Hope For Heritage
‘When the night has come and the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we see.
No I won’t be afraid, no I won’t be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me.
And darling, darling, stand by me…..’
These lyrics that were originally penned by John Lennon for The Beatles’ legendry album -‘Unsurpassed Masters’, have now, somehow found their way for a song in Ra.One-an upcoming Shah Rukh Khan flick. But these lyrics literally stand true for Surat’s good old Hope Bridge.
For, since the time it was constructed, the Hope Bridge has never failed to strongly stand by us Surtis. Since 1882, records have been maintained of flood gauges at the Hope Bridge.
Official reports in the book ‘Hydrology and water resources of India’ by Sharad K. Jain, Pushpendra K. Agarwal, Vijay P. Singh ,state how “Floods were a frequent phenomenon in Tapi river before Ukai Dam was constructed. During 1876 to 1970, danger level was crossed at the Hope Bridge, in Surat on 19 instances. This implies a frequency of once every five years. High floods were experienced during three consecutive years from 1882 to 1884.There was a very high flood in August 1944 and actually two almost similar flood peaks occurred in the same week. A heavy flood, only slightly lower than that in 1994 was experienced again in 1945. Consecutive large floods were also observed in 1958 and 1959.Heavy floods were observed in 1968, 1969 and 1970.The floods of September 1959 and August 1968 were catastrophic. The floods of 1994 and 1998 also cause considerable damage to Surat city.’
While we Surtis have recently waged a war for air connectivity, the Hope Bridge is our pioneer symbol for connectivity. In the book ‘Power Protest and Participation: Local Elites and Development in India’, author Subrata K Mitra has pointed out that,”One of the major factors for Surat’s substantial change in economy was the growth of means of transport and communication. The construction of a railway line in 1860 and the building of a bridge the Hope Bridge on the Tapti in 1877 contributed greatly to trade and commerce. Closer links with the world outside also provided greater incentives of mobility.’ How can we afford to disregard the importance of this network of metal that has helped the town strengthen its mettle?
Even as we extend our unconditional support to the Anna Hazare movement, it is Hope Bridge that connected Gandhians and played a major role in the lives of many. Bapu’s personal secretary, Mahadev Desai, the man who translated Bapu’s ‘My experiments with the truth’ to English, has a strong connection with Hope Bridge. In Desai’s biography, ’The Fire and the Rose’, it is noted how Mahadev and his friends commuted via the bridge for education.,’The three boys used to go to Surat from Adajan through the fields, on the river bank and then cross the river by Hope Bridge.Mahadev studied at Surat High School.’
In an interview with our previous Municipal Commissioner Ms. S .Aparna, I asked which her favourite place in Surat was. She answered,” I love being on the bridges. Surat appears most beautiful from them.” As denizens of this town, if you still fail to connect with Hope, try asking your parents or grandparents about it and watch their memories flow. The beauty of Tapi riverfront project is unimaginable without the ancient charm of the Hope Bridge. Envisage how someday, you could take your favourite novel and coffee mug and enjoy it on a riverside bench while you gaze out at the fabulous framework of Hope Bridge occasionally.
Earlier this year, the people of Kashmir saved their heritage bridges –Zaina Kadal (15th century) and Zero bridge (1957), the last two wooden bridges which are ‘the epitome of tradition.’ The Punular Suspension Bridge in Kerala (1877) was saved by a citizen movement. From peaceful protest walks, to candle light vigils and college student visits for causes believed in, it’s the citizen support that has helped save heritage, the world over.
You need not be a superhero to save heritage, just be you, as Hope calls out ,
'whenever you are in trouble wont you stand by me ,oh now ,now stand by me,just as long as you stand,stand by me,stand by me.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Hope For Heritage
Hope for Heritage
Theodore Hope,a British civil servant in the late 1800s,was in love with Gujarat's heritage and even penned a book on Ahmedabads architecture.It is a sad commentary on todays times that the Surat Municipal Corporation is planning to sell as scrap a bridge named after him
The state government may be willing to reduce to rubbish Surat's Heritage Hope Bridge circa 1877, but theman behind the bridge-Theodore Cracraft Hope believed in appreciating and preserving Gujarat’s ancient architecture.
Hope penned the book ‘Architecture at Ahmedabad :The Capital of Goozerat’in 1866 ,for The Committee of Architectural Antiquities of Western India,under the patronage of Premchand Raichand .Dedicated to the memory of Hon. Alexander Kinloch Forbes, who inspired Hopes and awakened a “ Love for the romantic history and graceful architecture of Goozerat “ in him.
