FIVE PHOTOS FIVE STORIES: Let’s go to Hurda Party ( Day 2)

“Have you ever tasted Hurda?” inquired my husband.

“Now what’s that? Never heard about it.” I questioned.

“Even I didn’t get the chance before. Now we have. It is nothing but coal roasted tender jowar, supposed to be healthy yet tasty. Get ready for the ‘Hurda Party’. Here is the invitation from Nath Group. It sounds fun.”

Jowar and tasty? huh ! I had doubts. We left for the event. The venue was  located in the outskirts of the city. It took us an hour to reach.

Well it was actually a colorful event ! It was like Roy G. Biv event with lot of fun activities planned based mainly on hurda. At the entrance we saw some very creative floor designs/rangolis made out of vegetables, dry chillies, corns and cereals. I started taking pictures at once which made my son uncomfortable.  Around four hundred people were gathered in a lush green ground near the fields enjoying farm fresh products near the stalls. There were freshly plucked guavas, radish, roasted tender jowar, fresh curd, bananas, boiled corns Oh yes ! Hurda was the show stealer along with other cereals, served on a platter. I was tempted to taste all. Irresistible food it was !

Hurda is roasted on coal in mud pits which gives it an earthy taste. This freshly roasted hurda is then eaten with an accompaniment of various types of chutneys made of sesame seeds, groundnut, dry coconut, garlic and red chillies. Additives like jaggery, revdi, lime and miri shev make the experience all the more interesting. As people were there from morning till late afternoon, spent more than half of a day at the farms, a proper meal was laid out in one of the stalls that comprise a typical menu of jowar and bajra rotis, pithla and vangyachi bhaji. Sugarcane juice was one of the most sought after stall. It was so naturally sweet ! I had three glasses full. Store house of energy I must say. Cost of food was included in the entry ticket.

The concept of  hurda parties is not new for locals. Out here in Maharashtra these events are annual feature especially in Marochi Chincholi which is 55 kms away from Pune and  in Aurangabad. Conventionally people organize farm visits every year in the period between December and March to feast on hurda. Over the years this simple celebration has turned into a lively event with a lot of other attractions that provide people a glimpse of rural life.” While we were chatting with one of the party organizer, he said, “Earlier this outing had an objective of tasting farm fresh food but now there are other add-ons for the people like, bullock cart rides, games, rangoli competition etc. People also love to try their hands at ploughing the fields, plucking fresh vegetables and flowers, enjoy the swings brought for children.” The event was held for two days.

It was a memorable experience as we got a chance to venture into the jamun, mango and custard apple orchards located in the area. We felt positive energy as if we were connected to our roots.” Thanks Nath Group for making our day so lively and healthy.

FIVE PHOTOS FIVE STORIES CHALLENGE:

You all must be aware of this challenge by now. I was so thrilled when Cee at Cee’s Photography Blog asked me to join for this challenge. On the same day Marilyn also asked me whether I would be interested in it. I said, ” Why not ?” It offers so much fun and creativity and moreover all my friends seem to enjoying this.

The rules of Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge are:

1) Post a photo (or more!) each day for five consecutive days.

2) Attach a story to the photo. It can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or nothing more than a short paragraph. It’s entirely up to you.

3) Nominate another blogger to carry on the challenge. Your nominee is free to accept or decline the invitation. This is supposed to be fun. It is not a command performance!

Today I would like to invite my friend Ledrakenoir who happens to be a great photographer as well as a gifted writer. He was among those first few blogger friends who have always supported me since I have started blogging. He is elder and a well -wisher. He may not comment on all my posts but always make me feel that he is there appreciating my work with his surprise feedbacks. You may like to visit his wonderful blog and enjoy his superb work. Have a good day.