________________
144
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[MAY, 1882.
peti, sabu vilâyati. The articles they vend are
SWEETMEAT SELLERS. bought from wholesale dealers. It is women These men tastefully arrange their various generally who buy from these hawkers. kinds of sweetmeats, to attract people to their TÂKI, Tâki.
shops. Some of their articles are exceedingly This is a profession followed both by Mara- sweet, and others indigestible, but the Hindus thâs (Hindús) and Musalmans from the Dakhan, and other natives indulge freely in them, men and women. The morning and noon is and often to injurious excess. Among them the the time they go about. Taki means incision, shop of Amichand, with no pretensions whateither on the hand-mill or a slab. They operate ever to show, is considered the best, as the on curry stones and handmills. The latter, articles sold are reputed to be always made if small, is called in Marathi játé, and if large, with clarified butter, ghi, of a superior sort, gharat,-indispensible articles in every Hindu and sold at fixed prices. His halwd, a kind of dwelling. The curry stone is a slab 18 inches
nutritious sweetmeat, is of the very best kind, by 6 or 8, and about three inches in thick. and no high-caste Hindů, excepting a Brahman, ness.
will buy this sweetmeat at any but Amichand's The constituents of good curry stuff are a shop. He sells his halwd at three annas per couple of chillis and a piece of cocoanut, both seer. either dry or fresh, some fresh coriander, and saf
SHOE-MAKERS. fron. These are put together and ground upon the The mochi makes singularly formed pointed stone, called in Marathi pátá (slab). The grind. and square-toed shoes, also slippers, and it is a ing on the párd is done by means of a stone roller peculiarity that he generally works with his about 2 inches in diameter and 18 inches long, head uncovered. called varonta. In addition to curry stuff the
HAWKERS OY RAGS. well-to-do Hindûs daily grind cocoanut scrap- These men are either Musalmans or Hindus. inge, which is thus made to yield a juice They go about the town from 11 or 12 till 5 P. M., called either shiré or dudh-in colour like calling out "Chindi, chithdi," or "pháteli, milk, and this juice they use in their kadi tuteli chindi," rags, bits of rags.' The Musalman. (curry). Now the slab and mill require at when he is called, inspects the rags one by intervals a Tâkiwâlâ, who goes about with a one, and then looking at the seller declares curved iron instrument pointed at one end them not good or fit for his purpose, wishing with a small handle made of wood fixed to it. thereby to lower their value. He then offers a When he is called in, the pátá or the mill, as trifling sum for them, and goes away a short the case may be, is laid before him, and after distance, then returns offering better terms, say fixing the price, he proceeds to hammer away | at the rate of six annas per man, and completes to make it rough, as necessary for the proper the sale by paying the money. The Mahar hawker grinding. From a half to one anna for a pára, will not pollute the rags by his touch, but have and from 1 to 1} Annas for a jate, and from a look at them from a distance. In addition, 2 to 2 as. for a gharat satisfies him for his the Mahâr picks up rags from lanes, gutters, &c, labour. The muller is not operated upon, but in The wives and daughters of these men follow some cases among Portuguese it also is dressed the same occupation, and even visit dust-bins, A few superstitious Hindus of high caste will where they pick up cocoanut shells, pieces of not allow a Musalman to operate upon their wood, &c. pátd, though they will not hesitate to buy a new
ONIONS, GARLIC AND POTATOES. one from a Musalman stone mason. Among 1 The hawkers of these are Musalmans, Banyas the lower castes, after the re-dressing of the hand and Marathas. The Banyâs mostly hawk onions mill, a handful or two of rice is ground by the and garlic only. They cry out "Künde, lasun, owner in the mill, and from 5 to 7 circles drawn batáte," onions, garlic, and potatoes.' Some, with the flour on the middle of the public road when hawking garlic, only call out "Lasun, to ensure that the work is good and may last Ghoghari lasun," "garlic from Ghogha.' They for a long time. When the hawker goes out in purchase these articles from godowns in the pursuit of his calling, he carries his instrument markets, and retail them by weight. Their on his shoulder
time for hawking is from 7 to 12 A. x. and again