Pics:Col.Thomas Biggs.Architecture at Ahmedabad:Capital of Goozerat,1866
The book is a meticulous labour of historical and descriptive sketch of Gujarat’s dynasties and Ahmedabad's built Heritage structures. Recreated through Theodore’s words that describe the splendour of Jain architecture in Gujarat, as well as the mystic of Ahmedabad’s various Mosques with their unique mode of natural lighting; all of which, are stunningly captured within the camera of Colonel Biggs.
Hope was besotted by the tracery and niches found in Ahmedabad’s ancient architecture and describing both, the Hindu-Muslim forms of design ,he has written ,” Generally these were drawn with a free hand, and at the same time they form the most beautiful details, taken singly, to be found in Ahmedabad. All are different, not only in detail but often in character, but all are beautiful.”
Theodore considered the stone windows of Sidi Saiyed Jaalis as unsurpassed universally and has described them thus,”As examples of this class, they are perhaps unrivalled even in India. At Agra and Delhi there are some nearly as fine, but neither so extensive nor so exquisitely balanced as these. There is something wonderfully beautiful in the mode in which construction is, in these examples, combined with mere ornamentation. It is probably more like a work of nature than any other architectural detail that has yet been designed even by the best architects of Greece or the Middle Ages.”
Hope’s effort to spread awareness about the state’s history and built heritage wealth via this book has found shelf space worldwide; not only in the British Library but also at Harvard University Library and other prestigious educational institutions around the world, where historians, scholars, students of architecture and fine arts refer to it for sourcing information about Gujarat’s glorious past.
Theodore spoke five European languages when he first joined the Bombay Civil Service in 1853. Within two years, he was appointed as Inspector for Gujarat’s then newly formed Education Department. His ‘Hope Vachanmala’ (Hope’s Readers) ,a set of well known text books were prepared for use in basic schooling, translated by local scholars and found instant popularity. In his book ’ Literary Cultures in History’, author Sheldon Pollock has stated how Navalram Pandya ,a pioneering critic, found many similarities between Hope’s style of writing to that of our own great poet Narmad Shankar Dave’s in ‘Narmadgaya’. Pandya observed that,” Both their narratives were simple, native and mature and were equally loved by the educated and uneducated, unlike other pompous Sanskritized Gujarati.”
The energetic collector of Surat, Sir Theodore Cracraft Hope was among the finest of the colonial gentry and in his service of 34 years in India; he spent eight years at Surat, enhancing the city’s civic amenities. He was a favourite among locals not only because he was a model of administrative efficiency but because he heard the petitions every evening himself and chatted freely with the Surtis to sort out their issues.
During Surat's most extensive period of reform, as collector of Surat and head of its municipality, Hope reported to his seniors,"Municipal government can never be a popular government in the sense that it is liked by the people because the very reason de'etre of the Municipality is a perpetual war with those problems which are normal with the mass of the population, and are either followed or looked on with favour by too many upper classes." states Douglas E Haynes in his book ,’Rhetoric and Ritual in Colonial India.’
Today, Surat’s Hope Bridge, hopes for a little understanding of its priceless value by its Municipal governing body, as it stands proudly amidst other bridges, as the first amongst its sequels.
http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=4&edlabel=TOIA&mydateHid=11-09-2011&pubname=&edname=&articleid=Ar00400&format=&publabel=TOI
Theodore Hope,a British civil servant in the late 1800s,was in love with Gujarat's heritage and even penned a book on Ahmedabads architecture.It is a sad commentary on todays times that the Surat Municipal Corporation is planning to sell as scrap a bridge named after him
The state government may be willing to reduce to rubbish Surat's Heritage Hope Bridge circa 1877, but theman behind the bridge-Theodore Cracraft Hope believed in appreciating and preserving Gujarat’s ancient architecture.
Hope penned the book ‘Architecture at Ahmedabad :The Capital of Goozerat’in 1866 ,for The Committee of Architectural Antiquities of Western India,under the patronage of Premchand Raichand .Dedicated to the memory of Hon. Alexander Kinloch Forbes, who inspired Hopes and awakened a “ Love for the romantic history and graceful architecture of Goozerat “ in him.
The book is a meticulous labour of historical and descriptive sketch of Gujarat’s dynasties and Ahmedabad's built Heritage structures. Recreated through Theodore’s words that describe the splendour of Jain architecture in Gujarat, as well as the mystic of Ahmedabad’s various Mosques with their unique mode of natural lighting; all of which, are stunningly captured within the camera of Colonel Biggs.
