Fish Tales: Cuisine Of Coastal Gujarat

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Fish  Tales:  Cuisine  of   Coastal  Gujarat Student  Name:  Mitali  Sharma   Student  Id:  201314003   Guide:  Prof.  Binita  Desai      Prof.  Madhumita  Mazumdar  

Master  in  Design  (Communication  Design)   Dhirubhai  Ambani  Institute  of  Information  and  Communication  Technology   Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

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Acknowledgement First of all I would like to thank Prof. Vishvajit Pandya for giving me the idea of the project and also encouraging me with the design thinking and visualization. It was only his guidance that helped me to conceptualize the project. I heartily thank my Faculty Guides Prof. Binita Desai and Prof. Madhumita Mazumdar for their constant support and encouragement during the whole project and it was only because of their support i was able to do the writing, editing, conceptualization and visualization of the project. Writing of the project involved a lot of travelling with open mind, which proved to be an herculean task. My gratitude also goes out to the people whom I met during my journey and who have now become integral characters of my project. I am grateful to all the people who played an important role in helping me understand the region better.

Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

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I am grateful to the following people whom I met during my visits to

understand the language. And also to my juniors and classmates for

various places:

their inputs in the design project.

Ghoghla: Hemal Rajput, Meera Rajput, Laxmanbhai Kapadiya, Dr.

I also want to extend my stem of gratitude towards my friends,

Praveen, and Captain Devji Fulbaria.

Niharika Kaushik, Gautam Sharma, Mansi Kumar, Karthik Pillai and

Vanakbara: Devji Panjari, Jaya Panjari, Shukarnjani, Paresh Panjari,

Aseem Sidana who helped me in providing with their views and

Piyushkotiya, Ukhadabhai Bava Bamaniya, Ratanmaa and Valumaa.

reviewing my project.

Sutrapada: Sureeshlalji Bairiya, Monica Bairiya, and Daya Bairiya

And finally I would like to thank my parents and family for their

Diu: Jagriti Snehal Fulbaria, Suresh Chudasama, Dr. Jitu Solanki, and

constant support and faith bestowed upon me due to which I have

Shanti Solanki.

been able to complete this project.

Veraval: Ganaga Fanjaree, Bhailalbhai, Nita Fofandi, Rajesh Dayalal Fofandi, Chandresh Fofandi, Prof B.G.Chudasama, Mr.Mukesh Vala. Jaleshwar: Hasam Rana, Shabeer P. Rana, and Javed P.Rana. I sincerely thank Mr. Prabhunath Sharma for assisting me during the project. I would also like to thank DA-IICT and M.Des department for providing all the resource and giving me the opportunity to design the project. Very special thanks to my colleagues Palak Sanghani and Hardik Shiroya for accompanying me during the journey and helping me to

Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

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Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

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Content Acknowledgement  .......................................................................  2   Content  ........................................................................................  5   Chapter  1  Synopsis  .......................................................................  6   Chapter  2  Introduction  .................................................................  7   2.1  Problem  Statement  ...............................................................................................  7   2.2.  Redefining  the  Design  Brief:  ............................................................................  8   Chapter  3  Design  Process:   ..........................................................  10   3.1  Ideation:  ..................................................................................................................  10   3.3  In  the  Field:  ............................................................................................................  14   3.4  Methodology:  ........................................................................................................  16   3.7  Literature  Survey:  .................................................................  17   4.The  Final  Product:  ....................................................................  50   4.1Conceptualization:  ...............................................................................................  51   4.2Visual  Design:  ........................................................................................................  54   Chapter  5.Conclusion:   ................................................................  64   6.Glossary:  .................................................................................  65   References  .................................................................................  67   8.Appendix  .................................................................................  65   Fish  of  Gujarat  ..............................................................................................................  65  

Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

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Chapter 1 Synopsis “Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat” The project explores on the concept of intangible cultural heritage of the land by taking cuisine of a region as a medium; to preserve the culinary heritage of the community passed from generations. The project focuses on the specific food; the fish consumed by the communities belonging to the same geographical region i.e. Coastal Gujarat, to promote the tourism of the land and cuisine which is partially known. The main focus of the project is to show how the communities: The Kharwa, Koli and Machhiyara have evolved and adopted the customs, traditions of the land they settled and have constructed their own society. Fish, the seafood is used as a medium to show how the three communities are linked together and secondly how they are isolated from the rest of the society due to their cuisine and trade practices.

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Chapter 2 Introduction 2.1 Problem Statement To illustrate the culinary heritage of Coastal Gujarat passed from generations with the essence of the communities following their trade and traditions. The fish that has been consumed as well as exported in Coastal Gujarat, India is taken as the medium to communicate and reflect the gap in conventional accounts of the culinary history of Gujarat, India which is dominated by the impression that people are primarily vegetarian.

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2.2. Redefining the Design Brief:

Project Deliverable: After brainstorming and my visit to the various bookstores of

Need of design:

Crossword, which is a known bookstore in Ahmedabad in Mithakali,

The concept to work for the project initially took lot of discussions

Navrangpura and Gandhinagar. Also checking the online catalogue I

and the research with the faculties. After many discussions I came to

found out there is a section of food and drinks, which promote the

the point where

vegetarian cuisine of the Gujarat.

Collecting the information and representing it in a productive and

But there is no information, which was written and designed on the

appropriate way is the basic key of design. Food is a medium, which

culinary and also on the culture of Coastal Gujarat.

depicts the culture, history and economy of the region. I want to

And I was personally interested in print media design, so I decided to

examine the authentic seafood cuisine of the Kharwa, Koli and

design a cookbook on the cuisine of Coastal Gujarat. Initially the idea

Machhiyara community in the Gujarat Coastline. Seafood, cuisine of the

started with a cookbook that include recipes and as “books are the

Coastal region of Gujarat is unexpected; unlike from the rest of the

foundation of what this world is all about”-Anonymous.

state due to the large social and the geographical influences.

After my further research, I came to the idea of designing a travelogue

The aim of my research is to unfold the culinary of the maritime

cum cookbook, which promotes the cuisine of Coastal Gujarat, as

fisherman of the Coastal Gujarat. As the research aim was decided.

food is the one of the basic factors, which defines the people and the

The next step was to decide the area of my research and the

land and to know about the cuisine. I choose two models as my source

deliverable, which will give my Project as a complete product.

of reference for the final product. Model 1: Samanth Subramaniyam, Following Fish and Model 2: Lathika George: The Suriani Kitchen and the various reference papers and books, which I read during the research. Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

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Field Sites:

Personal Rationale

As Gujarat is having a long Coastline of 1600 Km it was not possible

Taking into consideration the idea of the adapting nature of the human

to cover the whole Coastline.

beings the fish is not just consumed but also has become of the source

I choosed Veraval as the center of my intial research as it is one of the

for their survival. The food was not just what is consumed but have

leading town in exporting fish from Gujarat and the other field site I

also been marked the community different from rest of the society.

choose Diu, an island which was under the Portuguese rule even after

The idea of the land totally changed during my frequent and multiple

the independence and now one of the tourist attraction. To know

visits and with each visit and more research i soon started to realize

about the old history of the land and and to know about the cuisine.

that the design has become vast and took a different shape as it was

The further fields were Sutrapada and Jaleshwar near Veraval to know

not just about one community, fish and land but shaping and bringing

about the communities. Ghoghla and Vankabara nearby Diu to add the

every detail about their living, customs and traditions. And for this I

knowledge of tradition and the variations among the people of the

have to go through a complete understanding of their existence on the

different communities.

land and their trade. The connection I had to set through the food and trade among the three Coastal communities i.e. Kharwa, Koli and

Target audience:

Machhiyara was to show the variation in the living of the communities

After visting crosswords and online sites like amazon and flipkart,

from rest of the society.

analyzing the market of the books with the genre of cuisine and culture. I observed there is a demand of the books, which includes travelling and the culture. The book target audience is not just woman or the people who love to cook, but also the people who are already interesting in reading and want to know more about the land. Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

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Chapter 3 Design Process: 3.1 Ideation: “Food is a preoccupation of culture, food metaphors occurs everywhere”. - Table is Laid Oxford Anthology of Southern Asian Food. “Eating is not only have the most basic of human somatic activities, but also a major marker of social, cultural and psychic identity. -Table is Laid Oxford Anthology of Southern Asian Food This led me to explore the understanding of the food as a culture within a community, and how it evolved around the living and identity of the people. For further research I took Veraval, Sutrapada, Diu, Ghoghla and Jaleshwar regions of Coastal Gujarat for my research, which hold a different geography and are lesser known for its food habits in the Gujarat.

Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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3.2  Pre  Field  Research: Since the ancient times the state of Gujarat in India had been marked as the trade capital of India due to its rich Coastal belt of 1600 kilometers. From the times when Dwaraka used to be an important seaport to the times of Surat and presently Veraval, the seaports had attracted foreign people i.e. Romans, Arabs, Portuguese, Britishers and Dutch. The state had been historically marked to be the Golden capital for the trade of stones to cotton textiles and opium. But also because the mode of survival for the people, who migrated from the inland parts of India.

Picture  1:  Seafaring  Map  

As according to the legends the migration was the invasion of the Mughals and later the European powers in the Indian history. As there was a huge havoc among the Indian Kingdoms of Rajputana now called as Rajasthan, adjacent to the North Gujarat. The battles among the Mughals and the Rajput’s to save the Indian land started in 8th century. After the fifteen battles of Rajasthan, there was a wave among Indian Rajput rulers to save the land and temples of Gujarat especially “The Somnath”, the temple of Lord Shiva, which was known to be the treasure for gold and jewels in the ancient times. In order to protect Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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the temple from the clutches of Mahmoud Ghaznavi (1024 A.D), the

consuming the food for the survival. The migration marked the origin

king of Gujarat, Bhimdev Raj Solanki (1022-1064 A.D) called the

of three fishing communities; The Kharwa, The Koli Kharwa and The

Jethwa and Rathod Rajputs, from the land of Rajasthan. As the wars

Maachiyara; who were collectively known as Machimaar community of

were fought, Ramdev Pir, the majestic Saint born in 1352 A.D, whose

Coastal Gujarat.

magic tales influenced the Hindu Rajputs and the Muslims in

The Kharwa further divided into the exogamous groups based on their

Rajasthan. Later as the time passed Rajput’s adopted him as their clan

castes like Anjani, Kotiya, Gohel, Daree, Fanjaree, Lodhani, Tawadi,

god. After this Rao Pakhal Singh founded Kharwa state of Rajasthan

Dalki, Khokani, Kudai, Doria, Fofandi, Mashani, Khapandi,

consisting of fifteen villages in 1590 A.D whose deity became Ramdev

Motivarsh, Shiyal, Vandarvola, Morvi, Vara, Khoraba, Solanki,

Pir. As the last war for protection of Somnath ended, Rathod and

Homania, Chudasama, Baria, Kamolia, Patelia and Kapadia.

Jethwal Rajput’s who were defeated settled on the land of Veraval,

Eventually people spread from the Mandvi in Kutch to Valsad in

Ghoghla and Vanakabara, nearby to the temple of Somnath.

