The Differences Never End!

Time for more differences between Gujarat and the South...the Secular Edition.

1. Rice. Yes, one of the many foods I'm sick of by now. The reason? South Indians eat rice as a main part of their meal. It's the most important part of the thali or meal. Gujus are a bit different. We prefer to have only a little rice at the end of the meal, to help finish the remaining food. If I would have started in Gujarat, I would not have been so sick of rice...or I would have been sick of rice, and then have starved in the South. Who knows?

2. Tempos. Eh? A big ol' autoriksha that can fit a minimum of 6 people, though I've seen many many more piled in. Supposedly these exist in the South, but I never saw a single one in three months. The moment I arrived in Gujarat, I saw them everywhere, particularly in Surat and in Saurashtra. Tempos are bigger and much much noisier than the plain autos. Still, they can be useful with larger groups.

3. Jai. Who needs "Hello" and "Goodbye" when you have the word "Jai?" No, Gujus don't just use this word, but they always stick something on the end of it, adapting it to whomever the recipient of the greeting is. Once it's said, the recipient must then repeat it. For example, with Jains, you say "Jai Janendra." With anyone on my Mom's side of the family, we say "Jai Sheeyarama." With most other people, it's "Jai Sheekrishna." For Prayag Bhai, it's "Jai Gurudev." For Shanti Prasadji, it's "Jai Swaminarayana." You get the idea. We say this when we meet and when we part ways. And whoever starts first...that's the one used. For example, when Shanti Prasadji dropped me home from Latidhad, Dadaji was the first to speak. So, we all said "Jai Swaminarayana." If Shanti Prasadji had spoken first, then it would have been "Jai Janendra," simply because the recipient was Jain. This form of greeting does not exist in the South at all. I wonder if it exists anywhere else.