Remember the cold winter mornings when your mother would wake you up and give you an earthen cup of hot milk that you would savour slowly? While you enjoyed the warmth of the milk, you also relished the aroma of the earthen pot.
Doesn’t it ring a bell? Or all you do remember is a thermocol cup or a glass one?
Thank you, commercialisation!
Well then, what has happened to the good old earthy kulhars?
These earthen cups, known as kulhars in Hindi, are essentially from India and Pakistan. And yet, we don’t see too many of them nowadays. While one can still find them in rural areas, the urban people no longer enjoy a sip of their favourite drink (it can be milk, chai or tea, or even water) from the traditional kulhars.
However, using these kulhars is better than using plastic or glass containers for many reasons. For one, these are disposable and you need not worry about germs and infections while using one. Secondly, earthen kulhars are unglazed. So they render an earthy scent and taste when you are drinking your favourite beverage – something that can never be experienced if you are using plastic or glass. Also, kulhars are far more environment-friendly than plastic cups because they can be disposed of without any harmful effect on the environment, unlike plastic.
One person who seems to have understood the environmental, financial and perhaps the emotional impact of kulhars is Lalu Prasad Yadav, the former Railways minister of India who held office during 2004-2009. He attempted to revive the kulhar culture and made sure beverages were served in them on trains. But the ease of carriage of plastic cups and their low manufacturing cost proved to be the undoing of kulhars and we have again lost touch with our desh ki mitti, literally.
But don’t lose heart.
The kulhar culture of India rules the grassroots and you are bound to spot them at roadside dhabas and local chai shops. Even some high-end restaurants now serve their beverages in kulhars. And if you want, you can look for kulhars in your local markets as well.
Image courtesy: Easyryders