Hope was besotted by the tracery and niches found in Ahmedabad’s ancient architecture and describing both, the Hindu-Muslim forms of design ,he has written ,” Generally these were drawn with a free hand, and at the same time they form the most beautiful details, taken singly, to be found in Ahmedabad. All are different, not only in detail but often in character, but all are beautiful.”
Theodore considered the stone windows of Sidi Saiyed Jaalis as unsurpassed universally and has described them thus,”As examples of this class, they are perhaps unrivalled even in India. At Agra and Delhi there are some nearly as fine, but neither so extensive nor so exquisitely balanced as these. There is something wonderfully beautiful in the mode in which construction is, in these examples, combined with mere ornamentation. It is probably more like a work of nature than any other architectural detail that has yet been designed even by the best architects of Greece or the Middle Ages.”
Hope’s effort to spread awareness about the state’s history and built heritage wealth via this book has found shelf space worldwide; not only in the British Library but also at Harvard University Library and other prestigious educational institutions around the world, where historians, scholars, students of architecture and fine arts refer to it for sourcing information about Gujarat’s glorious past.
Theodore spoke five European languages when he first joined the Bombay Civil Service in 1853. Within two years, he was appointed as Inspector for Gujarat’s then newly formed Education Department. His ‘Hope Vachanmala’ (Hope’s Readers) ,a set of well known text books were prepared for use in basic schooling, translated by local scholars and found instant popularity. In his book ’ Literary Cultures in History’, author Sheldon Pollock has stated how Navalram Pandya ,a pioneering critic, found many similarities between Hope’s style of writing to that of our own great poet Narmad Shankar Dave’s in ‘Narmadgaya’. Pandya observed that,” Both their narratives were simple, native and mature and were equally loved by the educated and uneducated, unlike other pompous Sanskritized Gujarati.”
The energetic collector of Surat, Sir Theodore Cracraft Hope was among the finest of the colonial gentry and in his service of 34 years in India; he spent eight years at Surat, enhancing the city’s civic amenities. He was a favourite among locals not only because he was a model of administrative efficiency but because he heard the petitions every evening himself and chatted freely with the Surtis to sort out their issues.
During Surat's most extensive period of reform, as collector of Surat and head of its municipality, Hope reported to his seniors,"Municipal government can never be a popular government in the sense that it is liked by the people because the very reason de'etre of the Municipality is a perpetual war with those problems which are normal with the mass of the population, and are either followed or looked on with favour by too many upper classes." states Douglas E Haynes in his book ,’Rhetoric and Ritual in Colonial India.’
Today, Surat’s Hope Bridge, hopes for a little understanding of its priceless value by its Municipal governing body, as it stands proudly amidst other bridges, as the first amongst its sequels.
http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=4&edlabel=TOIA&mydateHid=11-09-2011&pubname=&edname=&articleid=Ar00400&format=&publabel=TOI
Sunday, September 4, 2011
A view from the bridge
My beloved Surtis,
I reach out to you today in hope to bridge the gap between us and bond with you just as I did with your father, grandfather, great grandfather and his forefathers.
I was built at a time when our beautiful city had lost its importance as a port but it carried on business as usual with its au natural chutzpah and am glad to see that today, it is one of the fastest growing cities in the world.
We bridges normally tend to go unnoticed, but I am grateful to have had my share of limelight in my heydays. I have been lucky enough to be Tapi town’s first strong handshake that holds together the two shores of Tapi that never meet. The importance of my being is prevalent in the fact that we now have so many more bridges linking either banks of the Tapti, even as the river runs through them. Connecting cultures and communities of Surat and Rander, I have illuminating memories of a glorious past
I am thrilled to see fancy four wheel drives zoom on my fellow bridges. During earlier times, I had regal horse carts trotting over. They were called Victorias, Aeko and Seagram depending on the way they were styled and the handsome horses that drew them. A few had vintage box like carriages, made of teakwood with brass fittings. Just like you people go jogging in your fancy sports gear over the new bridges, many Surtis came to take a leisurely morning or evening walk in simple footwear via me, since I was then, the longest straight stretch in town. I have seen the Delhi sultanate flag and the British flag come down at the fort, even as our Tiranga was raised and unfurled proudly.
