couldn’t then pronounce, would find way and weight in his secret loft .Preserved in soft muslin, he would bring them down fortnightly to polish, at times gifting them away generously to people who valued their artistic quality.

My dear friends Ritu and Rajan Talwar, whose various warm homes have been a great refuge to me in all times of life’s emergencies be it marriage, plague or flood ,have a tasteful crystal curios collection; pieces of which they have aptly put up within nooks and corners to spell subtle style.

Surti socialites Bina and Rajaram Parikh, one of the most gracious hosts I know in suburban Surat, love to collect bone china mugs depicting cities they traveled through, worldwide and have set them up in a glass cabinet within their ever busy kitchen, from where unending treats are conjured up for lucky local guests and celebrities who visit town.

Tapi town’s eminent and philanthropist businessman, Kanhaiya Lalbhai Contractor is a Gujarati gourmand and little known to others is the fact he is a great cook himself. While one can find memorabilia miniatures of every wonder of the world at his dwelling amongst other precious sculptors and art, his dearest collection is that of menu cards; collected from restaurants the world over, where he has relished fine dining.

Nafisa Tyebjee, whose home is as elegant as the jewellery she designs for Surat’s elite and her ever smiling husband Juzer, have a grand display of the most exquisite and intricate coffee spoon collections in ceramic, steel, silver and gold, hung in a glass and wooden case on a wall facing their dining table.

Science center’s ‘Souvenir shop’ has little to offer in terms of Surti stuff. Other than picture postcards, mugs and a few odd books by SMC, the other stuff is just general gifts that lack local flavour, speaking of which ,Surat’s food is a hands down winner with visitors who make sure to carry back edible souvenirs in form of bhusu,ghari,khaja,ponk or padvali

As for me, Mickey and I have a growing collection of tequila shot glasses. Although they are not put to much use in our dry state city, they never fail to remind us of happy hours spent pubbing, clubbing and moonlighting with fellow Surtis, the world over.