Muthu is in his late teens. He is energetic, eager to talk and excited to explain what he is selling. So whether you ask him in Hindi, Telugu or English, his response is in Tamil.
But he insists that his customers can ask him questions in ‘Telungu’ (Telugu). Muthu is one of the many vendors who are dotting the streets near the Army Military hospital on the way to Sainikpuri.
Ask Muthu anything about the product, he rattles off like a record playing in loop in Tamil. A non-Tamil speaker (that’s me) could understand words like ‘Tirunelveli’ ‘Tamil Nadu,’ ‘farmer’ and ‘selling.’
From far, what they are selling perched on make-shift stands erected on plastic milk crates look like huge earthern diyas. Stacks of these bowl shaped dark brown objects are neatly placed on bags made of palm leaves. Curious passersby stop to enquire and eventually buy.
These brown bowl shaped objects are palm jaggery and Muthu and the rest are selling them in Hyderabad wherever there is a good number of Tamil-speaking people. After failing to make sense with my Telugu, Hindi and English but eager to know more, I called a colleague and asked her to help me out.
What came to light is that these are farmers who make palm jaggery and are trying to sell them in Hyderabad. Why Hyderabad? “No specific reason they are all trying new places in and around the southern states every year to see the demand for their product.”
He was also able to explain their mode of transport from Tamil Nadu covering almost 1150 km by road. “Bolero jeep” he said.
The farmers are selling two varieties of jaggery. One is plain which is priced at ₹150 for a kilogram and other jaggery is a spiced at ₹250. The costlier variety is spiked with pepper and ginger powder is called Shunti bella and set in perfect cubes to be able to be used in tea and coffee.
These vendors show their jaggery which is dry and non-sticky, and stress that their product is unadulterated.