The chowpatty garden was not developed then, hence I was a hotspot for the denizens. I was visited by pretty girls with sharp eyed moms, children with parents who came to watch visarjan of Dashama and Ganesha idols that were performed from various Ovaras. There used to be a mere 15 to 20 idols at the most. And often, a holy being came resting against one of my pillars for a while. It was through me that foodies trudged towards the ‘Ponk Nagari’ at Rander to relish Sugarcane juice, Ponk and buttermilk.
I have had the privilege to have been mentioned in many books and the Bombay Gazetteers. Behramji Malabari once wrote in his book Gujarat and Gujaratis that,”There is not much to be seen in Surat, except, of course the new Hope Bridge. It is a fine strong structure and is no doubt a great convenience to the people. It cost over seven lakhs .There are many larger bridges in India; but to the stick at home Surtis their bridge is a marvel of human ingenuity. I am not surprised that some of them worship it and offer sacrifices to the presiding genius.”
As you know, I have been named after the energetic collector of Surat, Sir Theodore Cracraft Hope. He was among the finest of the colonial gentry and in his service of 34 years in India; he spent eight years at Surat, enhancing the city’s civic amenities. He was a favourite among locals not only because he was a model of administrative efficiency but because he heard the petitions every evening himself and chatted freely with the Surtis to sort out their issues .Theodore also stressed on education and his ‘Hope Vachanmala’ a set of well known text books were prepared for use in basic schooling. In his book Literary Cultures in History, Sheldon Pollock has stated that Hope’s style of writing was found similar to that of our own great poet Narmad Shankar Dave’s in ‘Narmadgaya’. Scholars observed that,” Both their narratives were simple, native and mature and were equally loved by the educated and uneducated, unlike other pompous Sanskritized Gujarati.”
I was also featured in At the Core –a book on Surat’s built heritage by the SMC –UBC this year, but yet, strangely, they seem to be ready to dismantle me. I am old, rickety and have seen better years. But, I still stand tall as I always have, through the worst floods that have devastated the city. I am living history and I do not want to die before my time. I hope to share my stories with your children and grand children, just as I did with your forefathers. I hope that you will give me a chance to do so.
Surtis are known as great businessmen, so let me lay down the brass tacks- It will cost you nothing to raise your voice for me, but in return, you will gain an ancient treasure.
Hopefully yours,
Hope Pul.
I reach out to you today in hope to bridge the gap between us and bond with you just as I did with your father, grandfather, great grandfather and his forefathers.
I was built at a time when our beautiful city had lost its importance as a port but it carried on business as usual with its au natural chutzpah and am glad to see that today, it is one of the fastest growing cities in the world.
We bridges normally tend to go unnoticed, but I am grateful to have had my share of limelight in my heydays. I have been lucky enough to be Tapi town’s first strong handshake that holds together the two shores of Tapi that never meet. The importance of my being is prevalent in the fact that we now have so many more bridges linking either banks of the Tapti, even as the river runs through them. Connecting cultures and communities of Surat and Rander, I have illuminating memories of a glorious past
I am thrilled to see fancy four wheel drives zoom on my fellow bridges. During earlier times, I had regal horse carts trotting over. They were called Victorias, Aeko and Seagram depending on the way they were styled and the handsome horses that drew them. A few had vintage box like carriages, made of teakwood with brass fittings. Just like you people go jogging in your fancy sports gear over the new bridges, many Surtis came to take a leisurely morning or evening walk in simple footwear via me, since I was then, the longest straight stretch in town. I have seen the Delhi sultanate flag and the British flag come down at the fort, even as our Tiranga was raised and unfurled proudly.
The chowpatty garden was not developed then, hence I was a hotspot for the denizens. I was visited by pretty girls with sharp eyed moms, children with parents who came to watch visarjan of Dashama and Ganesha idols that were performed from various Ovaras. There used to be a mere 15 to 20 idols at the most. And often, a holy being came resting against one of my pillars for a while. It was through me that foodies trudged towards the ‘Ponk Nagari’ at Rander to relish Sugarcane juice, Ponk and buttermilk.
I have had the privilege to have been mentioned in many books and the Bombay Gazetteers. Behramji Malabari once wrote in his book Gujarat and Gujaratis that,”There is not much to be seen in Surat, except, of course the new Hope Bridge. It is a fine strong structure and is no doubt a great convenience to the people. It cost over seven lakhs .There are many larger bridges in India; but to the stick at home Surtis their bridge is a marvel of human ingenuity. I am not surprised that some of them worship it and offer sacrifices to the presiding genius.”
