Karnataka   

It is time for ‘yellu bella’

— Photo: G.P. Sampath Kumar

HARVEST FESTIVAL: People buying sugarcane for Sankranti in Bangalore on Sunday.

Bangalore: It is time for pongal and “sakkare achchu”, and succulent sugarcane. It is the time when young girls distribute “yellu bella” in urban neighbourhoods and farmers in villages thank the Sun God for a bountiful harvest.

Shops across the city have been selling the delicious “yellu bella” which is a mixture of sesame seeds, dry coconut, groundnut, fried gram and jaggery. Markets in traditional neighbourhoods such as Malleswaram and Gandhi Bazaar are choc-a-bloc with people shopping for Sankranti.

Ravi N. Sharma, a banker, said that he has been buying “yellu bella” for Sankranti for the past two years. “Earlier we used to make it at home. But we hardly find the time these days. Now that everything is available in the shops, it has become convenient for working professionals,” he said.

But people like Sandhya A., an LIC employee, still swear by the home-made stuff. “The shopkeepers will only be looking at making a profit. They will not take as much care as we do,” she said. While “yellu bella” is being sold at Rs. 80 per kg, “sakkare achchu” costs Rs. 100 a kg.

P. Srinivas, a businessman, said: “We live in a joint family. The women of the household sit together and make these items. It instils a sense of togetherness,” he said.

His wife Padmavathy P. said that on the evening of the festival day, women worship the cow. “Earlier every household had cows. Now we go to our milkman and worship his cows!” Shaila S. Vasan, a housewife from Hoskote said that farmers make their bullocks and cows jump over hot coals to ward off the evil eye.

The festival is equally important to people from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The spirit of the festival is the same since it is a harvest festival, said Lakshmi Padmanabha, a housewife.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Karnataka Congress unit may contest polls on its own
For some silly laughs
Masala for the box office
Miraculous Prayer
Applications invited
Much sought after
Celebration time
BSP to contest for all 24 Assembly seats
Hospital criticises Commissioner’s action over garbage disposal
Proposal on FMDP for petro products under study
MRPL enters retailing
Faulty pricing will affect people
Showcasing culture
Honour for four Sagar teachers
Voicing their demand
Faulty tariff will affect people
Pejawar seer to undertake fast
It flatters to deceive
Poets’ meet
It is time for ‘yellu bella’
Training
For all-round growth

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu