forgotten
borassus leaf fan
stifling summer curse!
summer heat
parched throats
where is water pot?
palmyra leaf hut
long forgotten
cozy cool shelter
Taravani*
discarded summer beverage
of modern telugus
*Taravani in Telugu or ‘Tara Amlakanjikam’ in Sanskrit is spirituous beverage prepared from rice gruel. It is useful in fever control and curing hard motions which are the common ailments of summer. It also helps in healing oozing wounds. It combats the intense heat of summer. Taravani is prepared by keeping rice gruel in an earthen pot for few days. In olden days every Telugu home used to have a Taravani Kunda (pot) during summers. Ancient Ayurvedic text ‘Charaka Samhitha’ and Kautilya’s ‘Arthasastra’ lauded its usefulness.