As you know, I have been named after the energetic collector of Surat, Sir Theodore Cracraft Hope. He was among the finest of the colonial gentry and in his service of 34 years in India; he spent eight years at Surat, enhancing the city’s civic amenities. He was a favourite among locals not only because he was a model of administrative efficiency but because he heard the petitions every evening himself and chatted freely with the Surtis to sort out their issues .Theodore also stressed on education and his ‘Hope Vachanmala’ a set of well known text books were prepared for use in basic schooling. In his book Literary Cultures in History, Sheldon Pollock has stated that Hope’s style of writing was found similar to that of our own great poet Narmad Shankar Dave’s in ‘Narmadgaya’. Scholars observed that,” Both their narratives were simple, native and mature and were equally loved by the educated and uneducated, unlike other pompous Sanskritized Gujarati.”
I was also featured in At the Core –a book on Surat’s built heritage by the SMC –UBC this year, but yet, strangely, they seem to be ready to dismantle me. I am old, rickety and have seen better years. But, I still stand tall as I always have, through the worst floods that have devastated the city. I am living history and I do not want to die before my time. I hope to share my stories with your children and grand children, just as I did with your forefathers. I hope that you will give me a chance to do so.
Surtis are known as great businessmen, so let me lay down the brass tacks- It will cost you nothing to raise your voice for me, but in return, you will gain an ancient treasure.
Hopefully yours,
Hope Pul.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Sufi Mystics of Surat
Sufi mystics of Surat
On the first day of Ramadan, this columnist was fortunate enough to visit the shrine of Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti. It is one place in the world that never fails to provide the serenity and solitude I seek, no matter how crowded it is. There is a certain magical mysticism linked with Sufi saints and believers often experience what poet Octavio Paz once best described it as:
'I did not have the imageless vision; I did not see forms whirl until they vanished in unmoving clarity, the being without substance of the Sufis. I did not drink the plenitude of the void …..I saw a blue sky and all the blues, from white to green, the spread fan of the poplars and on a pine, more air than bird, a black and white mynah. I saw the world resting on itself. I saw the appearances. And I named that half hour: The Perfection of the Finite.’
Gujarat’s belief in Sufism is at its prime in Ajmer and prevalent among the pilgrims there. The main entrance to Ajmer’s Dargah has’ Khwaja Garib Nawaaz ‘written in Gujarati text besides Urdu script. A ‘Khadim’ from Patel Gujarat house mediated my obeisance to the saint, whose legend says that he was simultaneously seen circumambulating the Khana-e-Kaaba, Mecca, during Haj, when he was actually still at Ajmer.
Upon my return, I discussed this observation with my learned friend Ayub Sopariwalla, who informed me about the Sufi saints of Surat, whose ‘roohs’ (souls) guard its people and preserve its prosperity. Curious to know more, I went around the popular shrines of Tapi Town and learnt that, since as early as the 12th century; Sufi saints began visiting and settling in Gujarat, spreading messages of peace and love within a melting pot of Hindu-Muslim cultures.
More than 400 years ago, five brothers from Bokhara traveled to Agra and then settled in Surat. Their knowledge in the field of relieving ailments seemed to have miraculous powers to provide relief and thus they gained immense popularity within the town. Till date, their Dargahs continue their mission.
Hazrat Dana Pir’s Dargah at Bade Khan Chakla, Gopipura is one of the above .Meet the mujawar here and you will get to know how the Hazrat overpowered an evil spirit and saved the locals. He further claims that,” During Urs, the lock on its gate unlocks by itself, then, the golden hand on the shrine waves down thrice and a little Dargah beside the adjacent mussafirkhana moves forward by the width of a rice grain.”
A lot of people visit here to offer miniature cloth horses as mannat against boons asked. Childless couples, upon being granted the same, donate grains against the infant’s weight. There also exists here, the grave of ‘shakkarwaley baba’ who helps tongue tied infants speak if their tongue is rubbed thrice against his tombstone. The child leaves a handful of sugar molasses in return.
Dana Pir’s other brothers Khwaja Khizr, Khwaja Didar, Khwaja Suleiman and Khwaja Madni are said to be the guards of Surat’s prosperity, residing besides the gates of the inner walled city .Visited by Muslim and Hindu believers alike, these shrines ring true the verse of the 15th century Sufi saint Shah Ali Gamdhani:
’ Haj jau hu ki Dwarka,ghar na koi dekhu paarka,sab khel pyaar ka.’