Navsari Gujarat. The Kori Kharwa further got divided into Bariya,

As the history says, Gujarat famine in year 1943 also made people to

Bamania, Solanki, Chudasama, Waja, Rathod, Damya, Kathi, Fatle and

migrate in the Coastal region who belonged to Kutch. They settle in

Jethwa. The Kharwas and the Koli’s are distinct by their names, which

the land of Patan and then moved to the Coastal Gujarat. This

reflect their mark of origin, land, elder or sometimes nothing but a

migration to the Coastal area, made them To change, adapt and accept

pure whimsy. The Machhiyara were the Suni muslims and divided

the living according to availability of the geographical conditions.

according to their forefathers names like Doki Parivaar, Bhensaliya

Being close to the sea they adapted to seafood for their survival and

Parivaar, Lucha Parivaar and Isbani Paivaar.

business. They adapted, seafood for its cuisine and trade. The

As the Kharwa and the Koli were having the same origin from the land

community evolved, they further divided and involved themselves in

of Rajasthan, but Koli due to their involvement in agriculture before.

the making of dhow’s, catching the fish, trading it and finally

Later adapted fishing as their source of living with the learning from Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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Kharwa. The Machhiyara also adapted fishing for their survival from

The state of Gujarat is endowed with the longest coastline in country.

Kharwa. As Kharwa being the dominant in the art of fishing, became the

It has 1600 Km of coastline, which is almost 20% of the total Coastal

dominant and in later years Kharwa became the caste and was accepted

length of India. Gujarat has 1.64 Lakh sq. Km of continental shelf area

by the Gujarat government. The word Kharwa also describes a word,

with exclusive economic zone of 2.14 Lakh sq. km. There are 12

which refers to as the son of sea, in Gujarat.

Coastal districts and 10 major fish-landing centers in Gujarat. The Coastal districts are Valsad, Navsari, Surat, Baruch, Bhavnagar, Amreli,

And with the changing times, the three community evolved around

Gir Somnath, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Rajkot and Kachchh. The major

fishing is having trade and social relations with each other. But they

landing centers are Veraval, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Dwarka, Okha,

never accepted each other or anyone outside community because of

Jakhau, Rajpara, Navabandar and Umersadi. According to the census

their food habits. The communities being dependent on the seafood

of 2007 there are more 5.5 Lakh fisherman and women involved in

are attached by each other but are distinct from the other

fishing out of which 3.2 Lakh fishermen is engaged in marine sector

communities. This distinction had made their food and dishes

and 2.3 Lakh of fisherman are working in inland sector. As fishing is

dominated by the vegetarian marked state of Gujarat, which has the

one of the most important activities in Gujarat both the genders are

third largest seafood export from India. These communities who are

participating almost equally. The total population of the active

the part of the land, but separated out by the food habits that they

fisherman in Gujarat is 2.18 Lakh and almost 68% of men and 31%

have adapted and hence the people now know the fish recipes also

women are actively participating in the fisheries activities of state. The

cook the fish, which are exported.

major profession of fisher folk of the state is actual fishing, marketing, net making, culture practices.

Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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The total fish production of Gujarat in 2011-2012 was about 6.9 Lakh MT and stood among all the maritime states in country, leaving behind Kerala and Maharashtra at 2nd and 3 rd. respectively. Ribbonfish,

3.3 In the Field:

Mackerel, Pomfret, Jew fish, Catfish, Mullet, Hilsa etc., which also

The field research was the most important part of the project, which

includes prawns, lobster and crabs are also exported. The estimated

leads me to better understanding of the objective of the project.

potential of marine fish production of Gujarat is 7.08 lakh tonnes.

I started my first field visit in 10th August 2014 to Veraval, which gave

Out of 7.8 lakh tonnes 5.3 lakh tonnes (67%) of fish and seafood

me an idea of the land and the people. It was a strange land and to

product are utilized for domestic consumption whereas 60 thousand

involve and collect the information was a tough task. As it was off

tonnes is exported to different stated and 1.9 lakh tonnes is exported

season the fish market were closed but still I was able to spot one of

either to other state or to the international market. Total 2.5 lakh

the large fish eating communities The Kharwa.

tonnes i.e. 32.15 %of total production is exported either to their state

After my second visit in September I was able to know more about the

or to international markets there are many fish based industries placed

community and the way they prepare their cuisine. At the visit I came

in Gujarat. The major industries are of fish processing, fish meal, dry

to know that the whole community is evolved around the sea from

fish, fish oils processing units which are nearly 120 related to the

their living to the trade.

export of the marine and cultural products to different countries. The above article is written in the Journal of National Conference on Value fish 2014 page no. 29 to 32 March 14-15, 2014.

Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

Picture  2:Map  of  coastal  Gujarat    

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Picture  3:Boats  in  port  during  offseason  1  

 

Then my third visit to Diu in October I was able to know about the cuisine and collected the recipes, the visit introduced me to the kitchen of the Kharwa and also about the other community called Koli Kharwa and the Machhiyara who are also involved in the fishing. After my visit to the field in December, 2014 I was able to understand the land and the reason behind the adaption of the cuisine, separating them from the mainland Gujarat. And after my final field visits in December I was able to relate and collect all the data supporting the objective of my Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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th

project. As it's known that the state of Gujarat being the exporter of

land of Coastal Gujarat. Later after my each visit the first visit in 5

fish has also the fish cuisine, which is not much known outside and in

August i visit to the field. And after visisting the field, the main

the mainland of the Gujarat. Through my field visit and following the

problem I faced was of language the basic mode of communication.

methodology I was able to bring and collect the different perspective

Rajeshbhai became my interpretator in the field. As I became

of the seafood cuisine from the land of Gujarat.

introduced to the field, in my first field visit I was not able to know much except about the trade. The initial research was challenging in

3.4 Methodology: During my field research I followed the method Ethnography research

various ways as I had to understand the field thoroughly and I realized that, to know about the cuisine I have to first know about the land and the people first.  

that included collecting the data for my research by various methods of: Participant observation . Observing and spending time with the families and the recorded each and every activity of the land. Audio and taped interview of each and the every community member I met. Writing the field notes and maintaining the journal of my each and every project research. Taking the photographs of each and every detail I observed and saw on the land. And preparing the questionnaire for the every member of the communities. And being from outer state it was tough to know about a different land .One of my friend Siddharth Rajvanshi, helped me to introduce Rajeshbhai Fofandi who was my primary informant to the

Picture  4:Field  Notes  during  field  

Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

3.7 Literature Survey:

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about the Gujarat seacoast relation to the boat making. “The book culture of food” by Massimo Montanari[4] has explained the issue of

I read the book, “People of Gujarat”, written by K.S.Singh[1]. The author has mentioned about the different communities of Gujarat, their social status and eating habits. It’s mentioned in the book about the fisherman community, The Kharwa and the Koli of the Coastal Gujarat. The Kharwa and the Koli are the original fisherman community of the Coastal Gujarat has non-vegetarian eating habits. They have rice, fish and bajra as their staple food. The Kharwa and the Koli have a seafood cuisine, but they don’t consume much non-veg. Their art of cooking and eating describe their culture. The Kharwa and Koli seafood cuisine has been dominated by the cuisine of the Gujarat. The Gujarati thali is considered vegetarian. But, when it comes to the Coastal region, the thali has a different story. The religious and the social dominance on the food had led the seafood of the Coastal Gujarat unexplored. Another book that I read is “Eating India” by Chitrita Banerji[2] has described briefly about the Gujarati farsaan, and the Parsi non-veg cuisine, which is non-vegetarian and has largely adopted the gujarati ingredients in their food. The famous dish oomberiu, like oondhiu. “Following fish” by Samanth Subramanian[3] had described

food with the social groups, geographical area and the changing times. There is an interlink between consumption, production and the taste of food with the people. The seafood has become subject of survival, for the fisherman, it is a part of their economy, food and social culture. The food has become symbol, which tells the entire survival of the society the way of consumption and production. This expresses the status, classes and people of the place. I read a journal, “Deciphering a meal” by the Mary Douglas[5] decodes the meaning of meal and addresses the meaning of what each meal carries. It explains the difference in the serving of meal and the drink to the people, through whom we bond. The bond decides the offering we serve to the guests in terms of meal or the drinks. The significance of the meal, defines the bond and the biology of the people in the society. The book “Purity and danger” written by Mary Douglas[6] explains the purity of the food and the society that evolved with it. The cooked and the uncooked have a distinct meaning, which determines the manner of consumption of food. The method of preparation, the Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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offering of the food, the ingredients and the cleanliness behind the

empowerment. This gave me an idea that food has diverse meanings,

making of the food all the factors associate and create a set of the

which changes with time, use and consumption. The article by

different behavior of the people in relation to the food. The journal

Rudrangshu Mukherjee[9], “Taking Food seriously” describes the type

and the book by Mary Douglas inspired me to see the food from a

of food lovers and the modernization of the Indian food after the

different perspective, of food trade and the people involvement with

British Raj, some men, wine and dine because they have to live. There

the food they trade and consume. The people say about themselves

is another lot who live to wine and dine. Within the second category

when it comes to the trading of the food and the food they eat in the

there exist real hardliners who also love to read and write about food

society.

and its accompaniments. These are the ones to watch out for because they take enormous pains over their food. Food, like humor, is serious

“The Tandoor” is an illustrated travelogue book depicting the cuisine

business and cannot be taken lightly.” This article describes the people

prepared by Tandoor, written by Ranjit Rai[7]. The book has inspired

according to their food choices and hence, shows the large influence of

me to bring out the story of the seafood from its methods of catching,

the food culture, in the society. This article gave me an idea, for the

to trading the food and the local consumption cuisine of the seafood.

class of users I want to make the product for” the people, who live to eat and want to take pains for the food they eat”.

“The Suriani Kitchen” is an illustrated cookbook of the cuisine of the Syrian George, the book written by Lathika George[8]. The book

The article in the Frontline magazine in section of Art and culture by

has also inspired me to bring out the unexplored Gujarati Coastal

Subodh Kerkar[10] described about the influence of the Portuguese on

Cuisine. The author had briefly described the relation of the food and

the Indian cuisine gave me the clear idea of how the navigation and

the people. I also watched a movie, Mirch Masala by Ketan Mehta in

seafaring had evolved the food habits of the people. I also considered

which food “the lal mirch” had symbolize the strength of women

the book “Maritime Archaeology of Gujarat: Northwest coast of Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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India” written by AS Gaur[11] and Sundaresh described about the

fishermen and the Koli Kharwa, the ancient farmers joined the fishing

evolution of the ports of the Gujarat which gave me an idea of how

community since ages.

the trade and the food of the Coastal Gujarat had evolved together. The book “Shaping of modern Gujarat” by Achyut Yagnik[12] also added to my knowledge in terms of the history of

evolution of

Gujarat. The book “Kinship” in Bengali culture, written by Ronald B. Indern and Ralph W[13]. Nicolas cleared my idea of the formation of the society and the role of each individual in it, helped me to explore about the marriages and every ­­­human socio and political relation for me to understand the reason behind every tradition and ritual of the community.

In the Field: The people of Coastal Gujarat unlike the people of mainland Gujarat have their own culinary habit depending on their surroundings. The

Picture  5:  Field  Notes  after  visting  the  field    

people of Coastal Gujarat have love for seafood, which makes them different in their habits and isolated from mainland Gujarat. The fisherman community of Diu, Vanakbara, Ghoghla, Veraval and Sutrapada region the Kharwas, the Koli Kharwa and the Maachiyara are the highly dominated one’s in the region. The Kharwa, the ancient Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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The Coastal region of Gujarat are dominated by the fishing community

But most of the Kharwa in these places are not fisherman by their

known as Kharwa. In Gujarati the word Kharwa is described as “The

profession, but they are the seamen. But in Veraval and Sutrapada;

son of sea”. The word Kharwa itself is originated with the rise of the

Chimanbhai Vandarwala, an elder Kharwa khalasi, says about education,

community. There is a town called Kharwa in the village of Rajasthan

“We admit our sons in school. But they don’t study longer. When they

near Ajmer, which might be the reason of their origin (according to my

are young they spend their time at the docks playing with other

observation)

children. When they grow up, they start going on fishing to earn pocket money. If that is not the reason then their father take them in sea to help them in fishing and so they quit studies and continue fishing. The seamen are the people who go for the sea voyages; most of them are in the Navy. Hemalbhai, “the Patel of Ghoghla”, also the member of NUSI. He told, the men here either goes to abroad or to the sea as seamen. The traditional fishing practices are done in a less manner then in the other region of Coastal Gujarat. Nearly 5% of the fishing communities are involved in the fishing in the local practices but in Vanakbara, the part of Diu is a small fisherman village. The people of Vanakbara are more into the traditional practices of catching fish, than

Picture  6:  Landscape  

being seamen, told by Devjibhai. Devjibhai is an employee in the industrial area of Diu. Regardless of the fact of being a fisherman, the Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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Kharwa in Diu, Vanakbara and Ghoghla are now engaged into other

is a Koli Kharwa, who started his fishing by being a chef in the boats.

jobs too. They are in the banks, government services, advocates etc.

