Go for the gongura

Prabalika M. Borah

June 22, 2017 16:17 IST | Updated: June 22, 2017 16:17 IST

Tangy and perfect to cook up a storm, sorrel leaves are the flavour of the season

Come monsoon, and most green leafy vegetables are relegated to the back burner for a couple of months. Concerns about contamination soar high. But the only variety of leafy vegetable which is consumed without any inhibition during the monsoons is probably sorrel leaves. Known as gongura in Telugu, ambadi in Marathi, pulichakeerai in Tamil, tenga mora in Assamese, the plant is called pitwaa in Hindi, khata palanga in Oriya, and mestapat in Bengali. This basically goes to show that sorrel leaves are consumed widely in India.

The reason being: they are a rich source of iron, vitamins, folic acid and anti-oxidants essential for human nutrition. A good bunch of gongura is the only key to make the right dish. When buying gongura, look for leaves that are firm and a vivid green in colour. Any sign of yellow or browning indicates that the leaves are spoilt. However, they are still fit to be consumed. Leaves that are smaller in size will be more tender and have a milder flavour. The tanginess of the leaves is directly proportional to the temperature of the region it is grown in.

Culinary uses

The very mention of gongura pachhadi will have any Telugu drooling. A very popular dish in Andhra and Telangana, gongura is also used to make mutton and chicken dishes, also revered as the show-stopper of a meal in special family get-togethers.

When cooked with toor dal, it adds a certain zing to the dish and is popularly known as gongura pappu. Apart from curries, varieties of pickles are made with gongura. Cooking gongura with colocasia is a popular ethnic dish in Assam. In Tamil Nadu, it is widely used for pulichakeerai masiyal and thokku.

Health benefits

Gongura is an excellent source of folate and a very good source of vitamin B6, both of which are needed to maintain low homocysteine levels. Apart from this, it is a rich source of iron, vitamin C, anti-oxidants, calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin A.

According to studies, the leaves are also a great way to keep your bones strong. This mineral-rich plant has calcium, magnesium and phosphorus in abundance, all of which are important for maintaining strong and healthy bones. A diet rich in these minerals can help in preventing bone loss and conditions such as osteoporosis.

The high content of vitamin C, popularly known as ascorbic acid, plays a major role in boosting the immune system and in increasing the number of white blood cells in the body. This is also one of the reasons gongura is widely consumed even during the monsoons. Also, since it grows a little higher than ground level, risk of contamination is comparatively low.

Source: thehindu

In Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu is associated with economic activities

By

Devdutt Pattanaik, ET CONTRIBUTORS|Updated: May 04, 2018, 11.16 PM IST

In contrast, Shiva is about letting go and accepting what is while Vishnu is about making efforts to enjoy a good life.

In the Vedas, Vishnu is the name of a minor god, who is younger brother of Indra, and is known for the three steps he took to span the world. But later, in the Puranas, we see a shift in Hindu mythology  and he becomes the preserver of the world. What preserves the world? Goodgovernance, or dhrama? What is good governance? Adequate wealth generation and adequate wealth distribution.

And so, Vishnu has always been associated with economic activities: just as Krishna as cowherd, is linked to animal husbandry, while his elder brother, Balarama, holds a plough and is linked to agriculture. As Ram, he is considered fair and just, alluding to proper distribution of wealth. In fact, Vishnu is called down to earth every time the earth is plundered and the earth appeals to him in the form of the earthgoddess, Bhu-devi, who takes the form of a cow.

In fact, cow is a metaphor for earth making all kings Gopala, or cowherds, those who ensure the earth is being ‘milked’ correctly. What is interesting is that the form of Vishnu connects him with economic activity. And this is best understood when we compare and contrast him with Shiva,  who became equally powerful god in Puranic times, as compared to his less popular Vedic form, Rudra.

Shiva is imagined as a hermit, linked to desolate mountains, caves, and crematoriums. He is smeared with ash. He wears animal hide. He can be seen wandering alone in the forest, trident and rattle-drum in hand. In contrast, Vishnu is linked to an ocean of milk, to butter, to rivers, to woods, to farmlands and pasturelands. He wears silk fabric, assuming the existence of farmers, spinners, weavers, dyers and washers.

He wears gold ornaments, assuming the existence of miners, smelters, smiths and jewellers. Shiva’s ash is made effortlessly by burning wood, dung and corpses. Vishnu’s sandalpaste demands effort. The aromatic stick has to be rubbed on a wet rock for a long period of time.

The more effort, the more sandalpaste. Just comparing and contrasting ash and sandalpaste makes one realise the difference in the philosophy of Shiva and Vishnu, seen through an economic lens. Shiva is about letting go and accepting what is. Vishnu is about making efforts to enjoy the good things in life.

This thought recurs when we see how they associate with milk. Shiva is linked to raw unboiled unprocessed milk. Vishnu loves butter and ghee, creation of which demands effort.

Shiva does not seek milk; Vishnu demands to be served, and even enjoys stealing butter and distributing it to all. Shiva is the bull, who cannot be domesticated, but still is vital to the economy as bulls make the cows pregnant. Castrated bulls, or bullocks, can be beasts of burden but they cannot make cows pregnant. Vishnu is linked to cows, which is vital for rural economy.

Shiva sits still on top of the mountain, withdrawing from the world, outgrowing hunger.

And if there is no hunger, there is no demand, or supply, or market. In other words, destruction of the economy. Is that good? The goddess tells Shiva that while outgrowing one’s own hunger is good, surely taking care of other people’s hunger, feeding others is also good. Thus a counter-point is added to Shiva’s hermit ways. Shiva’s hermit ways challenges the hunger of man, but so does the idea of generosity that the Goddess speaks of and Vishnu embodies.

Yes, hunger sustains the market. But whose hunger? Our hunger or other people’s hunger. What hunger sustains the world? The shareholder’s or the consumer’s or the employee’s. Capitalism is obsessed with shareholder’s wealth. Communism with employee’s wealth.

Capitalism celebrates consumerism. Communism mocks it. Yet a perfect ecosystem is one where everyone’s hunger is satisfied, and more importantly satiated. A satiated Vishnu feeds the world, thus creating Vaikuntha.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com.)

Source: economictimes