On the first day of Ramadan, this columnist was fortunate enough to visit the shrine of Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti. It is one place in the world that never fails to provide the serenity and solitude I seek, no matter how crowded it is. There is a certain magical mysticism linked with Sufi saints and believers often experience what poet Octavio Paz once best described it as:
'I did not have the imageless vision; I did not see forms whirl until they vanished in unmoving clarity, the being without substance of the Sufis. I did not drink the plenitude of the void …..I saw a blue sky and all the blues, from white to green, the spread fan of the poplars and on a pine, more air than bird, a black and white mynah. I saw the world resting on itself. I saw the appearances. And I named that half hour: The Perfection of the Finite.’
Gujarat’s belief in Sufism is at its prime in Ajmer and prevalent among the pilgrims there. The main entrance to Ajmer’s Dargah has’ Khwaja Garib Nawaaz ‘written in Gujarati text besides Urdu script. A ‘Khadim’ from Patel Gujarat house mediated my obeisance to the saint, whose legend says that he was simultaneously seen circumambulating the Khana-e-Kaaba, Mecca, during Haj, when he was actually still at Ajmer.
Upon my return, I discussed this observation with my learned friend Ayub Sopariwalla, who informed me about the Sufi saints of Surat, whose ‘roohs’ (souls) guard its people and preserve its prosperity. Curious to know more, I went around the popular shrines of Tapi Town and learnt that, since as early as the 12th century; Sufi saints began visiting and settling in Gujarat, spreading messages of peace and love within a melting pot of Hindu-Muslim cultures.
More than 400 years ago, five brothers from Bokhara traveled to Agra and then settled in Surat. Their knowledge in the field of relieving ailments seemed to have miraculous powers to provide relief and thus they gained immense popularity within the town. Till date, their Dargahs continue their mission.
Hazrat Dana Pir’s Dargah at Bade Khan Chakla, Gopipura is one of the above .Meet the mujawar here and you will get to know how the Hazrat overpowered an evil spirit and saved the locals. He further claims that,” During Urs, the lock on its gate unlocks by itself, then, the golden hand on the shrine waves down thrice and a little Dargah beside the adjacent mussafirkhana moves forward by the width of a rice grain.”
A lot of people visit here to offer miniature cloth horses as mannat against boons asked. Childless couples, upon being granted the same, donate grains against the infant’s weight. There also exists here, the grave of ‘shakkarwaley baba’ who helps tongue tied infants speak if their tongue is rubbed thrice against his tombstone. The child leaves a handful of sugar molasses in return.
Dana Pir’s other brothers Khwaja Khizr, Khwaja Didar, Khwaja Suleiman and Khwaja Madni are said to be the guards of Surat’s prosperity, residing besides the gates of the inner walled city .Visited by Muslim and Hindu believers alike, these shrines ring true the verse of the 15th century Sufi saint Shah Ali Gamdhani:
’ Haj jau hu ki Dwarka,ghar na koi dekhu paarka,sab khel pyaar ka.’
Monday, August 15, 2011
Moments in monochrome,sepia and colour.
Last week, upon a friend’s recommendation, I took a peek at some amazing works by Edward Weston-the most influential photographer of the twentieth century. Since then, I keep going back to browsing his aces, only to discover new lines and deeper meanings.
Weston once pointed out that ‘Photography to the amateur is recreation; to the professional it is work and hard work too, no matter how pleasurable it may be’ these words immediately bring to mind a conversation I once had with TOI photographer Gaurang Joshi, whose pictures in the daily editions portray more than text can say and defy mundane ‘snaperazzi’. Upon asking him if a certain time was suitable for a photo shoot, Gaurangbhai smiled and replied,”Maru schedule bambawala jevu hoy chey” (my schedule is like that of a fireman, I am on the job 24/7) His enthusiasm for snapping the perfect moment comes through in his shots ,often taken from difficult aerial perspectives.
Both he and his brother Dharmesh have inherited this art from their father Chandrakant Joshi, fondly known as ‘kaka’ in most Surti households ,mister Joshi senior is a self taught photographer who has clicked Tapi town through its days of glory as well as natural calamities. As a student, he brought his first camera in 1964, a Kodak Brownie, from a Surti sailor for Rs.25.Through the years, the instruments changed from Rolleiflex, to Yashica to Nikon and even in these digital times, he has preserved a cupboard full of the old pieces which are priceless because of the memories snapped through them.
Legendary photographer Robert Capa once advised, ’If your pictures aren’t good enough, you are not close enough.’what he actually meant was not the use of longer lenses but the fact that the photographer needs to be closely involved and intimate with the subject.