Then he started fishing and now he is an established businessman

They are joining other professions in order to get a better lifestyle, as

owing to the only cow in the villages. He didn’t allowed his five sons

Ukhadakabhai Bamaniya. The man was himself a fisherman, who has

to continue fishing, as it’s the most dangerous profession one chooses.

now become a supplier and his sons owns the factories of the ice. He

   

Picture  8:  Man  catching  fish  in  sea    

Picture  7:  Crabs  in  the  fish  market  

Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

Picture  9:  Cook  in  the  boat  

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Picture  10:Women  in  fish  market  

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Devjibhai nephew, Paresh is a seaman along with the Sureesh bhai’s

was three steps high from the ground, may be to

avoid the

son who is also a seaman. The seamen have to live in the sea for

seawater during monsoon. It was a two-storied house, with two rooms

continuous months but their life is easier than the fisherman. They

of 10x10 feet and two common walls with adjacent houses. We were

have better facilities and salaries than the fisherman. “I didn’t want to

offered water, which tasted a bit salty. Gangaben appeared in a while

go into fishing as seamen have an easy life than the fisherman” said

and she told us to follow to her home. I followed her into the narrow

Sureeshbhai’s son. The Sureeshbhai’s wife Daya ben told about their

streets, with same types of homes on two sides. Some of the streets

deceased son, who died in the fishing accident .She, was in tears in

were so narrow that there was hardly any space for a single person to

remembering and telling about the son and his son’s personality.

pass through; actually we did manage to pass through it after trying.

Sureeshbhai and his wife both said, “ there is a lot of risk in this trade”,

The sunlight didn't fall anywhere in this Kharwa maze and darkness

that’s why I wanted my son to be the seamen.

matched with the grey plastered walls of these homes. There were

The seamen along are the new emerging trend and the opportunity for

small shops of pan, tailors and grocery at the ground levels of the

the Kharwa. The Language of the people of Diu is “Gujarati with little

home (ground level means below the level of streets where we were

rough accent”. The way they speak Gujarati is quite different from the

walking). The streets were made with stones. An open drainage passed

mainland Gujarat and Saurashtra.

on the both sides of the streets. A little far from this drainage there are

In Veraval, I went far inside the fish market to see that it ended at the

plastered pits (khaado), covered inadequately with wooden sheets,

beach. I was searching for Kharwa women named

outside every house. The pits are water storage tanks. Every three days

Gangaben whom I met in the fish market. A lady in the fish market,

the government sends water through the pipes into these pits. The

Laxmiben, called Gangaben's daughter and told her to take me to her

water is then taken out, filtered and used for drinking. Gangaben

home. She came from our backside and took us to the first home. It is

home is a two-storied building with two rooms and a washroom on

Kharwawad and it just starts at the end of the fish market. Her home

one floor. All the family members sit in the inner room, which consists Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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of kitchen on one side, bed in the middle and bags of rice on other

none this time. Gangaben got worried, "You see, there is no fish in the

side (annual storage). The family’s close relatives live nearby and they

sea these days. They have spent three days and came back with

all spend time with each other daily at Gangaben home. Visiting the

nothing. They do get good catch sometimes. It is all luck."Babubhai,

relative’s house is very common among Kharwas. Gangaben’s daughter

his son and three other relatives had gone for fishing. They came back

operates the kerosene stove in the kitchen. She is a married, 19 years

with nets, kerosene stove and a steel dabba (box) wrapped in a small

old girl who appeared like a matured lady in her late 20’s. She made

net. They had taken prepared food (fish curry, cooked rice and bajra

fish curry, rice, wheat roti and bajra nu rotlo which is their daily diet.

roti) and raw materials to prepare food in sea (dough, rice and spices)

They consume very less amount of vegetables. She told that they all

from the home before they went to the sea. The elder son prepares the

Kharwa women work in the fish market and their husbands catch and

food in the sea. They have every necessary thing in ample amount to

bring the fish. Both males and females participate in their economy.

survive in the sea for three days.

They have a photo of Ramdev Pir in the room, which made me curious.

Babubhai and his son told me about his life and work. He has a very

They took us just back to their house through kitchen to a small

low harsh voice and he looked tired. His grandfather used to work in

temple with no idols in it. They said it was Ramdev Pir temple they

merchant ship that carried goods to Mumbai and Dubai. His father

made, and every year during Bhadarva Sud Agiyaras, they carry a flag

owned a small boat and went into fishing profession. He said he was

from this temple to the Jaleshwar Ramdev's temple, at the Kharwa

very good into studies but left it halfway as he failed once. He realized

festival of Dhaja. The festival is dedicated to Ramdev Pir and being

that he didn't want to study more. His grandfather used to tell him to

Rajputs of Rajasthan all the Kharwas believe in him.

stay away from the sea and to become something better, but out of

Gangaben was talking about her husband and children when her

necessity of labour in fishing he started assisted his dad in fishing. It

husband, Babubhai and her eldest son came from fishing after three

has been 25 years now since he started fishing after his dad. He wishes

days. She asked her son how was the catch and he sadly replied that

his sons to be educated and never step into fishing to experience the Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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hardships of fishing. Sometimes his boat goes upside down due to huge waves throwing them out, but they manage to reverse the boat and get on it. He had seen whales being captured and cut in his childhood. In fact he had himself bravely caught two whales in his venture. They haven't received the fisherman subsidiary promised by the government, which he says every Kharwa is displeased of. His boat runs on kerosene, which is provided by the government 2 times a week, which is less than they promise. In the case of big trawling boats, the fuel, food and water are at the expense of the owner (who doesn't himself go for fishing). He says it is more profitable to have your own small fiber boats hodi than to work in somebody else's trawling boats. He owns a small fiber boat operated by outboard motors (OBM),

  Picture  11:  Khalasis  in  trawling  boat  

which can go as far as 50 nautical miles in the sea. He uses different

The Kharwa males are involved at every stage of this fish business

size of gill nets to catch different fish but the amount of catch every

(worker at sheds, chhakda drivers, khalasis, tandels, fishing company and

time is random. The catch fishermen like him, who goes fishing in sea

boat owners, suppliers, industrialist and exporters). They choose the

in small fiber boats is sold at the fish market as well goes to industry

level of work in this business according to their preference and

directly.

economic stand. The Kharwas with good money and stand in society owns a fishing company. The situation has arrived that the boat owners have increased extensively along with need for labor in their boats. They hire small-scale poor fishermen and labourers from Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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Gujarat (Vapi & Valsad) or from other states of India (UP, AP,

home and boat at night, we used to burn coconut skin instead of

Madras, Vizag, Orissa) who are searching for labour work with better

lamps."

wages. They are positioned as khalasis or tandels in the boat with salary

The Bhidiya

ranging from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000. Unlike the Kharwawad at the Bandar road, the Kharwawad at Bhidiya is clean and well maintained. The houses are bigger and the streets are broad with no open drainage system or pit for drinking water. Bhailalabhai, Devjibhai's father in-law (Devjibhai of Vanakbara), lives with his family in one of the streets of Bhidiya Kharwanear the Ramdev Pir temple (which is said to be the first place where this Kharwawad was established). He is a well experienced-retired-73 years old Mohila Kharwa. "We migrated from Vanakbara to here in 1954 A.D. due to the conflicts

between

the

Indian

Government

and

Portuguese

Government. Few of them stayed there till Diu got freedom. Even some Kolis, who used to do farming, performed hizrat (migration) from Vanakbara and settled with us. When we came here, this place now called Bhidiya was a barren land full of sand. Over the years we started building our houses. We built it better and better, then stone houses

Picture  11:  Dhaja  festival  after  monsoon    

Kharwawad is thus the colony of Mohila Kharwas and Kolis who migrated from Vanakbara. They started fishing over here and

were built. Stone brings up ground water level. To get light in the Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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say they bring along their customs wherever they go and that is the factor through which their presence and migration patterns can be proved. As they came from Rajasthan, they brought their deities and religion with them. Faith in Ramdev Pir, his worship and shrines are the proof of it; they say which can be found in every Kharwa Samaj. They do believe in different Goddesses (Kuldevi) which are chosen by   Picture  12:  Ramdev  Pir  poster  1

were allowed to do so peacefully by their 'Kharwa bhais'of Veraval. Being from different samaj, MohilaKharwaas don't undergo cultural

the way they enjoy and work together. Kharwa enjoys a lot and works a lot. They do have liquor in every occasion to enjoy with full heart. “Hum to rangeele hai bhai!” he comments on the festivity of the Kharwas.

exchanges with Veraval Kharwas. Both the Kharwas have different Patels to represent their samaj; each Koli colony too has one Patel. Bhidiya Koli Patels can also be classified according to the divisions of areas (Vanakbara Koli settlement, Vadishevi or Bakala Market and Timboo who worship Narsimha). Bhailalbhai says that a leader is necessary for every samaj. If there is no leader then crime and injustice increases. They do not interfere in each other's internal affairs, though both the samaj enjoys the festivals in same way and sometimes together along with shared fishing. Their customs and traditions are same as that of Vanakbara Kharwas. They Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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“My eldest daughter, Roshni, is studying BBA. She will be married soon before it’s too late. She wants to do job further but she would be permitted that by in–laws only. I cannot extend her marriage because she wants to work. She has to manage her home after marriage then what is the need of picking up a job.” Jagritiben, the first working women of Ghoghla Kharwa community told me that in Diu and Ghoghla, girls are given more freedom than the other Kharwa lands. Having said that, she also told that it’s very hard to do a job, no girl is allowed to do job. If one has to she has to fight for that the way i did. She mentioned how her in-laws, were not allowing her to do the job. She wanted to do the job to support her Picture  13:  Bride  and  groom  in  marriage  

husband to manage the family. Although, she made it clear to the family before marriage that she wanted to pursue her studies and do job even after the marriage. But she had to fight for that, her mother-

The clothes of the people have also changed with the time, as they

in-law even told her to leave the house, but her husband supported

used to wear “dhoti” when they used to go for fishing before. But now

her. He was with her and faced the problem. And now she is a primary

they wear pants and t-shirts and the women wears the Sari, salwar

school teacher in “Nirmala Mata High school”, Diu. She rides a Scooty

kameez. Generally the women prefer Sari in the traditional Gujarat way

and besides being a teacher, she is also pursuing her masters degree

of wearing the sari. And with changing times the scenario of education

.She goes to the school to teach, then manages the home and also goes

has also changed. Rajubhai Fofandi, a fishing company owner says,

to the morning classes of her masters on weekends. Her eyes were Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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shining, and a feel of happiness was oozing on her face and voice. She

ended his words and I was feeling the difference and even blessed that

told that, it has been three years of her marriage, and she doesn’t want

being a girl how my parents would have managed to send me for

to have a child. She wants to support her husband, who is working in a

higher studies. Their dreams of seeing me successful in life would be

bank. So, that they can live a good life. Listening to her story, the

the only aim in their lives. On the name of the society how many

words of Sureeshbhai came in my mind, he told that” her daughter

dreams, goals have been ended by just living at homes. Jagritiben is the

Monica, 20 year old is a very intelligent girl and has scored well in her

cousin of Monica both of them fighting to live and survive in the

twelfth standards, she has spend a good amount of money in her

Kharwa community for pursuing their education. The education of girls

education and allowed her to live in his uncles house, in Una to get

is really a big issue in the community. The reason is not that the people

good education. But when he talked to his daughter’s in-laws, in order

can’t manage, but they don’t think in that direction and believes its

to let her study further so that she can get into the government job,

waste of money to educate girls.

