GUJJU'S AND ME

GUJJU'S AND ME: kuchkas

The much harried anchor just managed to get the squabbling bunch of politicians off the air, a split second before the commercial break, at the end of a debate she was trying to conduct. I have been using the idiot box, mostly as a break from reading or indulging in my hobby which, by the way, is astronomy and astrophysics. The later bit, often, is heavy stuff and demands occasional breaks so as to get back to the real and cruel world.    The television news channels, these days, are as entertaining as the latest Bollywood masala. Quick, short, half an hour of drama, intrigue, verbal duels and tragic humour. The commercial breaks provide for the item number. Soap operas are passé!
I also use it as a source for material I can use to bash politicians and instigate my friends whose leanings are not, necessarily, matching mine.

This time the anchor warned that she will be back soon with another bunch of spokespersons. No sooner she said that, the graphics on the screen changed and the famous baritone voice cajoled you to “breathe in a bit of Gujarat". Sleek and persuasive, the commercial asks you to consider the state, long viewed as devoid of naturally endowed attractions, as a good place to unwind. Obviously, a difficult task. In spite of the voice and image of the great actor and the sleek production, quite like everything the votaries of the state have been trying to tell the nation, the content and the truth of experience will have to measure up. And therein lies the desperate struggle for relevance by one of the most peace loving and affable people of this nation.

Me and Gujarat. Me and Gujjus. The twain shall meet and remain met! This was ordained when the almighty was designing my existence. Further, as I strongly suspect, this will remain ordained even in other Universes, if that theory is proved. As soon as this fact dawned on me I decided to play my part rather than be in a state of denial.

I have had , right from my early days, very strong and close association with dear Gujjus. Some of them have, in no small measure, shaped what I am. This affinity, in mysterious ways, also spilled over to my work life. There too, I was fortunate to be loved, mentored and cared for by Gujjus.

I quickly made acquaintance with Dokla and Jalebi Papadi. I even managed to have these at 4am in the morning during Navatri nights. These nights are nocturnal hunting grounds for life partners among the Gujjus and if one is successful or otherwise at the end of each night , the culmination is the Jalebi Ghatia. The dandya , a form of folk dance , is enacted with grace and consistency during these nights and somewhere in the midst of these , romance flourishes.

The Gujjus are one of few communities that still wear orthodoxy up their sleeve. Commitment to the joint family is still strong. The plethora of relatives continue to measure life and responses. The key philosophy, consistent with trading communities the world over, is making money.  Everything is secondary to this pursuit. Education may not be relevant in this milieu.  If you want to argue that please go ahead. My best wishes. Medicine and Chartered accountancy is seen more so as a business than anything else.  This single minded focus has elevated this community across the suburbs of Mumbai and almost across Gujarat  to one that is wealthy.

The contradictions too are glaring. The Gujjus  has conveniently interpreted the hindu scriptures so as to classify all forms of intoxicants as essential elixirs of life.  Card games with money is part of festival rituals.  The state introduces prohibition. Consumption continuous to grow.

The gujju is loud, has exaggerated tastes when it comes to clothes, outwardly aggressive but quite timid, in fact. A smooth talker and ever ready to help. The women are highly dominant and the menfolk, good husbands.

The wounds of the partition have yet to heal and this antagonism is, even now, passed on from one generation to another.

They have an insatiable thirst for " farvama jauchu"  , which means anything from taking a walk, post dinner, to going to touch and see every corner of  any part of the globe. Probably the only community which places  " dando"  or biznez above everything else . Eating out is second nature and, if one traces the evolution of ice cream in India, the quest will invariably lead to the Vadilals in Ahmedabad or Vadodara. I strongly suspect that the sugar was an invention of a Gujarati.

My Gujarat connection extended to my work space. That meant it took me, very often, to the cities of the state, for well over 30 years.

Doing "  biznez" , local lingo for business, is easy in the state as I discovered even in  the early eighties. Everyone is sensitive and geared up to facilitate, be it government servants, agents, and workers. All you need is set all this up for a certain “facilitation fees" and lo and behold things move faster than the speed at which Rajnikant lights up a cigarette.
My days in IIM Ahmedabad, and assignments to locate land for a factory, dealings with numerous traders and businessmen, across these years have all been memorable.
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Pharma companies and chemical plants adore most of the traditional industrial clusters.  Ankleshwar and Vapi, among the first industrial estates to come up in the country, became large hubs. Well, so what if pollution levels were also the highest! Lately some auto majors have moved in.

The Kutch , a desert covering the north of the state and bordering Pakistan has , off late sprouted some greens. However, the region has exported hardworking Kutchies  into Mumbai for ages. The forest of Gir still has some real wild life . The Nalsarovar bird sanctuary has visitors from Siberia. The roads leading to these places are about the best. Rest of what you get leaves much to be desired.

Gandhiji and Sardar Patel and their personalities probably described Gujjjus the best. An outwardly strong demeanour backed by an equally solid calm inside.

 Lately, claims meant to bring fame and glory to Gujarat has been espoused. Reflecting a constant need for recognition and relevance. Earnestly backed by one and all. Needless? Who is anyone to judge!

I ,for one, can claim to have breathed much more than a" bit" of Gujarat.