The winter vacation meant a series of picnics. The weekends were reserved for picnics with family friends. We kids could have picnics with friends from the neighborhood during the weekdays. We normally went to places very close to our home. The forest behind our quarters was full of dry shrubs and very suitable for our picnics.Even at one day's notice we could arrange our picnic. The previous day normally was spent seeking permission from parents and putting together items needed for cooking. Yes, those days picnics meant cooking at the spot!
We would choose a place and clean it first. After spreading two or three durries on the floor, we would arrange all the items. The oldest kids would arrange bricks for chulha...they would sprinkle little kerosene on the cowdung cakes and place them inside the chulha. The younger ones would collect dry leaves and twigs also. After lighting the chulha, the big degchi with water would be placed on it.We could cook only khichdi and chatny. The rice and dal would be washed and added to the water. After placing a lid on the degchi, onions, tomatoes and chillies would be cut for the chatny. After rice was cooked, turmeric and salt were added.Then onion-tomato gravy would be made, little sugar was added to this to make it sweet n sour chatny.
We took great pride in cooking our own food and having it too.......all by ourselves.I don't think it occurred to anyone that we should carry homemade food for cooking.Ordering food from outside was totally non existent! Our parents allowed us to indulge in such fun activities. Though nobody knew cooking properly, we were excited to try our hand at it. The taste of sweet-sour chatny still lingers in my memory......
Once the cooking was over, it would first be served to the younger ones and then others would feast wholeheartedly. The afternoons were packed with some games or anthakshari. Spending the entire day in the softness of the winter sun was such a pleasant experience. By four in the evening we would be back to the safety of our homes.By five or so it would start getting dark and the foxes in the nearby forests would start howling........
We would usually carry a big vessel in aluminium, kerosene, match box, rice, moong dal, onions, tomatoes, chillies, salt n other masala items. Water was also carried along with a few glasses.Someone carried oil. All the items came from different households.We had to carry our younger brothers or sisters also if they were too tiny. The parents never bothered or worried about our safety. It was taken for granted that we would be responsible for the younger ones too!
We would choose a place and clean it first. After spreading two or three durries on the floor, we would arrange all the items. The oldest kids would arrange bricks for chulha...they would sprinkle little kerosene on the cowdung cakes and place them inside the chulha. The younger ones would collect dry leaves and twigs also. After lighting the chulha, the big degchi with water would be placed on it.We could cook only khichdi and chatny. The rice and dal would be washed and added to the water. After placing a lid on the degchi, onions, tomatoes and chillies would be cut for the chatny. After rice was cooked, turmeric and salt were added.Then onion-tomato gravy would be made, little sugar was added to this to make it sweet n sour chatny.
We took great pride in cooking our own food and having it too.......all by ourselves.I don't think it occurred to anyone that we should carry homemade food for cooking.Ordering food from outside was totally non existent! Our parents allowed us to indulge in such fun activities. Though nobody knew cooking properly, we were excited to try our hand at it. The taste of sweet-sour chatny still lingers in my memory......
Once the cooking was over, it would first be served to the younger ones and then others would feast wholeheartedly. The afternoons were packed with some games or anthakshari. Spending the entire day in the softness of the winter sun was such a pleasant experience. By four in the evening we would be back to the safety of our homes.By five or so it would start getting dark and the foxes in the nearby forests would start howling........
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