Good photography comes forth from the power of observation, not how technology is applied, the proof of which lies in classic black and white photographs which have managed to capture the past in so regal a manner. In circa 1901, Surat’s oldest photo studio was founded by Vijbhukhandas .N. Mehta .Mehta worked in the accounts department of Ajmer railways .He once happened to visit a local studio there to have a photograph taken along with a friend. With interest invoked in photography since, he took training from a friend’s relative and joined a Britisher’s photo studio as a helper. Over time, he saved enough to set up one himself and deeming it inappropriate to comepete with his employer, he shifted to Surat and set up shop in a tiny space on Rajmarg.
This iconic studio is a warehouse of brilliant photographs that has captured British Royalty, India’s first politicians and connoisseurs from Mumbai and Ahmedabad in the early 20th century. The passion for photography was passed down generations and a hundred and ten years later, continues with fourth generation representatives in the form of his great grandchildren Rita, Bina and Rajesh Mehta who maintain the state record breaking sales of Canon cameras as well.
That Surat tops in camera sales within Gujarat is evident within its shutterbug community who, like Pablo Picasso feel,’ I have discovered photography.Now I can kill myself.I have nothing else to learn.’
Creative amateurs have sprung up clicking away life, nature, models, sports, industries, with their individual imagination.
The best part about photography is that even if you don’t know how to click or pose, you can be part of the picture; as Ansel Adams, the God of nature‘s best clicked splendour once said, ’There are two people in every photograph, the photographer and the viewer.’
Monday, August 8, 2011
Arrack-shun ! No more cheers !
Noticed how wobbly kneed women, who walk up to Permit rooms to claim their monthly quota of alcohol allowance, look so weary and wary these days?
Even the otherwise bindass permit holders are now heard whispering,’je pataavu hoy tey aath-nav sudhi maan patavi devu, aney Dumas toh humnaa maatey bhulij javanu,whu ?’(Get it over and done with by 8-9 and forget Dumas for now)
Present prohibition may have partially dried up not only spirits but also Surat’s social glue-booze, but there was a time when Tapi town used to turn into a Cavalla by sundown, ’Surya ast toh Surti mast’.
During olden days, alcohol was distilled locally in many a different way:
In the 16th century, Sidi Ali Reis, a Turkish Admiral who embarked at Surat’s Suvali beach, observed and penned in his travelogue, Mirat-ul –Memalik (Mirror of Countries), “There is in Gujarat a tree of the palm tribe, called tari agadji (millet-tree). From its branches cups are suspended and when the cut end of a branch is placed into one of these vessels a sweet liquid, something of the nature of arrack, flows out in a continuous stream; and this fluid, by exposure to the heat of the sun, presently changes into a most wonderful wine.”
Being a central port for unilateral trade, Surat had sailors from all over the world wading in. The ever busy Surti beach-Swally hole where they embarked was also their watering hole. Spirits were locally made here from fennel seeds, tadi and opium .The entire process of how Surtis prepared ‘niro’ and ‘tadi’, is picturesquely described by J.Ovington in his book”A Voyage To Suratt’
In 1632 A.D., Peter Mundy, European traveler was surprised to discover how in opium addicts seeped poppy husks and seeds in water to produce an alcoholic beverage called ‘poste’, drinkers of which were called’ postees’, while those who prepared drinks from Cannibes-bhaang were called ‘bhaangees’. Many Parsis grew toddy and opium in large amounts; although it was otherwise officially banned, trading it to China was legally allowed.
When Parsis sailed into Gujarat, most of them had a still (tiny distillery) in their homes for procuring ‘pehli dharno, beeji dhar no’ (first outflow, second outflow). They prepared an intoxicating drink from Mahuda flowers available locally; the drink was said to be a digestive, with cooling properties especially during the summers. For winters, special liquor was made from fermented raisins and dates. Also, Port wine is a much loved appetizer amongst Parsi women who prepare the same at home. They consume it differently, by adding a shot of lime to a peg of the fortified liquid.
It was only after the British came into Surat’, that Scotch and beer were introduced to the town’s elite. Beer became a lunchtime drink and Scotch was relished before dinner by the elite. The locals stuck to local brews. In Douglas E Haynes’, Rhetoric and Ritual in Colonial India,’it is mentioned how,” alcohol was present within the moral code of Surat’s Ghachi/ Khatri/Gola community.”
Amongst the earliest responsibilities that Surat’s first Municipalty carried out in 1852, were tasks like lighting and cleaning the streets, expenses of which were met by levying a surcharge on alcohol production at the local distillery.
