SUGAR CANE SEASON

They are painted bright blue - the mobile sugar cane press is seen just about everywhere - two wooden screws and a long iron handle - the rod of cane is put through the 'mangle' and the cane juice wallah heaves the long handle of the press round in a 365 degree arc, to extract the juice from the cane - 10 rupees a glass !  But of course in Jetalpur Road there is a press which claims to be the first 'automated sugar press' in Baroda...no screws...no long handle...no sweating as you strain to push it round...

And to add to this tasty pleasure, there is a place where you can buy bananas brought up by truck from Southern India - there are two types of banana, very small ones, and very long ones - the stall is in a strange location - it's on a 'pavement' under a bridge, but stranger still...next door was someone cleaning a .22 rifle !!

The trucks that bring produce from other centres are no ordinary thing either, they are decorated with patterns and pictures and invocations for safety, tinsel to ward off the evil eye, black tassels to ward off bad luck, whole sentences written on the back in conversation with drivers who might be behind, geometric patterns decorate the hub caps, wavy patterns the sides - decorative enamel work on the bumper - it becomes not just a truck for transporting bananas, but a vehicle of splendor, glowing with colour, like a magic carpet....nothing is ordinary here....everything is a kind of miracle.