It was incredible to be in Surat for the two days of Uttarayan, the kite flying festival. Those sketches are here. But my super-short trip included other things. Among them: Eating incredible Surati food.
This is Puneet, making locho for the family.(Here’s a Surati locho recipe if you’re curious. ) That contraption Puneet is making locho in is typical of the sort of small, inventive and very specific-use machines you will see all over India. This one is essentially a steamer-box with multiple trays that can make enough locho to feed a party of 30. Make a pot of chai (on the left side of that outdoor stove) while the locho steams and breakfast us ready!
All the Surati staples: ponk, undhiyu, umbadiyu, ghari, cold coco and lots, lots more were consumed in my very short stay. My extended family in Surat made sure we were well fed!
We also visited a lovely home that once belonged to my great-great grandparents, whose photograph is still in the house. Dumas Villa was a weekend house that they owned when they built up a fortune (which didn’t last, but that’s a whole other story) and it was lovely to go to a house that my mom and her brother remember visiting as little kids.
One last little sketch from Surat, this one from the market in Nanavat market. I sketched this while this gentleman loudly advertised “Three nightgowns for only 1000 rupees!”.
My first post from India is here. This is post #2 and there are lots more to come.
Sketch Away: Travels with my sketchbook 