A LUNCH TO REMEMBER

I once had an opportunity to visit a village deep inside Gujarat, with 3 of my team mates as a part of my rural dissertation project. I would call visiting a village an opportunity because what I felt there was a peculiar feeling of purity and rawness that’s always absent in metros. That village was quite unapproachable and we had to walk a lot and also take local modes like makeshift autos and carts.

The serenity and tranquility there was capable enough to cast its spell on anyone; I too fell in love with the pristine nature. The view was quite scenic and very beautiful. We interviewed a farmer as a part of our project. That old farmer and his wife were very courteous and requested four of us to stay back for lunch.

The food was freshly prepared. The chapattis were made on an earthen tava (hot plate), the menu consisted of baingan ka bhurta, kacche chane ki sabzi, bajre ki roti, achar (pickle), gur (jaggery) and chhachh (thin salted curd). The taste was as wonderful as that village itself. Flavor coupled with loving hosts made that lunch truly memorable. No cuisine in this entire world could match that taste and flavor. I still long for that tadka! The spices were far more aromatic than all those packaged ones available in the cities.

Also, there was a cotton tree in their backyard. With their permission I collected lots of pure cotton in a plastic bag; I still use that for my puja-path.