Written in 2019 but forgotten to publish here!
...
Yes. Continuing my series on fruits and vegetables of India, here is a 1000-word sort of a treatise on the banana.
...
BANANA
Few weeks behind lost year I wrote about the grate fruit called Santra. After it, many friends have wish me on the stupendable article. As per one person it is article of fate.
Now the general mango people are making a voicy ferocious demand of another article in the name of Banana. I am thinking little bit and then I am agreeing. I am writing Banana article.
What is Banana? It is fruit of masses. Indian landmass is full of people and mostly they eat Banana. It is called Kela Phal in Hindi, Vaazhai Pazham in Tamizh, Baale Hannu in Kannada, Arati Pandu in Telugu and Kadali Phala in Sanskrit and some other names in some other languages. It is a testy versatile fruit.
Indian Banana is growing on trees. Not like Indian people. Indian people are special. They are not growing on trees. But Indian Banana is also special. Near to my home, we are having many bananas which we are calling Pachché Baalé and Yelakki. In our nearbring state, we are having Pulli Pazham and Malé Vaazhai and Rastaali. In our another nearbring state, we are having Nendrum. And so many more scattered all over our landmass. But ultimately and finally they are all bananas. Cuzins, oonts and ankles of one another.
Banana consist of three parts – Ba, Na and Na. I am joking, hahaha! Actually Banana consist of three parts are Chilka, Phal and Swaad. First two parts are tangible and third part is remarkable.
Chilka is outer flap or jacket or protective envelope of the audible fruit. You know envelope. Lifafa, it is called. Chilka is the lifafa of the banana. Chilka is not audible for people but enjoyable for cows. If you give chilka to cow, it will chew it and convert it to cud and chew it again. And it is colourful. Not cow but chilka. In the beninging it is green colour but gradually, before you can say “banana” nine times a day for three alternate days, that is, totally twenty seven times in five days, it changes to designer double colour of yellow with black dots spread unevenly all over the surface. If you say “banana” another nine times, it will become totally black and good for throwing at other people only, so don’t count too much.
Each chilka contains one audible banana fruit inside of itself.
Firstly, the banana is held by one hand, then the chilka is unpeeled by holding the edge of it by the edge of forefinger and thumb of the other hand of the holder and pulling it down, in a downward direction, from top to bottom, dragging the chilka along. Chilka will oblige by being separated in a strip. Similarly, the same procedure is carried out all round the circumference of the chilka. In this manner the chilka is peeled completely and gradually the audible fruit is exposed to the sight of outside humanity. This can be done step by step so that little bit of chilka is available to hold against the fruit as the holder begins to eat it.
This is how to get phal or fruit outside from inside the chilka.
However, please note, the chilka, once unpeeled, cannot be peeled back or exchanged.
Then comes the swaad.
As already said in the beninging, the swaad is remarkable. Depending upon the type of the Baale Hannu and also whether the tester is myself or my Bengali mitr who makes many laughable joke with smile, the test or swaad can be deliciously testy or terribly testy. It is differently sweet, from simply too good to simply very nice to simply wonderful! And also Banana is having health properties of various healthy items like water, carbohydrates, vitamins, potassium and what not. Even banana is radioactive as per one active radio station! And swiftly digestible.
Banana is having good quality of hunger appeasing. If hunger is coming, instead of saying “khaana banana” you should say “banana khaana” and hunger will go. No doubt you know the song “Hasta manana till we meet again; Have a banana till we eat again”, no? It is the song of a group from Addis Ababa.
Man (means man and woman) is commonly offer banana during worship pooja and cleverly take it back as pooja prasada. Sometimes, man is offer banana to cow and also to the small cough grazing side by side of its mother, due to gratitude and humble attitude. On roadside also banana is available in cots, I mean not bullock cots but the bullock-less push cots, and the cot keeper is keeping one bamboo basket underneath the cot, so the banana buyer can eat banana and extinguish, sorry, distinguish, sorry, dispose the chilka by throwing in the bin which is the basket. Whereupon the cot man take the basket and offer the chilka to the cow and beget many thanks from the cow for himself only. Sometimes the happy cow is giving gentle hit with tail and sometimes it is also giving moose. But small cough is simply grazing by the side.
In South India, marriages are celebrated with grandness and pompity. At the entrance itself, there is a welcomer group. Every enterer is given warm welcome greeting of splashing cold rose water juice by shaking the sprinkler jug violently on his head. After words, the grand lunch is eaten by every attender on banana leaf only. Finally, along with the exit greeting every leaver is given the banana in bag along with the beetle leafs and the nuts and the coconut. So, if person is visible carrying banana in bag along with beetle and nut and coco, it means he has just came from marriage. But I am writing separate story about beetle and beetlenut and coconut so we concentrate the focus on banana only.
This is the importance of banana in our republic.
- © Shiva Kumar, 27 Jan 2019
