Surat

Solar panels dot the Dandi memorial!

There is a popular saying amongst Gujaratis using cricket parlance that when you hurl a bouncer at a Surti, he will not duck but try to hook it...and, I think that about summarizes the Surat mindset...a city and people who are always up for challenges, with a zest for life and not to forget food.

However, not many would be aware that Surat also has a chequered history as it was an important sea post and therefore attracted a lot of foreigners who set up their trading posts and not to forget the Mughals and Marathas who always plundered the wealth it had at will.

The Surat of today is a very interesting city, clean after its plague experience and its indomitable spirit making it a leading textile and diamond hub.