The Cauliflower Bartard

The ABC of the Dish:

1.200 gm of Cauliflower
2.1 medium-sized Onion
3.1 Tomato
4.4 Green Chillies
5.10-12 Curry Leaves
6.1 tsp of ginger-garlic paste
7.2 gm of mustard
8.1 tsp of chilli powder
9.1 tsp of coriander powder
10.1 tsp of turmeric powder
11.Salt to taste
12.1 tbsp of oil
13.1 tsp of Kodava masala

Ingredients of the Cauliflower Bartard

The Suspense is Over, Finally!

1. Place cauliflower that’s cut into florets in salt water (this helps get rid of insects), boil the same, and place it aside.
2. Chop the onion and tomato, and keep the same aside.
3. Heat the oil in a Kadai or frying pan, and put in the mustard seeds and curry leaves.
4. Add the chopped onion into the pan and saute till it turns brown.
5. The ginger-garlic paste, chopped green chillies and tomato are then added, and the     mixture is stirred.
6. Add the masala to the mixture, and stir well, until the former is cooked, and gets thick.
7. Now, add the cauliflower florets to the masala and mix thoroughly.
8. Sprinkle freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve hot!

A Kodava Tribal Outside His Hut

The Kodavas occupied this land only much later, calling it home. The story of how Kodavas got to Coorg and where they have their origin is debatable indeed.

The Eravas and Kurubas, like most other tribes, are the children of the wild. Abiding in the forests of Coorg, they depend on it for their very livelihood. They also protect large stretches of the forests.

Certain forest spots are also fenced off, and called the Devarakadus or ‘the forests of the Gods’. No one is permitted to take anything from these places, including wood, fruits, water and the like. It’s believed that these forest spots are to be preserved, with people having access to them only for purposes of worship.

These tribes are today slowly commencing to modernize; the younger population is moving out of the forest and seeking jobs on Coorg’s estates. However, in bygone years, their way of life was truly remarkable. They adorned themselves with ornaments of wood and animal hide.

These tribes also created their own music with musical instruments made of animal skin and dry vegetables! Flutes were made of bamboo stem and drums, called Dudi, created from animal hide. These drums were later adapted by the Kodavas. This explains why the music of Coorg is closely linked with that of the Eravas and Kurubas.

These tribes have a language, customs and traditions of their own. Tribals are basically nature worshippers, and act as keepers of the beautiful land called Coorg.

The Keepers of the Soil!

Tribals also assist Kodavas by ploughing their fields and picking coffee. The women of these tribes make the best baby-sitters and nannies, and are a boon as far as Kodava women go, making their lives considerably easier. Over half the children of Coorg are raised by these tribal women.

The article is a tribute to the Erava and Kuruba tribes of the land of Coorg, of whom very little is known. They truly do need recognition. And their dwindling numbers need to be protected.

Revered by the Kodavas! Picture Courtesy: Bavna Achayya

Traditionally, during a male child’s naming ceremony, he was fed the preserved meat of a tiger, in the hope and belief that he would one day fight like one.

The land seems determined to create fierce fighters, characterized as it is by a certain rugged frontier spirit to this date. This spirit inspires Kodavas to join the armed forces, the police force …wherever there is adventure to be discovered.

A Warrior in the Making?

The exotic and differently flavoured Kodava cuisine is predominantly non-vegetarian, the signature dish being the famed Pandi curry (a pork dish) served with Kadumbuttu (rice dumplings).

Every Kodava ritual – be it a naming ceremony, marriage, or house warming, and several festivals, have an underlining martial element. At weddings even today, thick banana stems are cut using a sword – a sign that the groom’s party has fought to win the bride’s hand in marriage- a symbolic throwback to the days of yore  when men fought for the women they loved.

The good-looking Kodavas adorn themselves in multi-hued traditional apparel. And chivalry runs in the Kodava blood.

Ever been to this land of the handsome, robust warriors?

Kodava Hospitality

Well trained and qualified in playing hosts, they ensure that each of their guests has a fabulous experience when in Coorg.

Kodavas are well aware that being representatives of their martial race, they’re born with the responsibility of upholding the pride of their land, well comprehending that they have to promote, enrich, and enkindle, people’s views and opinions regarding Coorg.

Ever heard of the boom in the statistics on successful home stays and guest homes ‘blooming’ across Coorg? Well it’s undoubtedly the hugely generous and ever so welcoming hearts of the Kodavas that’s responsible for this.

A great facet of what makes them so popular is their profound rootedness in tradition, their originality and authenticity. Devoid of all pretension, they treat you like family, making sure you get a hands on experience of true Kodava life.

Kodava Style Dressing!

By involving their guests in their day to day activities, and narrating tales of the glory of their land, they create a surreal milieu which fills you with instant admiration for the place and its people.

You’re left with a bizarre sense of being connected to the land. And you end up in love with Coorg, its culture, traditions, and people; a love of the sort that eternally urges you to return to this land, as though drawn magically by some invisible thread sewed right into your soul.

When you’ve been in Coorg and experienced it at least once, each visit will be nothing short of a homecoming in its own sense and right. Being bored of the place is totally out of the question.

In truth, each visit strengthens the bond you already possess with the land, into a permanent one.

Kodavas and their infectious love for their motherland, entwined with heaps of hospitality and kilos of kindness, brings you back repeatedly to this home sweet home; a home exalted, that opens up to you, making you fall head over heals in love with it.

Coorg – a home you can truly call home.

Glorious Coorg!

Generally, being someone who both sleeps and wakes up late, for some odd reason, I fell asleep early the night I got to Coorg. This was probably the result of a long and tiring journey to this land of coffee and spice.

I was up at 6:45 a.m the following morning. And my, what a beautiful sight awaited me at my window!

My plantation was not merely visible, but also looked beautiful, pale and milky from the mist early that morning. The first thing that crossed my mind was that it had been eighteen years since I first got acquainted with Coorg, and I continue to be mesmerized by the loveliness of the place!

A vacation at Coorg is a time to be laid back, relish wonderfully ‘home cooked’ food, and just be myself!

A Holiday at Coorg: a Time to Unwind!

It was the third day of my holiday at Coorg, and each day, I spotted something wonderful. I stepped out late one evening, and watched my neighbour’s paddy field – misty, beautiful and oh, so soothing! Thoroughly charmed, I couldn’t think of anything else to do, but sit right there and admire the scene. Oh, what a boon it was to be born a Kodava!

Sprawled across my couch before the television, I listened to the soft, soothing sound of rain drops falling on the ground. I went over to my window, and what beauty my eyes were treated to! It was close to seven in the evening, and with winter on its way, it generally got dark by this time.

This time, I wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip away, and ensured I captured the moment on camera! It rained all night long.

As a child, I had heard tales of the river nearby overflowing, and people being unable to travel in and out of this place. However, never had I witnessed such a scene until that day. This was something I had longed for throughout my school life.

You are probably of the opinion that Coorg is nothing but trees, and I’ve heard people state this. To me, Coorg is ‘Home Sweet Home’!

And I say this again, that it has been eighteen years, and I’m still mesmerized by Coorg!

The Kodava Koli Curry

What’s in It?

1.Chicken Cubes – 1000 gm
2.Curry Leaves – 10 gm
3.Sliced Onion  – 250 gm
4.Ginger Paste – 25 gm
5.Garlic Paste – 25 gm
6.Slit  Green Chilli– 50 gm
7.Sliced Tomato – 200 gm
8.Chilli Powder – 20 gm
9.Coriander Powder – 60 gm
10.Turmeric Powder – 15 gm
11.Mustard Seeds  – 10 gm
12.Salt – 30 gm
13.Oil – 200 ml
14.Chopped Coriander Leaves – 50 gm
15.Coconut Paste  – made from 2 Coconuts

Ingredients of the Dish

The Making of the Koli Curry

1.Clean and cut the chicken after washing it and draining the water.
2.Apply ginger garlic paste and salt to the same.
3.Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, curry leaves, slit green chilli, and sliced
onions.
4.Sauté till the mixture turns light brown, and then add the ginger garlic paste to it.
5.Fry till the combination turns brown. Subsequently, add sliced tomato and cook till the
tomato ‘dissolves’.
6.Add the masala, stir and add chicken cubes and salt.
7.Cook till the oil begins leaving the masala.
8.Add the coconut paste, mix well and add water as required.
9.Cook the gravy till the chicken is well cooked.
10.Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot!

And Finally!

A Kitchen Garden at Coorg

The freshness of the vegetables that grow in Kitchen Gardens makes the food tastier than it usually is. The sheer sizes of some of these vegetables are enough to leave you awestruck; the tomatoes and chillies are large and healthy, and the yields are abundant all the time.

The West attempts to ape the East’s Kitchen Garden concept.

Tomatoes Growing in the ' Supermarket' at Home

Kitchen Gardens not only help make life in the hills more convenient, but they also provide knowledge regarding where your food comes from and tells you exactly how it’s grown. When your vegetables grow at home, no chemicals are used. Additionally, you use organic mulch to fertilize the soil, thereby making the whole process ‘organic’.

Back home in Coorg, my grandma has a Kitchen Garden that she’s proud of. It keeps her busy and simultaneously helps ‘produce’ quality organic vegetables. Chillies, Tomatoes, Bringal, Curry Leaves, Mint, and so on grow here.

Grandma loves watching her vegetables grow and tending to them. Everyone who visits her leaves with a packet of these veggies. This Kodava tradition of ‘giving’ is woven around everything grown in households at Coorg.

