LITTLE, LITTLE OF EVERYTHING ON THE BANANA LEAF

 


“Eating together is an act of

mutual vulnerability and surrender.”

Barbara Brown Taylor

 

Mother Mary’s birthday is celebrated as Nativity feast by the Catholics. In Konkani, we would call it ‘Monthy Fest’. For Catholic  families, in and around Mangalore, it was a big festival, and we celebrate it on every Sept 8. The most important part of the celebration, for every household, has, always, been eating together the feast meal, known as ‘Novem’…

While growing up, we had no dining tables. So, we had to sit together on the floor and a fare of half-a-dozen veggies, rice, paysam and the new grains of rice ground into coconut milk was savoured with prayers. Our grandpa (dad’s dad), always, choked while saying the prayers, remembering the family members who were away from home… and, it’s for my mom to continue with it!

The banana leaf had so many items of vegetarian fare, which, as children, we never appreciated… I remember eating it half-heartedly. Our mom’s attempts to drill into our heads the significance of eating the ‘Novem’ – so many items on a single banana leaf, somehow, seldom went down our throats…

It's only when we left home and settled in faraway places, that we started remembering – and valuing - those ‘banana leaf’ times… The grandpa’s choked prayer and mom’s persistent attempts to drill into our skulls the significance of eating ‘Novem’  - yes, everything started making sense to us, only when we’re away from home…

Distance, always, makes love grow fonder, you see!

And, today is the festival of Onam… How alike the traditions are! At least, when it comes to eating together, sitting on the floor, and on a banana leaf! How alike the nostalgic memories for those who are away for home!

I am trying to make sense of all that’s there on the banana leaf, and, I am sure, my Malayalee counterparts are trying to do the same… The Onam Sadhya is unbeatable…

“A Happy Onam to you Shoba,” I had sent the greetings, this morning, to one of my friends from Gurgaon, “I am coming with a big banana leaf… Cook more.”

Shoba responded quickly, “Of course… Please come. I have 24 guests for the Sadhya today.” She, also, sent the menu and a picture…

 




 


 

“Why so many items, mai?” I remember asking our mom, till she made her sons  finish everything served on their banana leaves – “Eat what you like. If you don’t like, like what you eat.”

Well, it took many, many hard battles – and some hungry nights – away from home to understand the significance of having ‘little, little of everything’ on the banana leaf… and, never wasting a single grain…

Nice! You see, some things in Life, always, make sense when we grow older, and grow farther from home… If that’s how it should be, so be it…





A Happy Onam to all…

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic’s: 1. Pixabay 2 & 3 Shoba Krishnan

 

Video: Apollo Tyres

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MUTHU KODI KAWARI HADA

Image
Pic.; Ashwin Mohta M y Hindi was always bad. It still is. One reason for this was, that they introduced Hindi for us only in 6 th standard. Or, was it in 8 th ? I don’t remember… I only remember struggling to write and read… leave alone speak! But, I loved Hindi movies, and, strangely, I could understand the dialogues and the lyrics of the songs… I used to sing those songs (of course when no one was around me!) as if I was the lyricist… One of the songs was a very funny one. ‘Muthu Kodi Kawari Hada’. It was from Mehmood’s super-hit comedy – ‘Do Phool’. I was a 15-year-old high-school boy when I had heard that song (not watched the movie). I could grasp the meaning of two words – ‘Muthu Kodi’… which meant ‘Give kiss’… But, what ‘Kawari Hada’ meant, I have no clue till date! It was just like ‘Why this kolaveri di’... Yes, why ask? Simply enjoy the beats… And, the beats are great… The rest... Who cares? Really! So, whatever bit of Hi
Read more

"HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS NOT A FAIRY-TALE... IT IS A CHOICE"

Image
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone… It has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” – Ursula K. Le Guin,  The Lathe of Heaven T welve years ago, when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got married, the world began to hail the couple as ‘Brangelina’. It became a fashion for couples around us to call themselves so… Norbert and Teresa renamed them as ‘Noresa’…  Amol and Vishaka baptized their relationship as ‘Amoshka’… and, Salman and Nargis became ‘Salgis’! I and my wife, too, got tempted to re-christian our matrimonial relationship as ‘Germa’... That is, Gerald and Anima, to be precise! B efore I proceed any further, let me make it very clear, here… that, I have no business to judge on the break-up of Brad Pitt and Angelina’ Jolie’s marriage. I have no inclination to go into why, how, what when etc behind it… The couple ‘chose’ to split. And, it’s their choice… Only they know how good or bad… how joyful or painful that
Read more

SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

Image
“I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty. I laugh when I hear that people go on pilgrimage to find God.” - Kabir T here is a universal human weakness – and it dates back to the days of fallen civilizations – and it is: to place people on pedestal and trying to be smothered by them, feel loved and protected in their company… worship them as mentors, heroes,  gurus, Mahagurus and Satgurus… Make these mortals larger-than-life cut-outs, worship them as flawless, pure and give one’s all… And, then, ‘take’ everything from them blindly as divine… Give everything to them blindly… Eventually, what happens is:  one more dangerous bondage… What was supposed to free you now becomes a new prison… It’s sad to see this happen! T his room, where I am writing this Post, has no image of any deity. I have no image of any Guru or Master around me… My question is: “Am I not able to feel close to Almighty God?  How does it matter
Read more
THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...