they refused and told him that her husband (Hikesh) works as a cook in the boat. “He earns, more than 1Lakh in one month. So there is no

I also met the Patel of Diu, Shanti bhai whose daughter “Jagriti has

need of doing Job”. Sureeshbhai was quite sad after telling me the

completed her B.tech from Mehsana in Ganpat University. And now

story and told that girl’s education is very important, but in our

the is preparing for Masters from some other place.

community nobody understands this. “Even he can’t do anything regarding the matter he says he has to follow the society and let his daughter to spend her life doing households work”. Sureesh bhai

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Harishbhai, the Patel of Ghoghla region during his conversation told that the girls are allowed to study till 10th standard, he has made a rule that every child in Ghoghla will have to study till 10th standard is necessary. All financial help is given to the family if one can’t afford the education of the child. He told that the there is no high schools in Ghoghla so the girls are not been allowed to go out for studies. There were cases in which girls ran away with the other boys, so parents are now scared to send them outside. But boys, are not restricted they can wish whatever they want to. This showed the aspect, that “Kharwa is a male dominated society”. If a boy has to marry a girl from outside the community, he will have to pay the fine and can bring the girl at her home after marriage. But when the girl does so, she will be boycotted from the community. The scenario is same like most of the other Indian states. The marriage of the girls is done at the age of 18 to 23 years and the Picture  14:  Woman  of  Koli  Kharwa  

boy age is 20-24 years. But they are engaged at the tender age of 14-15 years, ceremony called as sagai is performed with a small gathering of the close relatives. After the sagai is fixed, both the families have to

Shanti bhai told that girl’s education is very important and being a Patel of the community I have the responsibility to uplift it.

register in the Samaj office. After registering at the office, the sagai can’t be broken and the couple has to marry each other when they Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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become of the eligible age. The marriage dates for each Kharwa

for 5 to 9 days. After few minutes all the ladies come with plates filled

community is different. The Koli Kharwa and the Vankabara Kharwa

with the rice in their hands. All the8 ladies, which were Monica’s fai

believe in cluster marriage, known as samuhvivah. Whereas the Kharwa in

and mami’s sat on the ground along with some toffees in each plates.

Ghoghla and Diu don’t believe in samuhvivah, the marriage of the

They sang a song while striking the rice plate with iron rods. In the

Ghoghla Kharwa and the Diu Kharwa usually performed at the month

past, instead of iron wood logs were used but now due to

of January. But the marriage of the Koli Kharwaa and the Vanakbara

unavailability. They had to use the iron rods; they struck the rod 8

Kharwa is usually performed in during monsoons. The month when

times on the plate for 7 days. The same ritual also occurs at the

fishing is not done. The marriage rituals start with the installation of

bridegroom’s house. The song is sung to mock and tease the bride and

Ganapathi, within the mandap. Each samaj of the community has its own

bridegrooms parents as she is going to another house. This ceremony

small community halls along with the office. All the functions

(rasam) is done as the marriage is started. All the relatives who are far

especially marriages are performed in the hall. I went to Monica’s

away will start coming from day second. After this all the family had

wedding in Diu; I reached there at 6:00 pm in the evening. The

dinner, the dinner usually is fish and rice or dal rice and cooked by the

location was the Ghoghla community hall in firangiwada. It was a small

ladies of the house. The fish is cooked for all the 5 days. Unless and

2-story building, yellow in color and brown boundaries. A small lane

until, if they have any religious day of their clan god (kuldevta), family

took me to the place. The office of the community was also in the

deity. Then they avoid eating fish or any non-veg food. Next day due

building premises, but was closed. Sureeshbhai greeted us and told us

to the anniversary of Khodiarmata, who is their kuldevi they didn’t cook

to come inside. There was small pandal in front of the gate, known as

fish. They cooked dal on the second day. On second day, (haldirasam),

Kharwaniwadi. The family had come from Sutrapada. Monica had 5 bua

was done. It started with the bride wearing the green sari; the (mama)

(fai) and 3 mama. Everybody along with close relatives had come to

maternal uncle and 2 head official’s of the samaj came to perform the

attend the marriage and perform the rituals. The marriage is celebrated

pooja. They bless the girl and worship small girls. Then the small girls Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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apply haldi mixture (turmeric and oil) on the girls face. The girl take the

served with water and sweets. At the end they come to the girls place

blessings of the young girls too. Then all the ladies of the house start

and then they give gifts to the girl. The gold, clothes and sweets are

applying haldi on the girl. First the haldi is applied on the girl’s feet,

given to the bride and the bridegroom. Then another custom is, the

then on the hands and then on the face. The friends of the girl share

ivory bangles (hathidaant) are given to the bride from the bridegroom’s’

fun moments with the girl by applying more haldi on her face and tease

house, covered with a gold layer. Every woman in the house will be

her. The bride and bridegroom both have to keep haldi on their bodies

wearing the same bangles. But now tradition is changed only the bride

for 4-5 days, till the day of marriage. They can’t take bath and can’t

wears the ivory bangles, plastic bangles are given. As ivory is banned

even go outside the house. They have to be in the same clothes and at

by the government and is not permitted to be used in the ornaments.

the final day of marriage they take bath with the gram flour so that the

In the past, tortoise and ivory bangles were made and gifted in the

color could be removed. Then after the haldi is over everybody is

marriages but after the Portuguese rule ended in Diu, the ban was

served with (Kawo), a sweet liquid made up of gud, sabudana, fennel

applied on the tortoise bangles by the government of India. Then

(variyali), coconut (nariyal) and cardamom (ilchi) with ghee is put in the

mehandi (henna) is applied on the girl’s hands. On the day of marriage

water mixed for few minutes and then the tea leaves (chai patti) covered

the girl have to wear three sarees, the sari gifted by the mama, the

in the cloth is dipped in the liquid for the color. Then it’s served to

traditional Gujarati sari (red and white) color and the sari given by the

everybody, including the bride. Few members from the bridegroom’s

mother-in-law (saas). As a mark of respect, love and tradition the girl

house also come to the bride’s house for this ceremony. Then at night

has to wear three sarees. Although now a days girls wear just one dress

garba is performed, till 12 pm till the marriage day. On the third day,

which they want to wear, but when they go the bridegroom’s house.

mamaeroo tradition is performed. In this the gifts from mama’s house

They wear the dress gifted by her mother-in-law.

are delivered, in which mama and mami take a round in the whole

The jaan comes at 9 o'clock and on the day of marriage the girl has to

village going to the entire relatives house. At the relatives place they are

keep the fast and have not to eat anything. The girl welcomes the Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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bridegroom, by throwing (moong) green dal on him. So, that he is the

everybody come and gift the newly wed couple. The jijaji (sister’s

first one who sees her first. Then the marriage rituals take place, the

husband) come and sit besides the couple to write who has gifted

bridegroom and the brides father and mother worship (Ganapathi). The

what. Then the girl’s parents come and gifts gold to their daughter and

Brahmin pandit, who chants the mantra of the wedding, performs the

son-in-law. After this everybody came one by one and blesses them,

rituals. Then the bridegroom comes and a white cloth are kept to hide

gifts them and clicks photographs. Everybody is smiling to see the

the face of the both. After some time, the bride has to sit down on the

newly wed couple. After taking some rest, the bride is supposed to take

feet of the bridegroom and some mantras are chanted and kanyadan

the vidai, from her home and go to bridegroom house. The bride and

ritual is performed. Then the bride's parents stand up as their role is

the bridegroom both sit on a white horse and are sent to their house.

over in the ceremony .The paper from the samaj office, which is a

They have to move around whole village, as a mark that they are

marriage certificate, is kept on the hands of the bride and bridegroom

married. The light bill is paid by the (fai) as a mark that she will light

with watch on it. Then 7 betelnut (supari) is also worshipped, then the

the house of the bride with her blessings. There they go and perform

thread is knotted and clothes between the bride and the bridegroom's.

the(Pautikuan) ceremony, in which they worship the well, the bride

Then the bridegroom applies kanku (red vermillion mark) sindhoor on

washes the bridegroom’s feet and the sweets given by the bride’s mama,

the forehead of the bride and tie manglasutra around the neck of the

have to be eaten by the girl whole. Then they worship their kuldevi

girl. This is a mark that the girl is now have become the wife of the

(khodiarmata) where they play with the betel nut which is in the milk

Bride and is gifted by her parents to another house. After this 4 phera

and both has to play the game 14 times; 7 times bride has to play and 7

are done around the havankund. In the last phera, the bride comes in

times bridegroom has to play. Then the girl will come back to her

front and ends the marriage ceremony. Everybody throws flowers on

father’s house.

the couple and shouts praising them. After this ceremony the girl and

After this both the families in which according to the schedule all the

the boy sit on the chairs and the gift ceremony starts in which

family member of the bridegroom and the bride come to eat the Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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maikulap made up of mutton, chicken and fish. Then the bride’s father

own way of speaking the gujarati like they talk to their elders, in “tu”,

organizes the reception after few days, where they cook the same

and they speak elongating every word and speak very fast.

maikulap. The alcohol is consumed largely by the male in the marriages

The whole Kharwa community has set some common rules but they are

and in every festival of the community. The festivals like holi, navratiri,

further divided into various regions under one Patel, which follow

baba Ramdev Pir mela is celebrated largely.

their own rules. The different places where the Kharwa are distributed

The local festivals and elections of the community are celebrated in the

are: Veraval, Porbandar, Mangrol, Ghoghla, Vanakbara, Jamnagar,

monsoons as the people can enjoy it freely without worrying about the

Dwarka, Mandvi, Mundra, Bhedia, Mumbai, Mandvi, Jaffrabad, Diu,

sea. There is no equal practice of eating fish; the fish is eaten according

Muldwarka, Sutrapada, Navabandar, Madhwad, Dhamlej,Varvada,

to the people and their beliefs. Majority especially the male of the

Aarmbhada, Methapur,

family eats fish daily and women have their fasts on Thursday and

Okha, Betdwaraka, Pozitra, Navibandar. The places further are

Saturday.

categorised into one group and follow one Patel. The Patel is the

Like Devjibhai and his wife jayaben don’t eat fish on Monday and

leader of the group, who solves the problems and set the rules of the

Thursday in Vankabara. Sureeshbhai and his wife Dayaben don’t eat

samaj. Then above the Patels, there is Vice President Jitubhai Lohana

fish on Thursday, from Sutrapada. Ratanmaa (60 years) and Valumaa

and all of above there is President who makes the changes and serves

(82 years) the two old Kharwa women, maintain their houses. Their

the samaj if there is any serious issue.

family consists of 5 sons with their 5 wives and 9 grand children, the

The samaj works for the society and have their own set of rule, while

family of kukabhaibamaniya. The women of the family don’t eat fish

taking to Shantibhai patel of Diu, Hemalbhai Patel of Ghoghla and

daily but the male of the family eat fish daily.

