As summer and the forthcoming elections turn the heat on, nothing quite beats a thirst buster like bonji! Bonji? Here is a clue. Bonji (by that name) is available only in Kerala’s capital city. Now again, what is a bonji? A bonji, for the uninitiated, is plain old lemonade.
Colas, ice-creams and soft drinks, canned and fresh, have not taken the fizz out of a bonji drunk cold. Homesick bloggers from the city sigh over their perfect glass of bonji and try to remember what was in it that made it so special. Like sodas with marble stoppers and tea from smoky teashops, the bonji has a special place for youngsters and students. However, unlike the teashop culture, the bonji did not spawn a culture of heated political discussions over a glass. Instead, it was and is the perfect antidote to cool down. It is an icebreaker that never fails to bring a smile on the faces of those who know their bonji.
Film star and writer Murali Gopy has no idea why a bonji is called a bonji and not ‘naranga vellam’, as it is called in the rest of the State. But he sure does have fond memories of the bonji. “As a student, my friends and I used to play cricket in a ground near Sastri Nagar. After every game, we used to go to a murukkan kada and gulp down glasses of bonji. I still remember the taste of that glass of goodness,” laughs Murali
In fact, psychologist and actress Parvathi says she cannot think of a substitute to bonji. “When people talk about globalisation and malls, I wonder if the bonji will be squeezed out along with the petty kadas. That would be an irreplaceable loss. The advantage of bonji is that it is always freshly made and right in front of your eyes,” she adds.
While bonji has been the subject of many jokes on and off the screen, not many people are sure about the etymology of the bonji or why it is available only in the capital city. Poet and scholar Madhusoodhanan Nair says the bonji might have been derived from the Tamil word Kolanchi pazham for sweet lime. He feels that over time, colloquial usage might have shortened the Kolanchi to bonji. Shyju Khan, leader of the youth wing of a political party, says he has had innumerable glasses of the tangy drink after a demonstration or a protest. Although Gen Next has replaced parippu vadas with burgers and tea with colas, the bonji has not been completely washed out.
Mahesh Ramkumar, a techie working at Technopark, says it is still a popular drink that is available at the food court.
“A bonji is forever. As a media student, one of our teachers insisted that whenever there was one word that described something well, we must use that instead of an euphemism. The bonji is a lemonade so why say ‘naranga vellam’ for bonji?” says Annapoorna Balan, a lawyer and television hostess. Let’s us drink to the bonji!
The bonji, as it is made traditionally in a murukkan kada: A lime is cut into two and one half is pressed into a wooden squeezer over a glass tumbler. Sugar or sugar syrup is added along with water and nicely stirred to make it frothy. Cubes of ice could be added, if necessary. Sivasankaran, who has been working at a shop at Devaswom Board Junction for the last 45 years, says demand for bonji peaks during summer. “Now people have it with soda, or salt or even a squeeze of chilli. But there is no dearth of takers for the drink.”
Paeans to the bonji online…
Bonji in silver tumblers
For drinks it was bonji, or lemon juice. Fridges were unheard of. Mud pots were cleaned and filled with water the previous day itself. And to serve the bonji in, silver tumblers were taken out, polished and readied.
(Maiji) Memories and Musing, life in Pondicheery
Bonji for rocket scientists
R. Aravamudan, one of the pioneering space scientists in ISRO and a contemporary of APJ Abdul Kalam, writes: “At the end of a hard day’s work at the rocket range some of us would come to the Rocket club, opposite Raj Bhavan. After a vigorous game of badminton we would all be very thirsty, bonji was the obvious trophy for which we would play. Kalam was an ardent player and would win his bonji quite often.Our ball boy readily used to mix up sugar and lime juice and make some quick money. He would sometimes add a twist of ginger and cardamom to make it more interesting! And when he got some ice pieces to add, it was indeed a special treat!”
Bonji for zest
Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy) writes in her blog ‘Zesty South Indian Kitchen’: ‘In my home town Thiruvananthapuram in India, summer is very hot and people try to cool down their body heat by drinking sweetened lime or lemon water. We call it Bonji or Narnaga vellam. Usually it is served sweetened or with little salt and pepper like my hubby like to drink.’
