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Modi’s gift to Putin brings a small Gujarat coastal town to limelight

The Russian president was gifted exquisite bowls made of agate

Image source: Twitter / sanghaviharsh Image source: Twitter / sanghaviharsh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have liked to take Vladimir Putin to his home state Gujarat some day. Modi has hosted Chinese president Xi Jingping as well as former Japanese president Shinzo Abe in Gujarat. Putin had once invited Modi to Sochi, a resort town on the banks of the Black Sea. Putin's tight schedule and several other logistical issues, however, make New Delhi the only convenient venue for his visits. So Modi gave a bit of Gujarat for Putin to take back with him—exquisite bowls made of agate.

Agate is a rock formed mainly of chalcedony and quartz, with various minerals imbuing it with a variety of hues and patterns. So beautiful are these patterns that agate is a natural choice for semi precious jewellery and ornaments. Khambat, a small coastal town in Gujarat, is where some of the most beautiful works of agate are created. Khambat agates have a Geographical Indicator (GI) tag since 2008.

Procured mainly from the Rajpipla hills nearby, the agates in Khambat are moulded into a variety of ornaments, from multi-stringed necklaces to massive bowls and sculptures. Most of the work is by tribal artisans, and is still done mostly by hand. It takes the eye of an artist to look at a lump of rock, see the patterns within and carve and polish the rock in such a way that these natural patterns are enhanced. One of the most fascinating agates is the moss agate, which looks like ancient moss embedded in translucent rock. It is not fossilised moss, however, the network of green fronds is created with iron ore.

Putin has been gifted one set of brown bowls with an intricate pattern of mineral work. Another bowl is a rich yellow in colour, with one section showing off an interesting black and white pattern. The Bhil artists have only enhanced the artwork of nature. These patterns are created over centuries as water, minerals and other impurities seep into the rock layers, imbuing them with distinct characters.

Agates today are the main industry in Khambat. This sleepy town surrounded by salt pans was once upon a time a thriving port. But sands shift. Over time, Khambat's harbour silted up, and the neighbouring port town of Surat rose into eminence. Today, all that stands of a past glory is a magnificent mosque, the Jami mosque, built in 1325. Prayers are still offered at the mosque.

Had it not been for the agates, Khambat would itself have been lost in the sands of time.

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