Prerna Devi and her husband, Jagat Singh Ganghari, fall on their knees and bend over on the floor.
Prerna is 52 or thereabouts, Jagat 65. On a crisp November afternoon in Munsiyari-a quiet hamlet at 7,200ft in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district-they are demonstrating how they burrow for the tip of a rare fungus in snow-peaked mountains.
In Munsiyari, often charmingly referred to as Little Kashmir, local residents often point to the five famous peaks, namely Panchachuli, girding the Kumaon region far into the horizon, as if the peaks are the source of all sustenance in this quaint little hill town perched between the borders of India, Tibet and Nepal.
Standing outside her spacious, pucca house on a broken road, Prerna looks petite and rough-hewn.
She chirpily talks about walking over the remnants of a glacier from the Nanda Devi east base camp to search for keeda jadi or cordyceps-a mummified caterpillar fungus with a slender, brown body whose benefits were perhaps first described in An Ocean of Aphrodisiacal Qualities, a 15th century Tibetan medicinal text.
It is known as Yartsa Gunbu in Nepal and Tibet, a poetic name meaning summer grass, winter worm. The mushroom is renowned as Himalayan Viagra’ for its rumoured use as a sexual stimulant. But Prerna is least concerned with such saucy connotations. For her family of three in Munsiyari, keeda jadi is the most important source of income ina region mostly amenable to growing potato, rajma and medicinal herbs.
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
A golden girl
One of India's most formidable beauties passed away earlier this month. The odd thing is she would absolutely hate this obituary; she hated being written about and avoided publicity for all of her nine decades. Indira Aswani was 93 when she died. But anyone who encountered her, even briefly, was in such awe of her grace and poise, and one could not but remember her forever.
The interest in wine is growing delightfully in India
The renowned British wine writer and television presenter Jancis Robinson, 74, recently came to Delhi and Mumbai to reacquaint herself with India's wine industry. This was the Robinson's fourth visit to India; the last one was seven years ago. On this trip, Robinson and her husband, restaurateur Nicholas Lander, were hosted by the Taj Hotels and Sonal Holland, India's only Master of Wine.
United in the states
Indian-Americans coming together under the Democratic umbrella could get Harris over the line in key battlegrounds
COVER DRIVE
Usage-driven motor insurance policies offer several benefits
GDP as the only measure of progress is illogical
Dasho Karma Ura, one of the world's leading happiness experts, has guided Bhutan's unique gross national happiness (GNH) project. He uses empirical data to show that money cannot buy happiness in all circumstances, rather it is family and health that have the strongest positive effect on happiness. Excerpts from an interview:
India is not a controlling big brother
Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay considers India a benevolent elder sibling as the \"big brotherly attitude\" is happily missing from bilateral ties. He thinks the relationship shared by the two countries has become a model of friendship not just for the region, but for the entire world. \"India's attitude is definitely not of a big brother who is controlling and does not allow the little brother to blossom and grow,\" says Tobgay in an exclusive interview with THE WEEK.
Comrade with no foes
Lal Salaam, Comrade Yechury-you were quite a guy!
Pinning down saffron
In her first political bout, Vinesh Phogat rides on the anti-BJP sentiment across Haryana
MAKE IN MANIPUR
Home-made rockets and weapons from across the border are escalating the conflict
SAHEB LOSES STEAM
Coalition dynamics and poor electoral prospects continue to diminish Ajit Pawar's political stock