I cherish my childhood memories of the tribals from the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. The Bhils, Muria Gonds and others lived in blissful obscurity among thick jungles. The tribals would eat a simple fare of thick maize gruel, liberally seasoned with salt and red chilli powder, and, of course, a daily dose of Mahua liquor. Raw Kachari (a form of vegetable resembling melon), and leaves of several edible plants were also used. For the lean monsoon and winter months, these were dried and stored.

Dholuram, our domestic help, once invited us to his brother’s wedding. The surprise element was that the baraatis did not expect to be hosted, dined or wined at the expense of the bride’s parents. Hence, as per the custom, the baraatis carried their own supply of cereal in bags slung over their heads, and, again of course, their own Mahua liquor. The chelikas (young unmarried youth) and motiari (unmarried girls) helped at the ceremony. These young volunteers collected wood for fuel from the jungle, made leaf plates and cups by stitching big leaves with thin bamboo sticks, and also provided entertainment by singing and dancing during the ceremonies.

A special feast was prepared, which had maize pania, which were cooked between two palash leaves on a slow fire, rice cooked in toddy, maize rotis and urad dal. To celebrate the wedding, a special dish, “Kadaknath” (a type of fowl with very tough meat), was roasted with oil. Salt and red chilli paste was spread over the fowl and then covered in wet, black mud. It was then roasted on an open fire, and after removing the mud, was served in pieces. The desert was also unique — maize gruel with jaggery. Although, throughout my life, I have attended numerous wedding feasts in different communities, none were as enchanting as sitting under the huge palash trees on the ground, eating the simple wedding feast.