As 51-year-old Yamini grapples with the scandal and sophistry of her recent past, she stumbles on true artistry in an unsung corner of a gur-maker’s village. In a short story written exclusively for Verve, Gouri Dange explores the workings of a human mind thirsting to erase a deep hurt
When yamini woke to her 11.45-p.m. phone alarm, she could hear the three men moving about quietly in the dark. She swung her legs off the rope-bed that they had given her, reached for her camera, and sat up. Jogen was already halfway up the first khejur (date palm) tree, and calling out instructions softly to his two apprentices below, to watch carefully how he planted his feet for the ascent. In the dark she could see only the brighter blue checks of his lungi, doubled and tucked above his knees and between his legs.
There were 10 more trees, which he must climb in the next half hour, his sickle tucked into his waistband, a fine clay-collection pot on a rope tied across his shoulders. yamini watched as he secured himself at the top, deftly cut three perfect zigzag cuts in the light cork-like part where the bark meets the palm fronds. He then slung the clay pot on the stick that had been lodged there at the beginning of the season, and adjusted the lip of the pot to rest against the cut. From here, the thin sweet sap would begin to drip, as if by appointment, at the midnight hour; the clay pot would fill in three hours…and the khejur tree would have spent its sweetness for the night.
It will then be boiled, very early in the morning, in giant vats, and cooled into golden mounds of jaggery the nolin or patali gur. Jogen will repeat this cycle every night and early morning, till the tree gives of itself, only through three months of winter. The gur will find its way to the towns and the big city nearby. Occasionally, someone from quite far away will discover this sweet seduction, and will be changed forever. A visiting French chef had become enamoured of it. He had created a Patali Pana Cotta and commissioned yamini to photograph the gur process for his book.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Making Amends
This generation’s penchant for thoughtless consumption gets Madhu Jain roiled up, and she wonders if nature is getting its own back for our missteps…
Diamonds With Provenance
In keeping with the company’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility, Anisa Kamadoli Costa, chief sustainability officer at Tiffany & Co. and chairman and president at The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, enlightens Shirin Mehta on the efforts that make the jewellery giant an industry leader in transparency
SARTORIAL ECONOMICS
Sisters Tashi and Tara Mitra demonstrate to Akanksha Pandey how deviating from the mainstream can bend the way we think, live and dress
NOTES TO SELF
An anthropomorphized tiger’s perspective, a viscerally worded futuristic interpretation of loss, a critique of performative activism, a meta reflection on the earth’s crises. Told through different lenses, Janaki Lenin, Indrapramit Das, Keshava Guha and Roshan Ali’s stories — written exclusively for Verve — attempt to make sense of the fraught reality that we exist in today
The Eternal Optimist
As Generation X and xennials grapple with fully transitioning to conscious living, young millennials and Generation Z are leading the charge to reverse human-caused environmental damage. Sahar Mansoor, founder and CEO of the Bengaluru-based zero-waste social enterprise Bare Necessities, has a simple overarching philosophy: consume less and stay positive. Verve gets deeper into the mindset of the action-oriented earth advocate
Redemption SONGS
Indian music festivals have been demonstrating a refreshing sense of responsibility in terms of their ecological impact. Interacting with stakeholders who strive to make these large-scale events greener, Akhil Sood investigates the reasons behind the improved attitudes of audiences and the increase in corporate support.
earth hour
Crafted using nature’s elements, these dials draw inspiration from the many heterogeneous materials and hues around us.Verve turns its lens onto a mesmerising few
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Children are holding adults accountable for both the grim future they are facing and the toll this is taking on their mental health. Madhumita Bhattacharyya initiates conversations with families of young climate activists and observes the extent to which parenting has changed in the face of catastrophe
NATURAL JUSTICE
Most of us are only just waking up to the urgency of climatic action. When the stakes are so high, what can individual action solve? Mridula Mary Paul, an environmental policy expert, is proof of the tenacity needed to effect systemic change. It’s not glamorous, and the rewards are few and far between, but that doesn’t stop her from aiming big, finds Anandita Bhalerao
Along For The Ride
Navigating Indian streets as a woman is hard enough. But what is it like while riding a bicycle? Bengaluru-based Shreya Dasgupta, a regular cyclist, speaks to five urban women about the pros and cons of this increasingly popular means of transport.
