155
The ornaments usually seen on the body of an aver-
age Kaliparaj woman consist of :
Approximate cost
Rs.   As*    Ps.
(i) about 10 to 12 bangles of brass ... 1 4 0
(ii) about 12 to 16 anklets of brass ... 1 8 0
(iii) a number of neckkces of false pearls	0 4 0
Total      300
Thus the ornaments usually worn by an average Kali-
paraj woman cost only about Rs. 3. Some women,
however, of a comparatively well-to-do class wear in ad-
dition a silver necklace which they call Kantla, costing
from Rs. 10 to Rs. 15 and a silver armlet costing from
Rs. 15 to 20. These ornaments are given to them as
a dowry.
One interesting thing may be noted here. A few
women of the well-to-do class have replaced brass ank-
lets by silver anklets. This is a change worthy of praise
for brass anklets are useless even to pawn.^ This
change is due to one of the administrative orders of
1919-20 of Mr. Shivadasani,^1 who was an Assistant
Collector in the Southern Division of the Surat District.
This instance shows how administrative machinery, if
well designed for the betterment of the people, can expe-
dite social and economic reform. Let us now consider
the cash found in the village.
The average Kaliparaj is proverbially short of cash.
Some well-to-do families, two generations ago, we were
told, used to hoard some cash buried underground.
For the last two decades, 'the people are not aware of
any such instance, but during the course of our house-to-
house enquiry we found that two Kaliparaj men had
buried a few rupees under ground, the amount of which
they were unwilling to disclose.
Silver and gold ornaments are not a rarity with the
high class and well-to-do families among the Ujaliparaj.
1 Now a member of the Bombay Legislative Council.
90*