Tale of the ‘Tatti Kudupu’
In homes of Mangalore are found certain household items made out of wild creepers which are handcrafted by certain communities of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. A soon to be a rarity for the relentless war done on flora and fauna, the next generation would probably see these items in pictures alone. One such wild creeper which was found in the smaller and dense forests of Mangalore is the ‘kudupu’ out of which was made the ‘tatti kudupu’ or the rice strainer popularly used in the age hold kitchens. I remember in my childhood days when a certain community in Mangalore came selling these items made out of this wild creeper for a pittance. The perfection with which the strainer was prepared is to be marvelled at. It is interwoven by dexterous fingers and intertwined at the edge to ensure that the pattern was not disturbed and to hold the strainer intact. While it was closely woven in the centre, the pattern spreads out leaving a slightly wider gap as it spirals towards the outer circles. ‘Tatti’ is a basket or a container while ‘kudupu’ brings in associations with a place in Mangalore. Delving further, the temple in Kudupu has a reference to this basket made out of the creeper.
Interestingly, the temple history of Kudupu has it that Kedar who was a worried Brahmin who had no children started penance in the present location of Kudupu. However, the gods were not easily pleased by his meditation. It is believed that one day his wife saw a serpent laying eggs and was sad that even snakes could have children but not her. Thereafter a few months later she found herself pregnant and nine months later she gave birth to three eggs that looked like the serpent eggs that she had seen. Kedar kept those eggs in a basket that was weaved out of the creepers called Kudupu and spent his life meditating in the place where he had kept the eggs secretly. This is the same place that is now called Kudupu where the temple of Lord Vishnu is today.
The Bunt kitchen has always this ‘tatti kudupu’ used to this date and hope it continues to be used generously. Apart from being used as a strainer, it is used as a lid when the milk is boiling hot and set aside for cooling, is used as a strainer when leaves like coriander or pudina or bay leaves are rinsed and left aside to drain water, used to set and fold the Neeru dosa delicately, used to lay dosas once they are out of the hot pan, used to drain water out of washed dal, rice or any other grain, used as a lid for quick cover and for so many other multiple reasons in the kitchen. There are restaurants that hang as mobiles this ‘ tatti kudupu’ to add to the decor of the place. From being essential kitchenware to a decorative piece, the creeper cannot afford to be extinct just as the artistic hand that manufactured them all…..
