KOCHI: For a glimpse of Adivasi life and culture, make a visit to the Adivasi Mela going on at the Rajendra Maidan. Must-sees here are the bamboo erumadam (tree house), which has been built by ethnic tribal community members and the organic food items and products. Besides stalls selling eco-friendly and energy saving home appliances, there is jewellery, traditional adivasi musical instruments and other artefacts and adivasi doctors who offer consultation and tribal medicines.
The food stalls are unique in that the food and food products sold here are completely organic and grown without an iota of pesticide. Says Vellan, who runs a stall, who is from the kuruma community - “Everything here, the ginger, turmeric, honey, rice have all been cultivated in the forest and collected directly from there.” He himself has to get the help of tribals who have no contact with the outside world to get some of the items like honey, he says. “The animals, especially the elephants can detect humans who smell of oil and soap. So we can’t enter such forest areas,” says Vellan. But then, what you get is pure, unadulterated honey. The gooseberry used in the pickles sold here, the fresh ‘ada’ etc. A highlight here is the ‘bamboo rice,’ which is very rare and difficult to obtain. The seeds fall off from the bamboo plant only once in sixty years, when the tribals collect it. Of the 24 varieties of coffee, many are medicinal, made up of rare herbs and seeds collected from the woods. A sip of one of these is recommended, as well as a bite of ‘kappa kozhikkari’.
The artefact stall has myriad interesting items like traditional musical instruments, some of which are still in use. The bamboo ‘thampuru’ is played as an accompaniment to songs as part of ‘chattupattu’ performed as a death ritual. The drums such as ‘porai’ and ‘thudi’ are all made of animal skin. Also on display are different kinds of baskets used by the adivasis for storing fish, grains, milk besides hunting equipment like bows and arrows and animal traps. All these are part of the collection from Kirtads ethnological museum, Kozhikode.
While you are there, do not miss out on a visit to the adivasi doctors who, however, can do the traditional ‘nadichikitsa’ only between 6 and 9 am. There is a good collection of traditional tribal jewellery as well. Entry is free for the Mela, which is on till January 16.
ashaprakash@expressbuzz.com