A slightly oily Chhattisgarhi equivalent of the bonda was served up. It came in a dona (leaf cup). The cup was made of two robust leaves of the Sal tree (Shorea robusta), which dominates large parts of the Central Indian landscape upto the foothills of the Himalayas. The tree is valued both by tribal communities and the timber industry.
The harvest of these leaves is a source of livelihood for the tribal communities. The plucking of the leaves is difficult, as the Sal is a tall, straight-growing tree. The leaves are then tied in neat piles and carried as headloads to the courtyards of their houses.
Research has helped the growth of leaf cups and plates | Photo Credit: V.K. Murali
Here the donas are made. Two leaves are placed at right angles to each other and folded deftly. Pins made of thin bamboo splices or neem leaf stalks are pierced through to hold them together. And the bowl-shaped dona is done. These are stacked together and taken to nearby towns to be sold directly to shops, especially those that sell food items or sweets. The dona is mostly made by women, but earns them barely enough to buy some basic frugal supplies.
Many versions
The dona has many versions: A single leaf one used to drink local brews; a four-leaf one for more elaborate servings; and even plates made with 6-7 leaves. Sal leaves are not the only ones used for this purpose. Other species include the young leaves of the Palash (Butea monosperma), the beautiful large leaves of the creeper Siali (Bauhinia vahlii), and many others. In Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Badam (Terminalia catappa) leaves are used to make donais. The base of the areca palm leaf is used to make a diverse range of cups and plates as well. Based on the region and the form, these leaf cups have different names: patravali, pattal, vistar and more.
While disposables are entering India’s heartland, a reverse journey is also underway led mainly by the rural technology centres of the IITs and Agriculture Universities, rural innovators, small entrepreneurs and the design community. The leaf plates have made it to online markets and have a fan following among the eco-conscious world-wide. A quick search on the Internet throws up catchy names such as Leef (Germany) and Chicleaves (the U.S.). In 2016, the German start-up Leaf Republic raised over €64,000 on crowd funding portal Kickstarter. A single plate was selling for €8.5 (about ₹700). Another German company, ‘Leef’, has a tagline that says, “The Worldwide Specialists in Compostable Leaf Products’! The tribal women of India would surely disagree!
