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Belagavi’s Summer Special ‘Haute Stuff’

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Picture this: A crowded Saturday market in Belagavi’s busy Ganpat Galli….anytime in March-April-May. Hang around the corner from the fag end of Ganpat Galli towards Kambli Khut and take a deep breath. An infusion of smells hits your nose that makes you crave for all that is available there. Walk further across Rajpurohit Dry Fruits. Look out for those subtle hints of smell.

Yes, you’re right there, amidst the haute cuisine of Belagavi. Women, men, children squatting on the roadside and offering the summer delights , so exclusive for this area. Indian Blackberry – Jambhul, Cranberries – Karvande- both raw green and ripe black, Jackfruit arils- gare, Dhamne ( Don’t know what it’s called, but it resembles red buttons shaped like the figure 8), Chare ( the Buchanania fruits whose seeds are the nutty Charoli or Chironji used in Srikhand), the invitingly beautiful Kairis – raw mangoes and gooseberries that stimulate your taste buds with mere mentions. Shahapur Market also offers fresh stuff from Yellur area.

Station area is where you can find most of the Cashew apples – those orange fruits that leave a strong taste in your mouth. And most of this stuff is sold in eco-friendly leaves, something we must be proud of. You just can’t imagine these berries being sold in malls, carefully packed in air-tight plastic bags that you pick up and bring home, only to eat it like some disinfected stuff. There is fun in holding a leaf cone in your hand, get drenched in the juices, some stains on your dress for effect and a coloured mouth for company.

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Many would recall an old lady who’d carry a huge cane basket on her head and go about selling her ware saying something like “Kanbargi Kavlihanne….SSSSSS”. Do you miss that clarion call that woke you up on those boring summer noons? One can still spot the hand carts selling Jambhuls and Blackberries.

A lot of children would still rue the fact that they invariably appear in the noons , sounding a very sweet bell, when the elders are in deep slumber and kids can’t buy this stuff. So is it with the Baraf-ka-gola, that sinfully colourful grated ice with slurpy syrup poured over it.

What fun to watch the mouth turn a funny pink or red or yellow with its colour. Although branded ice creams have become the norm, there is fun in lying your hands on that butter paper clad white Femila ice cream sold on the push-cart that made a loud thud every time the seller closed its lid. One can spot that cycle riding salesman selling a tower of funky pink candy floss or Buddhi Ke Baal, and kids salivating at its sight. Even the memories of its melting in your mouth have the potential to bring a smile on your face. Whilst the Kheera – Valuk and the water melon still dominate the roads, it’s these humble cousins that rule our hearts, atleast for now.

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Many of us have guests coming over for Summer Holidays and preferring these delights over the universal Pizza-Coke treats. They would never find all of these at one place anywhere else in the metros. If anyone wants some more reasons for not being able to lift the second leg from Belagavi, this is it!

Photo courtesy: Santosh Purohit & Team AAB

 

16 thoughts on “Belagavi’s Summer Special ‘Haute Stuff’”

  1. Swatee,
    Wow !!! Your articles are so mesmerizing….It takes me through all those gallis. I could even hear those bells ringing and feel that April-May heat when I used to go out to buy those jambuls in the middle of my afternoon nap!!
    Thanks for such a “delicious” article!!!… It is always pleasure to read your work.. So, please keep them coming..

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  2. Swatee,
    Thanks for refreshing my brain & opening that pages of my life where I use to wander in my village with my friends for that Belgaum fruits.
    —-Sunil Kole

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  3. Excellent!!! Swatee. You have described eveything right. I could re-collect it happen just that way. We always took route to school via Ganpat Galli and would often buy the jamoon, kauli and dhamne. Saturday was just great, until the saturday market moved towards other places, Still the street has not lost much of the charm. Miss the Bombay Aliiipaaak with Besan laddo and lime juice sprinkled. The fresh bhajji and churmuri mixed with khari boondi and shenga from the Churmure Bhatti, (few exist now), The Smell of Fresh Fruit laden trucks unloading at Kadolkar Galli… the fruit sellers chant… Nagpur orange, Shimla apple etc!!! Wow! Nostalgia! Good old days of growing in Belgaum.

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  4. Keep it going girl !! Short sweet and simple writing. Please post a picture of the unique Dhamna fruit which I didn’t find anywhere in India and abroad and also the tiny brownberry.

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  5. Thanks Swatee and AAB for taking me down the memory lane. My favorite is “Nellikayi adike” or “AvaLa Supari” the ones in the photo, I soo wish I could just take them off screen. Thanks for the mouth watering article.

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  6. I remember my Summer Holidays, about 45 years back, Samadevi Galli Corner was a host of these fruits, Still now also available all of you enjoy & these bring reminscences of my childhood days, Kudos to AAB

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  7. Mouth watering eatables. A few days back we visited Belagundi with our grandson to have a feast of karavande and murute in open fields. Belagavi is unique in jambul, karavande, borikai, nellikai ಹುಣಸೆ, etc. We relish these even today. Thanks for beautiful presentation.

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  8. Swatee !

    It is shear joy to read about Belgavi, My birth place and native town, It is grown into a semi metropolitan city and going towards being a metropolitan. But back in 1975 to 1990 our child hood wow what days we never bought these things, roam around the bungalow area of camp and just climb the trees and enjoy these fruits eating with the gang. All the summer holidays same program with short picnics to Asoga-Khanapur , Rakaskop all on rented cycles whew.. these golden memories with sis, bro and friends will never vanish from the mind and heart as long as I leave. Now the situation is different now kids prefer buying and their enjoyment and dear friend is MOBILE PHONE WITH DATA…..very sad they are loosing their social life to get a social (Mobile) life.

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  9. I so very miss it we don’t get it anywhere in the world expect my ? belgaum though the city grows but it must not lose these treasures no matter what

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  10. Nostalgia….Yes ,that’s what one feels on reading this article…Oh boy ,how I miss those galli’s, my childhood antics, gooseberries and karwande et all …belgaum as it was known back then shall always be the most beautiful place to me always…Keep it coming…?

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