Jitubhaipatel of Kharwa in Veraval and also the Vice President, I came

The Kharwa community as a whole has common lifestyle, the language

to know that samaj had made various policies for the fisherman’s

is khatiawari gujarati, but their dialect is little different. They have their Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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safety. But there are various fines too if anybody from the samaj don’t follow the rules. The economy of the samaj is the basic need, which comes from the various funds, given to the Patel by the industrialists. Then the various fine which has to be paid if somebody breaks the rule formed by the Patel. Early morning, the city feels solitary. It only gets crowded suddenly after 8am when the fish market opens up. The fresh fishes are unloaded at jetties and taken to the local fish market by the chhakdas to Kharakwa.   Picture  15:  Trading  of  fish  in  jetty  

Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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The place has cold storages where sea catch for industry are kept and a local fish market where other fishes are sold. The fish market is just in opposite direction of the Kharwa samaj center. As we stepped down from the rickshaw, I stepped into a small area full of garbage, full of dirty stinky materials. People walked past that as if they didn’t care. The small dirty pathway led us to the fish market. The smell of the fish grew stronger. The air that we breath got misty. The market is busy at that hour; it gets busy at evening too. At least a hundred women sat around in the market forming a line, shouting loudly, and calling the name of the fish they have to sell. They sat on the ground with small wooden blocks and vessels of fish, which they carry on their head, while some of them, sat on a bench, cutting and making pieces of fresh fish on the wooden block. The place is an open ground where these fisherwomen sit under self-built sheds leaving a space of one or two person between each rows. Every woman has worn sari and her thick gold ornaments glitter in the sun. They are blowing their butcher   Picture  16:  Ramdev  Pir  temple  

knives hard on the block to cut the fish. They cut the fins first, the head second, and then they make long cut on the side of the fish to open it wide. The inner material of the fish is generally dumped after which the pieces are made to sell. Of course it all depends on what fish Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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it is. The buyers are both males and females who waited at the sellers

bottom gill nets and (ojha) Japanese style net. The Japanese style nets

and buy the fish after a good bargain is done. Apart from different

need large boats known as trawling boats and hodi. While in the sea,

kinds of fishes, lobsters, crabs and prawns of different sizes and types,

we came to know about the fact that the Kharwa don’t go much into

dry fish and bakala (vegetables) are also sold here. They sell each and

the sea, the khalasi fishermen from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and

every variety of seafood that the fisherman gets from the sea.

Kerala, they go for fishing for 20-25 days, all the necessity the food,

Bhanuma, who is the lead trader in this fish market, owns a house

the water everything is provided by the owner of the boat who is a

cum shop in the market. She has been in this business for years and

Kharwa. I went into sea in the boat of the Piyushbhai, who told us

holds a reputation among Kharwaas. Her son, Jitubhai, is the president

about this the experience was amazing .The sea was like a jewel which

of all the Kharwa samaj. Her house cum shop looks like an old Gujarati

was shinning in the light of the sun. Nearly 5-6 men are needed for the

trade shop with a big Ramdev Pir painting on wall, charpais and a

fishing, as it’s a very hard task. The fish from the sea is directly sold to

rusted ceiling suspended weight-balancing scale (trajvo). The fish

the suppliers and some fish is taken home. The small boatmen bring

selling women outside Bhanuma’s place welcomed us.

their fish to the fish markets for the local consumption. The women

The community people live a decent life due to the samaj and their

sell the fish in the market and earn money for livelihood. I went to the

whole economy depend on the water, fish and its trade. The fish is

fish markets of Ghoghla, Diu and Vanakbara. The Vanakbara was

consumed and traded on large scale. Being fisherman and the seamen

having very small fish market .Diu and Ghoghla were having large fish

by their profession they are very close to the sea, told Hemalbhai.

markets, which were having varieties of fishes. The Ghoghla fish market was divided into two fish sides one for fresh fish and another side for low rate fish. There were varieties of fishes lobster, crab and

They do fishing with the net and instrument like (khunti) hook and

seashells. There was also vegetable market in which fruits were there;

jharee small nets. The different type of nets used is surface drift nets,

the fruit comes from Rajkot, Una and nearby places. The fish is Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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exported to Veraval and from there to Ahmedabad and inherent

They said they used to get good catch with gill and cast nets in small

regions of Gujarat Sea on his body." While the fish market of Veraval

boats but then trawlers swept away all the fish near the shore. Now

was large and was set up in large area, the fish market of Sutrapada was

there are no fish left due to increase in number of fishermen and

quite small but had many different fishes unlike the fishes found in

technology, that even the trawlers have to travel towards Ratanagiri

Veraval.

(Maharashtra) and Goa to catch fish. It takes them around 25 days while the small boats at this time go in morning and return by noon. The price of fuel and food has increased than before. Big boats required large quantity of such materials (wood, net, rice, wheat flour, diesel, ice), which cost a lot for one trip of 25 days. If a boat gets catch of 3 lakhs, than in this case the profit is around 1.2 lakhs. If no or less catch is obtained than the fishing goes to a loss. It is a risky business and all the fishermen believe that it depends on luck. Fishing boats were small before, about 1/5th of the size of a trawling boat, and had  

no steering; it travelled on sails. Bhailalbhai believes in such traditional

Picture  17:  Dry  fish  in  the  market  

small-scale fishing and he thinks that there is no match for such

In previous time, fishermen used to work in small boats to catch

expertise that these fisherman have. While the catch from the trawling

Pomfrets. Then they started working on trawling boats as the Japanese

boats is unloaded at the jetties and auctioned there to the buyers.

technology of trawl fishing was developed here.

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It doesn't matter when the trawlers arrive at the jetties but the fish are

Bharatbhai Khoraba, a supplier, says, "This shed is our local market.

unloaded in morning only out of cold storages in boats as the auction

All the fish from the trawlers are unloaded here and export quality

happens only in morning. There are three shades at the Bhidiya jetty

catch is separated from it. The trawling boat catch doesn't go to fish

where the fish trade is done and is provided by the government. The

market at kharakuwa. Only the small boat owners take their fish to fish

trawling boat owners have their fishing companies registered which is

market. It is like a retail market and this is like a wholesale market.

the same name they paint on their boats. The owners occupy a space in

Suppliers like me help the owner to get a good bid and immediate sale

the sheds and keep their cold storage containers along with a wooden

through our contacts.

locked wooden container to store equipment’s and materials of boat

Bharatbhai thinks that the fishing business has no longer remained

(nets, hooks, food etc). The owner is only present when the catch from

traditional; it has evolved to be a totally professional business. He is

his boat arrives for unloading and auctioning. The suppliers are present

also a Kharwa and he distinguishes himself from Koli Kharwaas and

to buy all the catch and then to immediately sell it to the exporters or

Mohila Kharwas, though every group lives peacefully here with

industrialists, which are also present in case of direct sale. The boat

interaction and dependencies amongst them. He says that the wives of

comes to this jetty, the fish container is unloaded, the ice is taken out,

the trawling boat owners don't work in fish market like that of the

and the catch is already sorted before it goes to weighing. After the

small boat owners. Their work in this fish business is to pack the food

deal is done the sea catch is put into chhakdas, which are parked in the

supplies from their home, bring it in rickshaws and provide it to the

sheds, and immediately transported to the place mentioned by the

khalasis of her husband's boat before the boat leaves for fishing; else

buyer or are kept in cold storages at Kharwa for a couple of days till the

the women are not seen here anytime.

transport is arranged. An accountant is present to prepare the receipts

"Technology cannot be stopped in this modern world and these

and bills for the process.

Kharwa don't understand it fully yet. We work for their development but they will never get out of their mindset. The result of our efforts Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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speaks that they have just improved half.,” says Dr. A.Y. Desai, the

have to go to them, they will not come to you." He further said that

dean of Fishery College, Veraval.

this is the reason why there are two groups of Kharwa in Veraval, both

He believes that the expertise of Kharwas can be used with technology

political rivals. Jagdishbhai Fofandi, owner of Deepmala Seafood and

to increase their economy. I personally think that using trawling boats,

alumni of Fishery College, believes in embracing new technologies

as a means of new technology is a waste of natural talent that old

more and more so as to progress. While the others led by Jitubhai

fisherman used to have. So I couldn't agree with what the dean said

Kuhada believes in maintaining the old ways.

but there were few small proposals, like using diamond shape nets to get good catch without affecting the reproduction and exporting

The Veraval Kharwas are thus split in two samaj and have their own

finished products instead of raw products, which I think can improve a

Patels; one is a sudharawadi while another is traditional. In matter of

lot of things in their current fishing business. Prof. B.G. Chudasama,

different castes, Hindus and Muslims, small political issues always stay

who teaches the students about the seafood available and marketing

but they realize the dependency on each other and maintain a

strategies towards fishing industries, guides the lab study of such

professional relation. The trade factor is uniting the people of different

research.

samaj and community, to keep excelling in their fields.

I asked the dean about sharing the fishermen’s knowledge with his students. He said, “Yes, We have a Rural Fishery Work Experience Program every year in which we send our students to entrepreneurs and fields. We sometimes do call Kharwa entrepreneurs for counseling but not traditional Kharwas. They are too stubborn to listen to us or follow what we say. The protocol over here is if you want to know something from them, you Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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  Picture  18:  Fruit  Market  

The fish is consumed in variety of ways, I went to different homes of

  Picture  19:  Collected  rashan  of  family  1

the people mentioned above. Fish is cooked with vegetables like potato, brinjal and ladyfinger. The utensils of the fish are of steel now but previously they were made up of “mitti”sand and soil. The Kitchen (rsodu) of the Coastal Gujarat from Veraval to Diu, have three types

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of cooking stoves the gas, the Chula and kerosene primus .The dry coconut is used as a source of lighting to cook the food. The Kitchen is of different sizes from one kitchen in one corner of a room to the one room size kitchen. But the ingredients and the food item cooked in the kitchen make them equal. The khal (granite stone) is must in every kitchen and the box of spices (masaladani). The kitchen of local fisherman, to the middle class fisherman and to the rich industrialists fisherman. Everybody has own valuables in the kitchen. But the bond of cooking fish through various method brings them together. The fish is bought from the market and cooked at home. The fish is cooked through different methods and they have different styles of cooking in the kitchen. It includes, sakheli macchli, tawo fry and rassa maachali and

Picture  20:Peopel  of  Jaleshwar  

fish cooked with rice (maikulap). The fish is cleaned first in water and it is soaked in water for few minutes and then the masala is prepared .The masala of fish is already kept ready, which includes mixture of garlic, lalmirch, turmeric (hardar) and salt.

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The rice, bajra, and wheat everything is kept stored, as it’s a tradition in Gujarat to take all the kitchen food spices and grains for 1 year. So the grains are stored in the drums along with the rice in another drum. The

quantity and quality depends upon the size of family members .The oil generally used is Gulab oil. The fish being the staple diet is eaten daily. The morning starts with breakfast of bajra nu rotlo and chaa (tea) whereas the lunch and dinner includes fish with rice or roti. The bajra nu rotlo is also consumed daily with the fish as it provides energy instantly in the body. The whole family eats the dinner or lunch together. The mother generally eats after the father has eaten his food. This tradition is still practiced. The dry fish is stored in the kitchen and every kitchen has small storage plastic boxes for different types of fishes. The food is generally consumed by sitting on the mat on the floor and fruits like banana or apple, the people consume whatever fruit is available.the fisherman community of the Gujarat, the Kharwa, the Machhiyara and the Koli Kharwas shares the same bond of trade and food. Their trade and sea unite the people. But their lifestyle, traditions and customs make them separate. They have friendly relations with each other but avoid being mixed between each other’s culture. Their own way of living and no involvement and not adapting other religions and people makes them disconnected from the mainland Gujarat.

