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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
After the hawker has done his morning work he returns home, and after his meal he goes to sleep. What is left he takes out again in the evening. Such hawkers make a daily profit of 6 to 8 annas or more, and their business lasts all the year round.
MALIS OR FLOWER SELLERS.
Flower-selling is invariably followed by men (Hindûs only). In a small light basket they put wreaths or garlands of Mogri, Champeli, Jai, Jui, Chapa, Gulchhedi, Roses, and other flowers. but the greatest demand is for the first two. The basket, tied with strings and hung from the hand, rests on the waist. Their business commences in the afternoon from 3 P. M., and lasts till 9 or 10 P. M., during which time they go about from house to house crying out in a sharp tone the names of the flowers they carry. Hindu women are fond of decorating the topknot, shenda, with garlands of either of these flowers, and this practice is common both with respectable women and prostitutes; the doors of the latter are open to the flowersellers till a late hour, and it is an indispensible portion of their toilet; for, however poor they may be and unable to find jewels wherewith to decorate their persons and show themselves to advantage, the wreath must be got and put on every evening. These flower-sellers follow no other profession. They buy their flowers from gardeus on an annual payment, for they do not all rear flowers. As flowers are in great demand with the Hindu women, these Mâlis manage to make a comfortable livelihood. If they do not find customers they go to some of the numerous Hindu temples, and present them to the gods. Well-to-do Hindû females buy flowers daily, in which case they pay a Máli from Rs. 10 to Rs. 15 a month, and the Mâli is required to give them the best flowers made into wreaths.
Besides these there are other classes of nominal Mâlis employed in gentlemen's gardens to water trees, who make away with the inferior kinds of flowers such as Jaswant, Kanher, &c., from the gardens, and sell them to the Mâlis at from one anna to eight, according to the quality and nature of the flowers. These inferior flowers are not purchased by Hindû females but are used for the worship of the gods. The Mâlis tie a small bunch of flowers in a leaf, not forgetting to add a few leaves of Tulsi or sweet Basil and a leaf or so of Bel, and sell them
[MAY, 1882.
at the rate of a pie for each bundle, or on a monthly payment of from two to four annas. Poor people who need flowers for their household gods are supplied every morning by a few Banyâs living on the Bhuleshwar road. But should it not be convenient for a Hindu to go that distance, he will, before the break of day, go to some garden near his house, and steal the flowers for his gods.
GROUND-NUT HAWKERS.
These are both Mârwâḍis and Marâțhâ Hindûs. They carry a basket on their head, and cry out "Retini bhunjeli singa, garam garam," meaning 'ground nuts parched in sand, hot, hot.' They hawk about the town from 12 to 5 P. M. They purchase these nuts from godowns, and parch them either at their own houses or get them parched at kilns in the town. Hindû women and children are very fond of the nuts, and both males and females eat them, especially on Ekadashi (11th) and other fast days. They would not buy them from Muhammadan hawkers, and hence there are no hawkers of this article belonging to that sect. PAPAD-HAWKERS.
The hawkers of pápad, or very thin cakes, are both Banyâs and Musalmans, male and female. Hindûs, Musulmans, Pârsis and others are very fond of these. The cakes are very thin, and made from the flour of Udid or mash (phaseolus max), highly seasoned with asafoetida and salt, called pipad khar. These ingredients are all kneaded with the Udid flour and plantain or other water into a tenacious paste to form the papaḍ, which is rolled into cakes as thin as wafers. These are dried in the sun and kept in quantities, and then baked at the fire until crisp, or boiled in sweet oil, and eaten with great relish.
There is another kind of these wafer biscuits called in Marathi Kalakhand. These are made in the same way as the papad, but highly seasoned with the hottest chilli pepper.
KUNKU HAWKERS.
The hawker of Kunku is generally an old woman, by caste a Hindû. She does not cry out as she goes along, but goes from house to house asking if the inmates are in want of the stuff. The Kunku "is a reddish-coloured powder, prepared by steeping the roots of turmeric for three days in water and for three days in limejuice. The roots are then cut up into small
