A Tribute to the Feriyas
Feriyas is a colloquialism from Feriwalla, Gujarati for someone who takes a ‘Fero’, a round of some place. During the struggle for Indian Independence, people used to have Prabhat Feri, a small early morning procession that went around singing patriotic songs, raising the Indian flag and reminding people about Independence struggle.
Fist published on Parsi Khabar. This article is by Havovi Govadia.
For any Parsi living in a Baug or Colony, Feriyas are the lifeline… a means of availing everything from ghee to mutton to getting stoves repaired at the doorstep….all one had to do was clap loudly and call and a relay would start and end with the vendor at your doorstep!
Read more on Parsi Khabar… https://parsikhabar.net/heritage/a-tribute-to-the-feriyas/
Quinee
Jan 1, 2019, 8:56 pmRita, Thanks a milli for the post entiltled “Feriyas”. I loved it. It brought back the most pleasant memories and I will read it often when nostalgia echoes in my mind. So well written too Rita. I also loved the pic of the veggie cart brimming with colourful fresh and delightful ware.
Can’t thank you enough.
Ashvita Jacob
Jan 1, 2019, 7:08 amThat was such a lovely and beautifully written post – ‘Feriyas’. It brought each one of them live through the wonderfully descriptive text.
We too lived for a while with Grandma in Tardeo next to the Sethna Agiary and had almost each and everyone of those feriyas around. Since ours was not a colony – some of them we heard – before the traffic noise defeaned us, and some climbed all the way up the four floors to sell their wares. Because we lived on the main road we additionally heard the tinkle of the ‘barfwalla’ – bullock cart carrying ice blocks covered with rice husk and gunny sacks for those who needed to cool their crate of soft drinks for a party or those who had ice boxes, before freezers or some who made home made icecream in the huge churns. We had to call out and put down our ‘theli’ from the balcony with money and he would put in the needed quantity of ice for our often conking old Kelvinator refrigerator.
The ‘theli nakho’ was another curiosity of Parsi homes and caused much amusement in non-Parsi friends and Dad’s side of relatives. It warrants another story altogether though!