Picture  21:  Cooking  in  boat  

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Picture  22:  Food  of  Coastal  Gujarat    

 

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3.8Analysis:   The focus of research was two fold to understand the social and economic condition of the region and secondly and to know about the cultural fish cuisine of the region. After the field research and the reviewing the various books and the journals, the idea of book became clearer. The knowledge of the field and the various researches done on the land lead me to produce the idea of the book which includes the cuisine of the Coastal Gujarat through a book which also provide the information about the land, people and the evolution of the fish trade. All these factors being interlinked have to shown in such a way that it gave the research a better shape and did justification to the field research. The maritime activities in Gujarat flourished due to its ports, but the Europeans did not control the economy and culture of the Gujarat, and the commercial structure evolved independently. The Portuguese, in comparison to the other European powers had a reasonable acceptance on the indigenous people of Diu, in Gujarat.

Picture  24:  Brainstorming    

 

The people involved in the trading resulted in an emergence of different communities; the Kharwaa, machiyara and Koli’s who settled along the coastal region of Gujarat and added seafood to their cuisine, unlike the people of mainland Gujarat. Despite the long coastline, the eating habits of the mainland have dominated the food culture of Gujarat.

Seafaring evolved and the people of coastal Gujarat took to fishing as their source of survival.

This project product attempts to talk about the life and primarily the cuisine of the people of coastal Gujarat inspired and portrayed the different cultural and culinary cuisine of the Coastal communities of Gujarat. The community as a whole is divided in the various fishing

 

   

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activities being worker, a local fisherman, middleman of trading fish, owner of ships, owner of fish industries, President of the community. Everybody had been involved and is satisfied with their lives. Even the women and the children of the communities are involved in fishing in every way. The research helped in unfolding the various aspects of rules , traditions and relation within their own community and other fishing communities of the region. They had made their own society irrespective of their economic, cultural and social backgrounds. The Kharwa, Koli and Machhiyara have been collectively emerged as a Fisherman society who is linked due to their trade and the cuisine of fish. But the same element of trade and fish have made them isolated from other communities of Coastal Gujarat and Gujarat.

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Land  and  sea    

People  and   migration    

Adapting  of  Land    

Formation  of  communities   Customs  and  Traditions   Trade  and  Survival   Fish   Cuisine   Flow chart of Research  

Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

4.The Final Product:

51   department. The term fish includes all fresh or saltwater finfish, molluscan, shellfish, crustaceans and other forms of aquatic life”. The

4.1Conceptualization:

word tale is representing the various stories, which are linked to the fish and also sound as fish tail when spoken.

I have chosen print media in the form of a book as my medium to communicate because the writing being the integral part shows the depth 4.2 Narratives: of idea that needs to be communicated to the readers. The genre of my book is travelogue cookbook as it gives a sense of land, people, fish and The narrative of the book is the most important part, the main idea to the connection between the land and the food through my travel to the communicate depends upon the narratives. The process of writing the land. The book is also window into the aspect of Gujarat, which is lesser narrative took a long period of almost 2 months. There were various known.

iterations to come to the final narrative. Initially the idea was to just describe about the land. Then after the various brainstorming process the

The book “Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat” is an attempt to bring final idea was to write and narrate the stories that took place during my together the culinary legacy with 24 recipes of the seafood. The name of travel, writing about the individual of different communities as well as the the book is given after an extensive research as the Fish Tales, it explains community. I met and wrote about the recipes and the information, I and includes the wider horizon of the objective of writing the book. As gathered from the each particular land. according to “the US department of agriculture (USDA) define seafood on 28 January 1995, as term seafood is equal to the fish

Initial narrative: Chapter 1:The People of Coastal Gujarat · Traditions and culture · Samaj role Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

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· Marriages

dominated in these region. The Kharwa, the ancient fishermen and the Koli

· Education

Kharwa, the ancient farmers joined the fishing community since ages. The

· Women in the samaj

Coastal region of Gujarat are dominated by the fishing community,

· Festivals

known as Kharwaa. In Gujarati the word Kharwa is described as “The son of sea”. The word Kharwa itself is originated with the rise of the

The combination of the sun, the land, the air and the seashore with boats community. There is a town called Kharwa in the village of Rajasthan near adds to the scenic beauty of the place. The fishing boats, the vehicles are Ajmer, which might be the reason of their origin (according to my the basic mode of transportation and survival for the people of Coastal research). Gujarat. I was mesmerized by the calmness and the peace of the land.

Final Narrative:

While crossing the bridge, I saw the migratory birds sitting on one side of In Ghoghla with Hemalbhai Rajput the sea and the small boats with men fishing in the boats. The scene of

I entered a small lane and as I stepped out of my auto rickshaw, I stood

the birds flying for the fish, caught by the men on the boats united by the facing a large bright blue colored door, I was in Ghoghla, outside two lives fighting for their survival for living dependent on the third Hemalbhai’s office; the President of the Ghoghla Kharwa samaj (society) living creature “the fish”.

and the representative of the NUSI (National Union of Seafarers in India). I dialed his number and told him of my arrival. It was 8:30 am,

The people of Coastal Gujarat unlike, people of mainland Gujarat have sitting on their own culinary habit, depending on their surroundings. The people of coastal Gujarat have love for seafood, which makes them different in

Safed LotiVau

their habits and isolated from mainland Gujarat. The fisherman White Fish curry with Pearl Millet unfermented bread (Bajro nu rotlo) community of Diu, Vanakbara, Ghoghla, Veraval and Sutrapada region the Kharwas, the Koli Kharwaa and the Macchiayara are the highly Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

53   A mildly flavored curry that is traditionally prepared in an earthen pot or Salt according to the taste

a round bowl. The pieces of bajro nu rotlo cover the whole curry, becoming a creamy mixture.

½ cup oil

Serves: 4

Wash and clean the fish pieces.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Heat oil in a skillet. Add the fish pieces and fry for 15 minutes. Add water

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

and cook for 10 minutes. Add bajro no rotlo and stir till it completely

2 bajro nu rotlo

blends into the curry.

Picture  25:Pre  planning  for  narrative  1

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4.2Visual Design: Illustrations: There was much iteration in thinking about the visuals that were to be added. I have added illustrations and photography both for my book, to give the essence of my observation and the reality of the land. There were various iterations regarding the technique of the illustration to be used. I used watercolor technique for my fish illustration, but eventually it didn’t work due to the loss of the basic structure of the fish. Then I went for the sketching, chalk, pencil color inspired by Jain paintings and shading technique for the fish but the structure of the fish was lost. Then after various iterations I came to the technique of wood cut, lino cut and the hatching. All these three were finally selected and

Picture  26:  Water  color  fish  drawing  1

cross hatching technique was finalized as it was giving the right value to the fish. The use of crosshatching is applied to the photographs as it creates the different shades and a give a deep tone to the illustrations, photographs and the maps. It gives more value to the space and the deeper the subject of the fish , fruits and the maps.

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  Picture  27:  Lino  cut  fish  1

 

  Picture  28:  Jain  Pinting  

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Picture  29:  Cross  hatching  Fish  

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Maps: The maps are hand drawn and is the element which have been added to show the idea of the land I travelled, so that user can see the places I have gone and can easily relate to the idea that where I have travelled. The maps are drawn in the ratio of 1.5 in: 10 km using the political map of Gujarat and its my own interpretation of representing the map inspired by the Portuguese style map of Diu taken by book Maps of India.

Picture  31:  Portuguese  map  of  Goa     Picture  30:illustrated  map  

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Paper: There were various iterations for the paper to from simple white sheet to the various shades of brown and finally to the brown, which was linked to, the old Portuguese printing paper during their rule on the Indian states. I have used three kinds of paper in the book, the brown paper, tracing paper and the white paper. The brown paper is used for the printing of the stories and the recipies which is of 130 gsm. The tracing paper is used for the printing of the maps and to break the uniformity I have used white paper for the

Picture  32:  Final  map  Paper

photographs. Writing a travelogue and giving its essence through writing was all about my observation. But giving book a design that depicts the land I am talking about was tricky.

Picture  33:  Rough  map  sample  

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Photographs: The photographs are used as to give the user the visualization of the land I have travelled, Initially I went through the idea of making the collage of all the photographs depicting the story but it was not working out due to the amount of picture used was declining the essence of the pictures and I finally came to the idea of modifying the pictures using the fine edge giving the grey effect to the land to show the land and the color images of the elements to be added on. Each chapter container two collage and one small photograph with the face of the person whom I met during my visit. The photographs on the second pages were giving the cross hatching effect so that the illustration and photographs don’t show much variation and give a collective feeling of land to the user. The photographs of the recipes is added in the middle of the chapter 4 and 5 as to reflect the cuisine with the interactive page of the recipe which can be cut and attach to the wall, during the preparation of the cuisine.

Picture  34:  Rough  collage  sample  

 

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4.3 Layout: The Layout of writing the stories adding the various elements to engage the user with the product and producing the recipes also took much iteration, as it was not at all easy to put all the elements together. The various fonts like hand test, dad hand, sugar fish, ;HE? JLCHN, Gandhi sans etc. After almost 10 iterations and changes I was able to produce the layout with the font a (safe place to fall), which was giving the essence of my writing and Garamond which was going with the font and was easy for the reader to read. The font size a safe place to fall was 11 and 12 leading, with the Garamond as the 12 font size and 12 leading. The two fonts collectively were added to make it visually easier for the reader to read in any place.

Picture  35:  Final  collage  sample    

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Peedon Loti Vau Yellow Fish curry with Pearl Millet unfermented bread (Bajri no rotlo)

I entered a small lane

and as I stepped out of my auto rickshaw, I stood facing a large bright blue colored door, I was in Ghoghla, outside Hemalbhai’s office; the President of the Ghoghla Kharwa samaj (society) and the representative of the NUSI (National Union of Seafarers in India). I dialed his number and told him of my arrival. It was 8:30 am, sitting on the cemented stairs in front of the shops I looked around; a temple across the lane caught my attention. The temple was painted in a myriad colors with sculptures of different Hindu Gods on the walls. I looked around deep down the narrow lane that was flanked by shops, all painted in white with blue wooden doors. A few shops were open but for most it was too early in the day. Children with heavy bags on their back, walked in the direction of their school. Women and men carrying milk; vegetable sellers all moved about in the narrow lane. I suddenly heard a voice, a tall well-built man stood in front of me, and it was Hemalbhai. I stood up and greeted him. Hemalbhai opened the door of to his office, and requested me to sit down and enquired if I had trouble finding the place. The conversation began...

A rich and spicy version of Safed Lotivau with garlic, turmeric and an onion gravy that is traditionally prepared in an earthen pot or degchi. The degchi is covered with a bajra no rotlo; and as the curry comes to a boil the steam from the curry dissolves the bajra no rotlo, the rotlo blends into the gravy, making it thick and creamy. Serves: 4 Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes

1 Onion, finely chopped 15 cloves garlic, sliced 2 Green chili, thinly sliced 2 Bajra rotlas - the size of the palm 2 Tablespoons tamarind water 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh coriander 1 Teaspoon turmeric powder 2 Cups water 1 Cup Oil Salt to taste

Curiosity got the better of me and the first question I asked him about the temple that I had seen.

