Happy Thudar Parba: Gatti, Bajil, Gunda and Diwali
Breeze into any of the vegetarian restaurants between Mangalore and Udupi this time of the year, when Diwali is around the corner, and the menu list recited by the waiter will include Gatti. A typical Mangalorean cuisine that simply explained means steamed rice dumplings made out of jaggery and coconut, wrapped in turmeric leaves. A typical sweet dish offered at all Bunt homes in particular, during Diwali! What a contrast to the usual rush that we make to the sweet stores to pick savoury and sweet boxes for the festival of lights!
Translated to the local Tulu language, this dumpling is called Manjal Irredha Gatti, translated as Turmeric meaning Manjal, Irredha meaning leaves, and Gatti meaning dumplings; so turmeric leaf dumplings! My last blog had me writing on the banana leaf and Ganesha Chathurthi. This one is on leaves used during Diwali. Leaves again! Reminding us of nature and the need to value nature and respect divinity. Talking about divinity, Diwali is aligned with Lord Vishnu and his avatars: Rama, who returns to Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile, and hence the celebration with lights; Lord Krishna, who kills Narakasura, the demon; and hence Naraka Chaturdasi; of Lord Vishnu, who takes the form of Jalandhara, the husband of Tulsi, to save good from evil and the curse of Tulsi; of Vishnu in the form of Vamana and the victory of Mahabali; of Mahabali and his boon by Vishnu to return to earth once a year; and of Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, and her worship for prosperity and wealth. So Vishnu, as the preserver, protector, sustainer, and guardian of the earth, is worshipped during this time with nature in its true form.
While I have written enough about the banana leaves in my last blog, the other leaves that take prominence along with the banana leaf during Diwali are the turmeric leaves, the jackfruit leaves, and the mango leaves, and, not to be left behind, the tulsi plant. To me, as a Bunt and a Mangalorean, there are too many memories attached to this festival of lights and the worship of Vishnu and Mother Earth.
My grandmother would always refer to this festival of lights as Thudar Parba. Thudar, meaning light, especially the traditional torches made out of cloth and oil; and parba, meaning festival; hence, festival of lights. The mango leaves would take the lead in combination with marigold flowers. These leaves are used to adorn the entrance to the house and at the threshold of all the doors inside the house. This combination is also used to decorate the huge copper vessel, the Mande, and keep it ready the night before Naraka Chaturdashi. The hot water bath after an oil massage before sunrise was a delight to us children. Immediately after bathing, prayers to the gods and deities were led by the banana leaves. On the leaf was served a delicacy called bajil, which is beaten rice made with jaggery, ghee, sesame seeds, and grated coconut. After prayers, all enjoyed the breakfast served in banana leaves. Delicacies for breakfast included bajil, gatti, dosa, and other savoury dishes.
While the banana leaves share anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, the turmeric leaves are used in medicines, especially Ayurvedic medicine, and are said to have antiseptic properties. It is not unusual to see mothers give their children turmeric milk when they have a cold in Mangalore. This turmeric gatti, on the other hand, improves digestion during festival times like Diwali, when we tend to eat so many sweets and savoury food, apart from preventing bloating and discomfort. Grown in the backyards of many homes, this plant can be grown in various types of soil, and with the sunny and humid climate in Mangalore, the plant is a very common plant at Mangalore homes. So it is not uncommon to smell the aroma of the turmeric leaf gatti, when cooked at home during this festival of lights.
The same spread continues for the afternoon, while the afternoon lunch would also have the ‘gunda’ or ‘kottige’ as cooked in jackfruit leaves and had with green gram curry and chutney. Simply put, this is one more version of the idli, the steamed savoury cakes; a favourite of the Tulu nadu region. Baliyendra pooja, when Bali Chakravarthi is called back and prayed to, is also served on banana leaves during Diwali. Worshipping the Tulsi plant takes prominence in every Hindu household. No Hindu house is considered complete unless the Tulsi plant is placed in a pot near the entrance to the house. The marriage between the tulsi plant and the gooseberry plant during Diwali has its own mythological relevance. It is believed that Tulsi curses Lord Vishnu before she immolates herself after Lord Vishnu approaches her in the form of her husband and touches her. The angered Tulsi curses Lord Vishnu, saying that he would suffer separation from his wife. The curse comes true, as we read in the Ramayana, and Lord Vishnu takes the form of gooseberry plant and marries Tulsi, who takes the form of the basil plant. On Tulsi pooja day during Diwali, the gatti, the bajil, and the banana leaf get prime importance as their marriage is celebrated. I have vivid memories of groups of singers going from door to door at night and singing Lord Vishnu’s bhajan around the tulsi plant, wishing all luck and happiness to the family.
What is interesting in all of this is the importance of some of these leaves and their surfacing in Mangalore cuisine and restaurants at this time of the year. The banana leaves, the turmeric leaves, the jackfruit leaves that form an integral part of the festival cuisine and the mango leaves and the coconut palms that decorate the front yard of the house along with the marigold flowers. Diwali that brings to mankind the presence of Lord Vishnu in the form of nature as he is worshipped in different forms with extensive jewellery, flowers and food cooked and served in leaves. Truly a union of the Divine with Nature, as mankind continues to worship Nature in all its forms, and a reminder to mankind that in the sustenance of nature lies the life of mankind and these festivities. Happy Thudar Parba!
