Co-optex, Borivili

Singara Chennai, where it seems me dear writer Perumal Murugan lives and whose Pyre is scalding me, is in Borivili (W). Malathi, belonging to Rama evening adda near Aura Hotel, threw a heard news of a Tamil Nadu Co-optex shop off Chandavarkar Road; the first in Borivili; she had not gone to the shop; Rama decided to search it with me following at around 10.30; after asking this man and that woman, located Tamil Nadu Co-optex of the Tamil Nadu Handloom Weavers Co-op. Society offering 20 per cent discount on all items, going up to a festival 30 per cent; a neat, quiet shop with one attender, a Madhav; no clients, yet; liked it. He spread out the sarees, chudidars and towels; allowed Rama to bring out a few from the open shelves; 'made of extra long staple cotton,' explained Madhav. Suvin is the extra long staple cotton growing in Coimbatore, derived from Egyptian Giza 45 grown on the banks of Nile, an information given me when covering the textile industry; Suvin in those years was priced at around Rs.12,000 per candy; me is boasting; Madhav should know; yet a doubt over handlooms weaving extra long staple cotton yarn nagged; maybe 2016 technology is doing it. Rama waded into the shop with Madhav obliging, pulling out a fleet of towels, churdiars and bedsheets mostly made in Erode and perhaps Gopichettipalayam. Credit card flashed, Rs.3,000 moved in a cashless economy. Packing the items, Madhav informed of shut downs of Co-optex in Matunga and other places; the Borivili shop is a few months old. We wished Madhav the best and walked to the Borivili market in an April sun on some more spending ways. Near the Borivili police station sat a young ragged fellow nursing a basket of clay tavas with wooden handles. Rama as usual spotted the item for inquiries to start; made of burnt brown clay with a wooden handle, the tava cost Rs.100, going down to Rs.80. But Rama has stopped haggling with street Ambanis and Adanis under roiling suns, she paid Rs.100. The young fellow told us to place the tava in a bucket of water for an hour before use. Me handled it for everyone to look and ask. The last stop as usual was Madhuram where me became a curiosity; no questions, a large amount of stares; bought badam and kismis; took an auto for the driver to subject me to a questioning; 'saheb, buddhu banathe hain, ye log'; Rama smiled, graduated to easy laughs. At the housing society, eyes were politely glued to the reddish clay tava; Madhavi came up with her joyous invectives; her laughs were made. Placed the tava in a bucket of water for an hour; took it out for a dry; Rama made a dough of wheat, nachni and jawari for two bakris which she placed on a warm tava; the clay tava stood the heat; the bakris came crisp. Made clay sense of Rs.100. Earth is okay.