Douglas has also well documented how the ban on alcohol first began within Surat. In 1906, headmen of the Khatri and Gola communities made’ bandobast’ against the consumption of alcohol as an enforcement of moral codes by threat of social sanction.
Around 1911, social educators like Dayalji and Kunvarji who ran local boarding schools, founded journals that urged Anavil and Kanbi communities to abstain from ‘corrupt customs’ like the consumption of alcohol.
The Gandhian campaign of antiliquor was launched in full swing serving the dual purpose of social purification as well as that of harming Government revenue which greatly depended upon the sale of liquor shop contracts and sales tax on alcohol .In 1921, about 175 picketers marched to the collectorate pleading bidders of liquor shop contracts to,’ Give up sinful money and depend on money that is pure.’
This was perhaps, the moment when the first foundation of prohibition was laid in Surat.
Even the otherwise bindass permit holders are now heard whispering,’je pataavu hoy tey aath-nav sudhi maan patavi devu, aney Dumas toh humnaa maatey bhulij javanu,whu ?’(Get it over and done with by 8-9 and forget Dumas for now)
Present prohibition may have partially dried up not only spirits but also Surat’s social glue-booze, but there was a time when Tapi town used to turn into a Cavalla by sundown, ’Surya ast toh Surti mast’.
During olden days, alcohol was distilled locally in many a different way:
In the 16th century, Sidi Ali Reis, a Turkish Admiral who embarked at Surat’s Suvali beach, observed and penned in his travelogue, Mirat-ul –Memalik (Mirror of Countries), “There is in Gujarat a tree of the palm tribe, called tari agadji (millet-tree). From its branches cups are suspended and when the cut end of a branch is placed into one of these vessels a sweet liquid, something of the nature of arrack, flows out in a continuous stream; and this fluid, by exposure to the heat of the sun, presently changes into a most wonderful wine.”
Being a central port for unilateral trade, Surat had sailors from all over the world wading in. The ever busy Surti beach-Swally hole where they embarked was also their watering hole. Spirits were locally made here from fennel seeds, tadi and opium .The entire process of how Surtis prepared ‘niro’ and ‘tadi’, is picturesquely described by J.Ovington in his book”A Voyage To Suratt’
In 1632 A.D., Peter Mundy, European traveler was surprised to discover how in opium addicts seeped poppy husks and seeds in water to produce an alcoholic beverage called ‘poste’, drinkers of which were called’ postees’, while those who prepared drinks from Cannibes-bhaang were called ‘bhaangees’. Many Parsis grew toddy and opium in large amounts; although it was otherwise officially banned, trading it to China was legally allowed.
When Parsis sailed into Gujarat, most of them had a still (tiny distillery) in their homes for procuring ‘pehli dharno, beeji dhar no’ (first outflow, second outflow). They prepared an intoxicating drink from Mahuda flowers available locally; the drink was said to be a digestive, with cooling properties especially during the summers. For winters, special liquor was made from fermented raisins and dates. Also, Port wine is a much loved appetizer amongst Parsi women who prepare the same at home. They consume it differently, by adding a shot of lime to a peg of the fortified liquid.
It was only after the British came into Surat’, that Scotch and beer were introduced to the town’s elite. Beer became a lunchtime drink and Scotch was relished before dinner by the elite. The locals stuck to local brews. In Douglas E Haynes’, Rhetoric and Ritual in Colonial India,’it is mentioned how,” alcohol was present within the moral code of Surat’s Ghachi/ Khatri/Gola community.”
Amongst the earliest responsibilities that Surat’s first Municipalty carried out in 1852, were tasks like lighting and cleaning the streets, expenses of which were met by levying a surcharge on alcohol production at the local distillery.
Douglas has also well documented how the ban on alcohol first began within Surat. In 1906, headmen of the Khatri and Gola communities made’ bandobast’ against the consumption of alcohol as an enforcement of moral codes by threat of social sanction.
Around 1911, social educators like Dayalji and Kunvarji who ran local boarding schools, founded journals that urged Anavil and Kanbi communities to abstain from ‘corrupt customs’ like the consumption of alcohol.
The Gandhian campaign of antiliquor was launched in full swing serving the dual purpose of social purification as well as that of harming Government revenue which greatly depended upon the sale of liquor shop contracts and sales tax on alcohol .In 1921, about 175 picketers marched to the collectorate pleading bidders of liquor shop contracts to,’ Give up sinful money and depend on money that is pure.’
This was perhaps, the moment when the first foundation of prohibition was laid in Surat.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