Kodavas take great pride in their land and all that’s grown on it, usually distributed to their family and friends. This culture spreads happiness and makes known plentiful crop.

Revered in Coorg!

Saunter into the prayer room of any Kodava household, and you’ll stumble upon framed pictures of their ancestors. Kodavas respect them with ‘yawning reverence’, and robustly accept ‘the older, the more knowledgeable’ adage.

It’s unheard of in Coorg for anyone to disrespect the advice of elders, who’re considered ‘authentic store houses of culture and tradition’. In the absence of a ‘concrete manuscript’ of the Kodava traditions, the knowledge possessed by elders becomes superlatively imperative. This ‘golden information’ is passed on to offspring by the word of mouth ‘medium’.

Elders in the Social Fabric Called Coorg

Upon the demise of elders, the successive generations take over the key role of imparting the precious knowledge, in order to ensure that the ‘Kodava religion’ ‘breathes’ in its unadulterated form.

Events such as Weddings, Naming Ceremonies, and Funerals see elders presiding over them and notifying youngsters about associated ceremonies. It’s customary to touch the elders’ feet each time the others meet with them; this is a display of respect.  Kodavas put themselves under the mercy of their elders. The elders bless and wish them in return .

Even during the main festival, ‘Kaveri Shankramana’, it’s customary to touch the feet of the elders. One of the most important parts of the day is when the blessing and protection of elders is sought. On this particular occasion, Kodavas visit the elders in the neighbourhood as well as among their own families.

A Kodava wedding witnesses the bride and groom assisted by an older bridesmaid and groomsman respectively, who guide them through the day’s proceedings.

In times bygone, the ‘verdict’ was pronounced by the oldest family member whenever there were family disputes. These members could be either male or female, and presided over matters of the village and neighbourhood.

Surely, Coorg’s elders are their treasure!

Once you have watched them, you return for more, night after night.

The Moon Smiling at Coorg

Some estates besides forests also have ‘visitors’ like foxes, elephants, wild boar, bison and rabbits.

You can never be bored as you can sit out on the porch or in a tree house with a fine pair of binoculars and camera in hand, spellbound by the wild country side.

The ‘competition’ between your dogs and ‘wild others’ can go on all through the night, what with the dogs working to protect their master, and keep them safe all night long!

You slip into slumber in the arms of Nature, drowsed by the mist and the tunes of its creatures. The smile of the moon is concealed by the floating clouds, off and on.

But it’s not long before the moon fades away and the sun arrives in its place. It makes its appearance regally, slowly rising above the beautiful mountains and shedding light on the ‘slumbering’ valley.

Morning Setting in at Coorg...

The mist slowly disappears in the majestic rays, leaving glimmering drops of water on the lush green.

You wake up to the melody of birds who entertain you with their beautiful dance. The blooming flowers and the scent of mud leave their fragrance in the air, giving you the best start to your day.

A farmer’s best return is a pristine night and a regal morning. Working to preserve this beauty is a farmer’s delight. Farmers feel like Nature is expressing her gratitude for all they do for her, and she spurs them on to work with a smile!

The Exterior of a Temple in Coorg

One such temple is a temple called the Chamundeshwari Temple in the vicinity of my grandmother’s house. It is extremely striking and well maintained. It is calm and pristine and gives you a feeling of real inner peace.

On one day each year, this temple celebrates the ‘Chamundeshwari Namme’, or temple festival. Similar nammes (festivals) are celebrated at different temples and districts on various days based on the deity.

The ‘Chamundeshwari Namme’, is marked by prayer offerings to Goddess Chamundeshwari for the well being of the village. On this occasion, animals are sacrificed to fulfil these prayers. These animals, mostly pigs and chicken, are bred in households for a couple of days prior to this auspicious day.

Each family sends a basket to this festival with various offerings for the Goddess. The basket and sacrificed animals are collected by the respective family after the festival.

A Family Preparing to Send their Offerings for the Chamundeshwari Festival

The animal sacrifice has tradition and various customs attached to it, and is said to bring good luck and well-being to the village and its residents. These animals are culled by members of the Erava, Kuruba or Poleya tribe.

The ‘namme’ is celebrated differently at different places. In some areas, men dress up in different costumes performing entertaining dances and role play. The lookers-on then pay them money in appreciation for their efforts.

Everyone’s welcome to join in the celebration, and visitors from all over the world are welcomed with arms wide open to join in this costume affair.

Some of the ‘nammes’ are also performed for the onset of rains, and it is believed that on the evening of the festival, it always does rain!

Traditions like this bind the Kodavas to their tribal roots. Their religion and culture are an offshoot of Hinduism but are very different from it. Coorg’s full of fascinating stories and customs such as these and the story is actually a lot deeper than it seems!