Gems don't lure any more to Gujju girls

SURAT: With a pen drive around the neck, they brainstorm ideas holding a sleek W800i model while preparing a power point presentation on a sleek laptop. This is the new avatar of girls in the diamond city.

If boys have passion for bikes, girls here are going gadget-savvy these days. Gossip about sari sales and gold necklaces are passé.LCD, touch screen, blue tooth, mega pixel and USB drive — these are key topics of a typical girl talk now. Surat has undergone a drastic transition and this new wave has affected the girls as well.

More women now prefer state-of-the-art gadgets as daily accessories rather than diamond jewellery. "Possessing a sleek gadget is not just a style statement, it is also an expression of attitude.

The fact that I have as much knowledge about the latest gadget as my male counterparts at the work place gives me a feeling of equality," says Disha Vashi, a resident of Adajan,who works for a multi national bank. Not just professional executives, these hi-tech toys are also in demand among college girls, students and even homemakers.

So what has triggered this passion for gizmos among girls? While some opine that it's just a way of flaunting your latest possession, others believe high level of exposure could be the catalyst. Says Pooja Shah, 28, a resident of City Light Area, "Media, today, has become a window to the changing trends outside the city."

Shah earns about Rs 10,000 a month and saves a part of her earning to buy expensive gadgets. "I took a bank loan to get a computer recently," she says. Surti girls have crossed the threshold of their homes and stepped into the professional world.