Dear nature lovers,

Greetings from oikos !

Grain storage is one of the very important aspects of rural and tribal life. Harvested grains are stored in various containers made by using various plant parts like leaves or stem.

The most common grain storage is Kanagi (कणगी) which is made by using sticks made from bamboo or some local shrub like Karvi (Carvia callosa) or Nilumbi (Phyllanthus reticulatus). Mixture of cow dung, mud and ash is applied on this so that it becomes air tight. Fruits of certain plants like Gela (Randia dumetorum) or Tirphal (Zanthoxylum rhetsa) or Neem leaves (Azadirachta indica) are spread as uppermost layer over the grains and then the lid is closed.

In certain tribal areas, Teak (Tectona grandis) leaves are also used to make a small container to store items like ground nuts or pulses. These are called as Peta (पेटं) or Petara (पेटारा).

In Southern Kokan area, an interesting container named mudho (मूढो) is prepared by using rice straw. People say that even if it is thrown in the river, grains do not get wet.

It would be interesting to note that all these materials are procured from the surroundings without any dependency on market. Locals have shared that few cultivars could be stored for more than ten years in such a container. Majority of these are now replaced by metal or plastic containers.

Regards,

Ketaki & Manasi

With Team oikos !