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…………….

ARTISTIC DISILLUSION……………Recently, certain members of Indian society called upon a boycott on all Godrej products. Reason being; the owners of the said company had hosted author Salman Rushdie at their guest house. This caused a divide in staunch followers of both religion and brand paraphernalia; but this column is not about that.
Rushdie dwells in London also the present place of residence to one of our most well known and commercially successful contemporary artist.Mr.Hussain who needs no introduction, is cooling heels in London. He lives in exile because through his art, he has upset the feelings of certain individuals by what they thought was as unacceptable form of representation.
Getting back to art, four years ago, Mr.Hussain had visited Surat. The occasion was the grand opening of one of the most beautiful art galleries in India .Also; the only gallery in Surat that displays art [since the other two are rented out to bored rich housewives who display their fancy wares for a quick buck in copied versions of original paintings]. After addressing a packed audience that sat in awe, Hussain promptly painted a scene from his childhood that depicted a child, his bicycle and his mother .It is displayed here along with many of his other works. The said gallery is within the Bela mills compound and is owned by Garden. Originally an English factory, this mill still retains its old world charisma. A heritage in itself, with its octagonal brick chimneys, majestic wooden beams and roofs that seem sky high. The private collection of paintings and sculptures within is a wish list for every art lover. Works by S.H.Raza, Tyeb Mehta, K.H.Ara, N.S.Bendre to name a few, proudly share space on the huge walls. Many a painting sought after by the National Gallery of Modern Art lies locked here. This exclusive and invaluable gallery which was presented to the Surtis as a culture gift was shut down to public viewing after it was gate crashed and vandalized on 29-1-2004 by certain members of our ‘aam janta’.Objecting to a couple of paintings portrayed which they thought were offensive to their religious sentiments, they destroyed eight priceless ones in the bargain.
Coming back to art-’Tapti’ as the collection is named, is home to over 150 works of several superb masters, one of whom is Bhupen Khakhar, who studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Vadodra. Lately, the same Faculty was attacked by people whose national sentiments were hurt by the artistic expressions on some college students ‘canvas.
Anyway; getting back to what we are talking about, lets know more about Bhupen Khakhar -brilliant, by far one of India’s greatest painters. Mr. Misunderstood, he was known as the ‘enfant terrible’ in the Indian Art circuit and nobody other than his
Colleagues understood the method in his madness. He began painting at the age of 28 and surprised critics with his bold impressions.Brave enough in his times to announce to an oppressive world that he was a homosexual. This accountant turned artist’s masterpieces were dubbed as ‘gay’ and proscribed by starchy officials and art critics who found his audacity unacceptable. Though the Indian media was then intolerant towards the spectacular works of this Master, he received International acclaim thus putting Vadodra on the art world map. Posthumously; his paintings are a rage and constantly in demand. An extensive collection of his fine works lies locked and secure in Surat staring out at other contemporary paintings, behind what I suspect are heavy Godrej locks. The only International sit down portrait ever painted by this genius, was created on request for the British High Commission. It is called ‘The Moor’ and is that of author Salman Rushdie.
Err…………..I suppose that brings us back full circle to where we started off from.