Jamatikra: No Odias can ever say no to watered-rice aka ‘pakhala’. And in these summer days in particular when mercury keeps increasing, one can never stay away from tasting the delicious ‘pakhala’.
Earlier, the dish was synonymous with the poor. But now-a-days, this dish has made way to shining glass-topped dining tables of rich and even five star hotels. And the side items decorated around the main course of ‘pakhala’ bowl served to better-off people are never to be found near the bowl of a poor people.
On the other hand, the side items a poor man usually takes along with ‘pakhala’ like greens, vegetable fry, slices of onion, tamarind are also getting vanished one by one, thanks to their increasing price.
“Two to three decades ago, we used to have fried fish or fried vegetable, greens, onion slices, green chilies and pickle as side items for pakhala. Now we have to contend with onion slice and pickle as we can ill afford the other items,” says a resident of Attabira.
The government is providing Re 1 rice. But what is about the increasing price of other commodities?
At Attabira market, almost all kinds of vegetables are being sold at over Rs 40. Pointed guard is selling at Rs 60 a kg. The price for a kilogram of bitter guard is Rs 40. Lady’s finger is also selling at the same price. The price of a kilogram of Brinjal is anything between Rs 30 and Rs 40. Similarly, variety of greens is selling no less than Rs 40 a kg.
The central government and the state government propagating that they are ensuring food safety by providing Re 1 rice seems to be just the one side of the coin. Supply department’s failure to rein the price of common commodities, is on the other side.
This is the reason why the charm of having watered rice has become a rarity for worse offs, some residents allege.
PNN