He told me that the temple was built by the Kharwa samaj and it was a temple that housed all the Gods, except Ramdev Pir, he however could not explain the absence of their God in the temple.While

the Kharwas celebrate all the festivals associated with Ramdev Pir the Ghoghla temple does not have the idol of the god. I enquired about how the Kharwa samaj began. He said that people of the Kharwa samaj were from Rajasthan or that it is just what people say or believe but there is no evidence of it. Historically, he said it is believed to be a community made up of people from various castes, but today they stand together and what binds them, as a community is the sea trade. Being the President of Ghoghla Kharwa community, he thought he needed to believe in history but the fact was that he did not as there was little historical evidence of their community came to be.He had done his Electrical Engineering from Goa, and subsequently done a job as a software engineer in South Africa for 4-5 years, unhappy there he chose to come back to Ghoghla, and started serving the samaj. He said people here needed a leader, who could help make their lives better, and therefore returned to become the President of the samaj and worked to provide a better education to the children of the Kharwa community and made it mandatory for both girls and boys to study till the 10th standard.He then proceeded to say that “je manas samaj

Cut, clean and soak the fish pieces into a bowl of fresh water for 15 minutes. Drain the water and add the red chili powder, turmeric, garlic and green chili into the bowl and leave it to marinate ten minutes. Heat oil in a degchi and add the fish, fry for 15 minutes or till the fish turns brown. Add the 2 cups of water, and salt to taste. Add the bajra no rotlo into the curry letting it cook till the bread dissolves in the curry. Add the two tablespoons of tamarind water and stir gently for 5 minutes; cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes on a medium fire. Garnish with fresh coriander just before serving.

ne vafadar na hoye te koi na vafadar na hoye”, (A man who cannot be loyal to society cannot be loyal to anybody).The President’s term is for one-year. Each year on the day of the Holi festival, the Ghoghla Kharwa comunity elects a new president for the samaj. Hemalbhai said that the rules of each kharwa samaj are different, and they are formed by the kharwa President with the help of the community. Boys and girls of the Ghoghla community are not permitted to marry outside the community and the same goes for the group in Veraval or any other group living elsewhere.

Fish Tales 7

 

  4 Fish Tales

                                     Picture  36:  Story  Layout    

Picture  37:  Recipe  Layout    

 

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62   Size of the book: Initially the page size was 7×10 inches, but it was being too vertical and narrow in size and was not going with the content of the book. Then 8.5×9.5 inches which was a square shape but it was also not giving the justification to the product and the paper wastage was very much. Then the final size of the book was decided as 8×10 inches as the size was suitable with the book content and was easy to handle while travelling, reading and preparing of the recipes. Keeping the suitable size also reduced the paper wastage during the cutting of the book.

Picture  38:  Food  Photograph  

 

Book Cover: The book cover is based on the theme of the elements, which I have added in my book. It is defining the complete journey of the land, people and fish. The cover includes the collective visualization of the photographs and the illustrations. The initial book cover of the book will be of size 12×10 inches, which can be changed during the printing of the book.

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Printing: The printing of the book is done in black and white and color was the little tricky as there is a difference in what we see in the soft copies. There were also the variations in the color but after many printings I was able to get a right sample of the book. User testing: I made my writing circulated to the 10 people, whether they are enjoying and able to visualize my idea of writing. Everybody was able to read and visualize the land, which I travelled and the recipes are tasted by me during the field visit. The book stories were tested on both man and woman of age above 18 years. The stories were liked by the male readers of Punjab and Delhi, they liked the way narration is going and connecting to the cuisine and the land. The woman readers were also interested as it was a cookbook which was interpretation them about different land and kitchen.

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Chapter 5.Conclusion: The final product of the project is the travelogue cookbook, which insights me most about how the food (fish) they eat and its trade has united the communities from different backgrounds. Through the journey of my land and experiencing the culture of the people, I realized that food itself has formed the culture of the people and its stories have helped me to give a different look to the food. The food they eat was a medium of culture, revolving around its geography. The history of the communities, their connection to the maritime trade and seafaring through the land and sea where they live, have evolved with the changing times. But the basic challenges they faced had led the new generation to move into various trades. Throughout my travel, I learned and experienced the different situations and problems faced by the fishing community, that may be being a local President, fisherman of the trawling boats, local fisherman, woman in the fish markets to the industrialists, Everybody has its own challenges and the role they had to play in the community has marked them to be its part.

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6.Glossary:

Hathidant chudi Ivory bangle

Bakalu

Vegetables

Bagga

Ribbon fish

Bajri

Pearl Millet

Belan

Rolling pins

Ben

Sister, used to show respect

Bindi

A small dot on the forehead, for decoration

Bangda

Mackerel

Barsi

One year death anniversary

Bandar

Port

Bhajiya

Fritters

Bhai

Brother; it’s used for male as mark of respect

Bhumla

Bombay duck

Jhinga

Prawns

Shak

Curry

Cholas

Governing bodies

Chapari

Seer fish

Dano

Dot

Desi Ghee

Butter oil

Ghau

Wheat

Gadhiyo

Chinese Pomfret

Hori

Fiber boats

Haba

Long platted frock

Hardar

Turmeric

Havankund

Fire bowl

Jhum

Quickening

Jhinga

Prawns

Jamva nu

To eat

Janpada

Territory

Jeti

Harbor

Juna

Old

Kalu

Mussels

Kanku

Vermillion Red mark

Karachalo

Crab

Khalasis

Workers

Kediu

Jacket

Kapdu

Clothes

Khalasis

Workers

Khal

Mortar and pestle

Kavo

Warm sweet drink of jaggery

Kharwaniwadi

Community hall

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66  

Lal marcha

Red chili

Rasoiyo

Cook

Magra

Baby Shark

Rotlo

Unferment large size bread

Machimari

Fishing

Rotli

Unferment wheat bread

Mama

Maternal uncle

Samosa

Fried Indian Pastry

Mami’s

Maternal aunts

Samri

Tiny prawns

Mati nu chulha

Earthen stove

Servo

Tuna

Maachali

Fish

Samaj

Community

Mandap

Marriage tent

Sakele maachali

Dry Fish

Navu

New

Sagar pankhi

Seagulls

Odhni

Long scarf

Sagai

Engagement

Parantha

Fried Unferment Parantha

Samuh vivah

Group Marriages

Pamplet

Pomfret

Samri

Shrimp

Patiyo

Earthen utensils

Vivah

Marriage

Patloon

Pyajama

 

Pameera

Flying fish

Primus

Kerosene stove

Patla wali’s

Women who cut fish

Pheras

Round

Randhwa

Cooking

Ringna

Brinjal

Ramdev Pir

Kharwa God Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

67  

References Ayesha Khan Ink magazine, Gathering Storm;4th May 2014. Achyut Yagnik ; Shaping of Modern Gujarat ;Penguin books India Sept. 1, 2005 AS Gaur and Saudresh, Maritime archaeology of Gujarat: Northwest Coast of India; Pg.155-258,2011 Chitritha Banerjee. Exploring a Nations Cuisisne ; Penguins Books ; Bloosbury, 2007Fishries Stastics of Gujarat (2011-2012); Government of Gujarat. Haku Shah, Bindu: The Dot personified; IDC Publication 1992. Indian Fishery Handbook; The Marine Export Development Authority. Jan Blommart and Dong Jie; Ethnographic Fieldwork, A Beginnner’s guide.; Multilingual Matters, 28 June 2010.

Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003

   

68  

John Jhieme and Ira Raja , Table is laid Oxford Anthology of South

Scientific , English and Local Name of Important Marine Fishes Of

Asian Food; Oxford University Press 2007.

Gujarat; Junagadh Krishi University Veraval.

K.S.Singh , The People of Gujarat, Volume XXII Part 2.

Samanth Subramanaina ; Following Fish; Penguin Book India Ltd, 2010.

Lathika George; The Suriani Kitchen;Westland Limited, 2009

Subodh Kerkar’s , Frontline magazine; 28 June, 2013.

National Conference on Value Fish 2014 Page no. 29 to 32 March14-15, 2014. Madhur Jaffery’s; World of the East Vegeterian Cooking, November 12 , 1991. Massimo Montanari, The Culture of Food, Black well Published, 1994. Ronald B.Inden and Ralph W.Nicolas ; Kinship in Bengali Culture; the University of Chicage Press, 1997.XVII Sankruti, Itihas Reet Rivajo Utsav ane Dariyai Katha; Sakshi Prakashan.

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65  

8.Appendix Fish of Gujarat

S.no

Scientific name

English

Local Name

Size/Depth

Season

1

Pomfret Pampus argenteus

Silver Pomfret

2

Pampus chinensis

Pamplet, Vicchudo Gadhiyo, Kafari

October to December, throughout the year June to December

3

Formio niger

AS=30-60 cm D=100 m S= 40 cm D=100 m S= 32 cm D= 110 m

4

Shrimp Solenocera Crassicornis

Chinese Pomfret Black Pomfret

Halvo, Adadiyo

June to December

Coastal mud prawn

Lal Kolmi, Goinar

S= 8-14 cm D= 20 to 85 m

January to October

Kiddi Prawan

Tiny, Kolami

Indian Prawn

Midium

7

Metapenaeus kutchensis

Suraj bari, Kachcchi jhinga

8

Penaeus Indicus Important in India

Kutch Prawn Indian white prawn

S= 6-12 cm D S=18 cm D= 90 m S=18 cm D=90 m S= 20-23 cm D= 2 to 90 m

September to October

6

Parapenaeopsis Stylifera Metapenaeus affinis

5

White, Jumbo

September to October Jan- April April to July

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9

Metapenaeus monoceros Penaeus monodon

Speckled Prawn Tiger Prawn

10

Tiger

11

Penaeus semisulcatus

Flower Prawn

Flower

12

Penaeus Japonicus

Kuruma Prawn Medium Patta

13

Rainbow Prawn Hunter Shrimp

15

Parapenaeopsis Sculptilis Exhippolysmata Ensirostris Acetes Indicus

16

Ribbon Fish Lepturacanthus savala

17

Trichiurus Lepturus

18

Eupleurogrammus muticus

19

Mackerel Rasterlliger Kanagurta

20

Megalaspis Cordyla

21

Thread Fins Polynemus Tetradactylus

14

Kapsi

September to December Jan to April

Patta

S= 19 cm D=10-30 m to 60 m S= 32 cm D= 110 m S=13- 15 cm up to 23 cm D= 130 m S=23 cm D=90 m S=6-12 cm, 15 cm

Dodi

S= 8 cm

February to May

Paste Shrimp

Javalo

S= 4 cm

Jan- April

Silver Ribbon fish Grey head hair tail

Baga, Silver Baga

S= 25-27 cm

December to January

Baga, Black Baga

S= 60-90 up to 110 cm D= 100 m

August to October

August to October August to October January- April

Small head hair Rasi Bagi tail

S= 25-75 cm D= 100 m

Indian Mackerel Horse Mackerel

Malbari Bangda

S= 16-25 cm

October to December

Bangda

S= 30-40 cm

October to December

Four Finger

Dara, Bava

S= 200 cm

December to May

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67  

22

Polynemus Indicus

23

Polynemus Heptadactylus

24

Flounder Pseudorhombus Arsius

25

Psettodes Erumei

26 27

Tuna Euthynnus Affinis Auxis Thazard

28

Katsuwonus Pelamis

29

Thunnus Albacarus

30

Thunnus Toggol

31 32

Thunnus Obesus Cephalopods Sepia Pharaonis

33

Sepia Aculeata

Thread Fin Indian Thread Fin Seven Finger Thread Fin

Ravas

S= 120 cm

December to May

Sheri

S= 25 cm

December to May

Large Toothed Flounder Indian Halibut

Khetar, Datari

S= 35 cm

October to January

Hariyo

S= 20-40 cm up to 60 cm D= 100 m

December to May

Little Tuna Frigate Mackerel Skipjack Tuna

Gedara Gedari

S= 40-60 cm S=58 cm

October to May August to December

Gedara/Poatal

October to January

Yellow Fin Tuna Long Tail Tuna Big Eye Tuna

Vir Gedara

S= 20 – 100 cm 40-80 cm common length S= 50-150 cm

Serava

S= 40-70 cm

October to January

Serava

S= 60-180 cm

October to May

Cuttle fish

Makul

S=45- 50 cm D= 200 m

Throughout Year

Needle Cullte Fish

Dedaka

S=5-20 cm D= 200 m

Throughout Year

October to January

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34

Sepia Prashadi Veraval

Cullte Fish

Long Bone

S= 14 cm

Throughout Year

35

Sepielle Inermis

Inda Goti, Goti

36

Loligo Duvaucelli

Spineless Cuttle Fish Squid

37

Doryteuthis Sibogoae

Needle Squid

Nidal

38

Octopus Globosus

Octopus

Salak, Sikavado

S=125 mm D= 40 m S=6-22 cm D= 40 m S= 6 to 15 cm D= 40 m S= 25 cm D= 200 m

September to December September to December September to December September to December

