Two months ago, this town was buzzing with communal tension. A series of elopements led to threats and counter-threats being bandied about like insults at a school debate. One such threat was the saffron brigade's declaration of a boycott of the minority community.
Bardoli today bears no signs of such a boycott, though for reasons more economic than philanthropic.
The setbacks they suffered when curfew was imposed on the town on June 25, in the wake of violence triggered by a Hindu procession against Hindu-Muslim marriages, has only strengthened their beliefs. All agree the boycott call is only so much hot air. Not that the right wing has given up. RSS general secretary Harshad Shah admits, however, that it will not be an easy job. Awareness is growing, says Surti.