The stone made household appliances are on the verge of extinction. Earlier, these appliances were being used in houses of Odisha to prepare tasty foods. By using these things, the dishes would have an exotic taste and aroma. However, time has changed. In the modern age we hardly witness such appliances in houses. While in villages, these are still used many people prefer these to prepare ingredients for food. Here is a special report by Kalinga TV.
Since long many of the household items used for different purposes in houses are made of stone. With advent of modern times, many of those items have been replaced by iron, steel, plastic and other materials. Even, many of them have now the electrical version of these items. However, some people still love some traditional items because of their uniqueness.
Earlier, stone made grinding stone was used to crush cereals, paddy etc. Things such as cardamom, garlic, ginger, pepper, chillies as well as other common cooking ingredients could be crushed with this. Now, this has been replaced by the electricity operated grinder.
Earlier, grinding stone, Ghorana (Ruben), Shila-shilapua/ Sil Batta (Mortar and pestle), crushing board-bar, Dhinki etc. were being used in houses. However, these days we hardly see its usage in houses.
Even, earlier these items were being given as dowry. These days also, sometimes it is given in dowry. Yet, it is now being used only to continue the tradition and custom. These appliances are now found in the houses, but these are put at a corner of the house and practically not used.
Many people of the present generations might not have seen these appliances. These are new things for them. Out of the sound, produced by these items, people could guess the work going on in the house. In rural areas women were earlier seen using these items at a common place. Along with work, it was an enjoyable moment for them as they could gossip during work. Also, they could help each other to prepare the ingredients.
One of such appliances is the Dhinki. You can crush the cooking ingredients to get a fine perfect texture as desired using this traditional equipment.
The dhinki was being installed at a specially made room often in the back yard of the house. It was known as Dhinkisala. Dhinki was being kept generally by the financially sound families in a village. It was operated by humans. Women press one end of the dhinki bar with their feet. They hold a rope hanged close to their hand for balance. It is used to produce rice out of paddy, to produce flattened rice etc.
One needs to take utmost care to use a dhinki. You need to put low or high pressure on the bar to get different the products. Another person sits at the other end of the Dhinki bar, who goes on putting the ingredients inside the hole, after each stroke. In this process, once the bar comes down, you need to take out your hand; otherwise it will crush your hand resulting in injury.
We hardly find dhinki or dhinkisala in anybody’s house these days. Now, we use ingredients produced in mills. Also, since now families are small, there are no many people to work in the dhinki. And coming to urban areas, where the houses are counted in square feet, there is hardly any place left to install a dhinki at a house. Besides, there are restrictions by the Forest Department.
With extinction of such household equipment, the professionals who were making these items have lost their profession.
People say things produced with these traditional things are unique. Even in some cases, doctors advise to use these products. However, these days all these items have been replaced by modern equipment which do not need manual labour.
However, there are people who love to follow their hereditary profession. They make these stone made items and definitely there are people who love such stone made appliances. Keeping in view the demand of such people, traders make new things.
These traditional items were not only used to produce ingredients, but by working with such items women were doing physical exercise which is needed for good health.
Time has changed and the passion for producing more in a short while has led to discovery of many electrical appliances to replace the ancient items. In the coming days, it may happen that we would find these items only in the galleries of museums. Yet, it is true that these items have contributed much to the society.
Ms Kalinga