39

Lobster Penulirus Polyphagus

Rock Lobster

Titan

December to January

40

Penulirus Homarus

Spiny Lobster

Titan

41

Penulirus Ornatus

Spiny Lobster

Titan

42

Thenus Orientalis

Sand Lobster

Kako

S= 37 cm D=10-60 m S=30 cm D=5-20 m S=50 cm D=5-20 m S=25 cm D=10-60 m

43

Shark Carcharias Melnopterutus

Black Shark

Patari

April-July

44

Carcharhinus Limbatus

Black Tip Shark

Magara

45

Scoliodon Laticaudus

Spadenose Shark

Sandho

S=200 cm D=30-75 m, sand and muddy bottoms S=240 cm D=30-75 cm, offshores water S=70 cm D=30-75 cm, near shores waters

Narasinga

December to January December to January December to January

Throughout Year Sep-April Throughout year

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69  

46

Sphyrna Lewini

47

Mustelus Mosis

48

Rhincodon Typus

49

Lizard Fish Saurida Tumbil

50

Saurida Longimanus

51

Saurida Undosquami

52

Trachinocephals Myops

53

Croaker Johnius Dussumieri

54

Hammer Head Shark Arabian Smooth Hound Whale Shark

Nathiyo

S=400 cm D=30-75 cm S= 25-250 cm D= 30-75cm

Throughout Year

Beral

S=75 cm and above D=30-75 cm

Throughout year

Greater Lizard Fish Long Fin Lizard Fish Brush Tooth Lizard Fish Bluntnose Lizard Fish

Bhungar, Chor Bumala

S= 45 cm D= 100 m S=25 cm D= 200 m S= 45 cm D= 60 m S= 40 cm D= 100 m

December to January

Breaded Croaker

Mathara Dhoma, Yellow Dhoma

S=23 cm D= 40 m

Throughout Year

Otolithes Cuvieri

Lesser Tooth Croaker

Silver Dhoma, Turi

S=30 cm D= 40 m

Throughout Year

55

Otolithes Ruber

Mosanbi Dhoma, TT Dhoma

57

Otolithoides Biauritus Good Food Fish Nibea Maculata

58

Protonibea Diacanthus

S= 75 cm D= 40 m S= 120 cm D= 40 m S=30 cm D= 40 m S=70 cm

October to April

56

Tiger Tooth Croaker Bronze Croaker Blotched Croaker Jew Fish

Bokha

Pencil Bhungar Bhungar, Chor Bumala Patta Bhungar

Goyani, Kuth Babar Ghol

Throughout Year

December to January December to January December to January

October to April March, May-June Throughout

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70   Food Fish

59

Seer Fish Scomberomorus Gullatus

60

Scomberomorus Lineolatus

61

Scomberomorus Commerson

62

Rays Mobula Diabolus

63

Dasyatis Zugei

64

Rhinoptera Javanica

65

Aetomylaeus Nichofii

66

Manta Birostris

67

Skates Rhynchobatus Djiddensis

68

Rhynobatos Granulatus

D=40 m

Year

S= 40-60 cm D=30-200m S= 80 cm D= 30 -200 m S= 220 cm D= 15-200 m

January to May

Spotted Seer Fish Streaked Seer Fish Barred Seer Fiah

Chapari

Devil Ray

Timari

S=57-167 cm D= 40-60m

Throughout Year

Pale-Edged Sting Ray Cow Ray

Varala

December to January

Neiuhof’s Eagle Ray Manta Ray

Karaj

S= 29 cm D= 100 m S=150 cm D= 30 m S= 16-70 cm D= 70 m S=700cm D= 70 m

Guitar Fish, White Spotted Shovel Nose Ray Granulated Shovel nose Ray

Dhons, Bhuthar

S= 3.1 m D=2 to 50 m

September to January

Dhons Bhuthar

S= 180 cm D=2 to 50 m

January to May

Chapari Suramai

Bur

Karaj

April- May October to April

January to May March to December October to April

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71  

69

Charybdis Cruciata

Cross Crab

Lal Karachalo

70

Scylla Serrata

Mud Crab

Dhebaro Karachalo

71

Portunus Pelagicus

Blue Crab

Blur Karachalo

72

Portunus Sanguniolentus

Three Spotted Crab

Tapakavalo Karachalo

73

Sail Fish Istiophorus Platypterus

Sail Fish

Ghodo

74

Makaira Indica

Black Marlin

Ghodo

75

Xiphias gladius

Sword Fish

Surajmukhi

76

Eel Congresox Talabonoides

Vam

77

Muraenesox Cinereus

Indian Pike Conger Silver Conger Eel

78

Grunters & Sweet Lips Pomadasys Argenteus

Silver Grunt

Ghurako

79

Diagramma Pictum

Painted Sweet Lip

Andar

80

Reef Cod Epineohelus Diacanthus

Lal Vekhalu

81

Epinephelus Tauvina

Six Barred Reef Cod Grey Reef Cod

Vam

Vekhalu

S= 15 cm D=13cm S=14.7 cm D=13cm S= 10-15 cm D=101-179 m S= 10-12 cm D= 100 m

January to May

S=100-240cm D= 400-430 cm S=120-150cm D= 400-430 cm S= 3-4.5 m D=650 m

October to April

S=200 cm D=16-45 m S=20-25 m D=100 m

April- May

S=45 cm D= 60 m S=60 cm D= 200 m

October to April

S=46 cm D=63-100 m S=200 cm D= 60 m

October to May.

September to January March to December October to March

October to April October to April

April-May

May to September

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72  

82 83

Cat Fish Arius Thalassinus Arius Dussumieri

84

Giant Cat Fish Dussumieri’s Catfish

Khago, Khagi Khago, Khagi

Osteogeniosus militarius

Soldier Catfish

85

Clupeids Tenualosa Ilisha

86

Tenualosa Toli

87

Ilisha Megaloptera

88

S=25-70 cm D=50 m

March, May-June and September to October

Goji Khagi

S=35cm D= 50 m

October to May.

Indian Shad

Chakasi

October to December

Chinese Herring Big Eye Ilisha

Palavi, Palvo

Oil Sardine

Aed

89

Sardinella Longiceps Food For Fish Opisthopterus Tardoore

Tardoore

Khoti Kati

90

Dussumeria Acuta

Telas Kati

91

Colia Dussumieri

Rainbow Sardine Golden Anchovy

S= 40 cm D= 10 m S= 40 cm D= 10 m S= 28 cm D= 50m S=20 cm D=45m S=17 cm D=39.5 m S=20 cm D=10-20 m S=20 cm D=10-20 m

92

Chirocentrus Dorab

Silver Bar

Dai

S=40-60 cm D=45m

October to December

93

Carangids Atropus atropus

Kuwesh Travelly

Nariyella

S=75 cm D=30 m

Throughout Year

94

Caranx Sexfacicatus

Dusky Travelly

Nariyella

S=75 cm

March, May-June

Kati, Dorari Kati

Mendali

January to May May to September January to May May to September October to December Throughout Year

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73   D=30 m S=35 cm D= 30 m S= 94 cm D= 60 m S= 12 cm D= 60 m

95

Decapterus Russelli

Russell’s Scad

Khota Bangada

96

Talang Queen Fish Golden Scad

Sag

97

Scomberoiddes Commesnnianus Carax Para

98

Carangoides Malabaricus

Malabar Travelly

Khadava

S=25 cm D= 30 m

October to December

99

Barracuda Sphyraena Obtusata

Obtuse barracuda

Jira

S= 150 cm

Throughout Year

100

Sphyraena Jello

Giant Sea Pike, Barracuda

Jira, Kunga

S= 50-100 cm

January to May

Long Tongue Sole Zebra Sole

Moti Jibh Jibh

S=45 cm S= 15 cm

October to December

Large Scaled Flying Fish

Pakhiya Jira

S=17 cm

Throughout Year

Indian Flying Fish

Pakhiya Jira

S= 15-20 cm

Throughout Year

Black Barred Half Beak Lutke’s Half Beak

Chanchiya Jira, Kunga

S=37 cm

January to May October to December

Tori

S=40 cm

January to May

101 102 103 104

Sole Fish Cynoglossus Lingua Zebrias Quagga Flying Fish Cypselurus Oligolepis Hirundichthys coromandensis

105

Half Beak/Full Beak Hemiramphus far

106

Hemiramphus Lukei

Para

January to May January to May October to December Throughout Year

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    107

74   Full Beak Gar Fish

Chanchiya Jira

108 109 110

Strongylura Stonylura Other Fish Harpodon Nehereus Mene Maculata Nemipterus Japonicus

S= 15-20 cm

Bombay Duck Moon Fish Thread Fin Breams

Bumala, Dataniya S=10-30cm Chand Fish Rani Fish, Lal Machhala S=12-25 cm

January to May

111

Priacanthus Hamrur

Bull’s Eye

Dola, Dorara

October to December

112 113

Upeneus Sulphreus Lethrinus Ornatus

Khota Lal Machhala Dhamil

114

Lutjanus Johni

Yellow Goat Fish Ornate Emperor Bream Golden Snapper

S=15-20 cm D= 150-200 m S= 15-20 cm S=30 cm D=40m S=30-50 cm D=80 m

115 116

Lactarius Lactarius Rachycetron Canadum

White Fish Cobia

Khitali Sakaro

S=200 cm

January to May

117 118

Coruphaena Hipparus Mugil Cephalus

Dolphin Fish Grey Mullet

Apanus Boy, Gandhiyo

S=150 cm S=400 cm D=30-75 cm

October to December October to December

119 120

Remora remora Terapon Jarabua

Sucker Fish Jarabua Terapon

Meghar Kuturo, Hajam

January to May

121

Gerres Filamentosus

Whipfin majorra

Tondyu

122 123

Drepane punctala Sillago Sihama

Spotted Sicklefish Silver Sillago

Dafaniyo Gomati, Finger Lady

S=200 cm D=16-45 m S=30-50 cm D=80 m S=150 cm S=30-50 cm D=80 m

124 125

Platycephalus Indicus Trachinotus Blochii

Indian Flathead Pompano

Gokhin Duplicate Paplet

S=37 cm S=150 cm

January to May Throughout

Raja, Gulaliyo

October to December

October to December

October to December January to May

May to September October to December Throughout Year

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75   Year

126

Seriolina Nigrofasciata

Butter Fish

Pocha

127

Pyritis Microdon

Churiyo, Sury Magaru

128

Aluterus Maonoceros

Small Toothed Saw Fish Unicorn Leatherjacket

129

Pseudotriacanths Striglifer

Don

Long-Spined Tripod Helicopter Fish

S=400 cm D=30-75 cm S=30 cm D=40m S=10-30cm

January to May

S=12-25 cm

January to May

May to September Throughout Year

Fish Tales: Cuisine of Coastal Gujarat |Mitali Sharma |201314003