Festival : Hurda

Hurda

In rural Maharashtra, it was still an agrarian lifestyle.

As children, during the hurda season, a visit to our cousin’s fields was mandatory.  A bullock cart with to white oxen would drive us from our home in the village to the fields. There were; no motor-able roads then.

The day and night to be spent in the fields, playing exploring, eating sleeping, so much fun for us city dwellers.

Food and drink were ambrosia from heaven.  Feasting would begin the moment we reached and continued through the day into late in the night.

Tender green grains, harvested and thrashed from the stalks, roasted in a dugout over hot charcoals. This to be eaten with stuffed aubergines and cucumber raita. There would be a host of other accompaniments along with a medley of milk puddings sweetened with jaggery

If there was sugarcane in the fields; then freshly pressed juice would be served, to cool down the spice.

Dinner would be by a stream of sparkling water.

We would sleep at night in the open fields, under the canopy of a black sky, twinkling with a million stars.