About the Kolambul (कोळ्मबुळ) , the Kolambi (कोळ्मबी) and the Kaathvat (काथवट ). 

 

The first picture below is that of the Kolambul. It is called so by the husband's side of the family. My mother used to call it the Kolambi. It used to be one of those typical utensils, you would find in the homes of those from Karnataka. Especially those from South Karnataka. The second picture has a Balai (बलई ) in the Kolambul/Kolambi. Both, the balai and the kolambul are shaped out of wood. I have seen similar wooden bowls in the market, coming in from South East Asia. But there is one very remarkable difference between them. The ones available in Karnataka are fashioned out of a single block of wood of a jackfruit tree. The Kolmabul is hence, heavy. It has to be. It is mainly used to make Phova upkari or whay is also called Phova Chetni. Yes, we pronounce out chutneys as chetney. It is a simple recipe. Grated coconut, crisp roasted Byadgi red chillies ( the wrinkled red chilly, which looks similar to but is not the Kashmiri red chilly) , some salt, some sugar, roasted curry leaves, are pounded in the kolambul with the help of the balai. The poha is then mixed into this mix and the seasoned with mustard seeds and more curry leaves. The phova upkari has many variations and all of them are made in this utensil. We also have a Gonva pitta polo ( maida or sometimes using atta). This recipe too requires the cumin seeds, green chillies , salt and sugar to take a sound pounding in the Kolambul. My mother used to knead our chapati dough in it too, though I do not know if it is done traditionally. Also my mother believed in convenience than proper procedure and often uses the stainless steel skimmer (the one used to fry pakodas) to flip a chapati or even serve rice. Having kneaded the dough she would then soak the Kolambul with the remains of the dough overnight and I think for that reason, it must have retained too much moisture, and one day when she was pounding, it broke into 2 halves. The kolambuls were such a familiar sight in our homes that we didn't find them exotic. Just something utilitarian. And at some point in time most of them got relegated to a corner in the house and stainless steel bowls took their place. My mommy had at least 2 steel bowls which had their bottoms dented by the pounding and gradually she started using a kadhai. She never thought of replacing the kolambul. In the meanwhile, the next generation or some from my mother's generation found another use for them. They came to be used as planters and I must say, they looked equally great as a decor piece, more so when these came to metro cities and were looked upon in awe by the cosmopolitan neighbours. Again, in the meanwhile, in the same generation, artisans crafting them dwindled. Wood was expensive too. I longed for a kolambul of my own. In Udupi, there are several stores surrounding the Krishna Math. They sell the touristy stuff and also such wooden ware - toys, spoons, combs, and kolambuls in different sizes. They had also started making kolambuls with a joint. These were nearly half the price but could not be used with a pestle and would most definitely crack. So once when we were at one of these stores and I asked the price of one of the bigger Kolambuls. Rs 4000/- he stated. Shocked, i moved away. The following year, I was back at that store, checking out the price of the same object. Rs 5000/- I stomped away. And the next year, I was back. Yes, we go to Udupi every year, for Ganpati. That year, the price quoted was Rs 6000/- and the husband bought it promptly. " you will simply crave for it and I will definitely not buy it 4 years later when it might cost Rs 10,000/- or even more. " The guilt at spending such a large amount lasted through the day. I swore not to shop for sarees on that trip. Ahem! The next year I was back at that store. This time I saw another kind of the kolambul, wider in expanse and shallower . The husband immediately bought it.. mouthing the same lines as the year before. For some reason.... well, to be handed down to my children- I placed these 2 objects in the cupboard. Sometimes also displaying them as a showpiece. Then one fine day, wisdom dawned upon me and I decided to be a little selfish. The objects were dear to me. They need not bring the same happiness to the next generation. So I started using them, and with great pleasure. I used the shallow Kolambul to knead jowar flour for bhakris and aataa for chapatis. The first time my house help saw me doing this, she was excited. "Ayya, tumchya kadey Kaathvat aahe?" Learning from that conversation - the shallow kolambul is called a Kaathvat in Marathi. And then she was talking excitedly. The Kaathvat was a familiar object in her village and town. She belongs to Mandangad near Mahad. She said, there was a village named Kaathvat, which specialised in making these ,once upon a time. However these are no longer made and hence are not seen in shops in her town. She went on to add, " we require this especially during the Ganeshotsav." Her family installs the Gauri idol too during this time, and when it is time for Gauri's departure, the kaathvat is required. "Gavar radvaayla ( गवर रडवायला)" she said. She upturned my kaathvat and scratched at the bottom of the kathvat from the outside with her nails.in a rhtym, and it sure made a strange sorrowful sound. Songs are also sometimes sung to this rhythm she said. Ganapati and Gauri are amongst our favourite deities, as we welcome them, celebrate their arrival, their stay, and feel immense sorrow when the day of visarjan hovers. The next day, when she (the househelp) arrived , she saw me kneading the jowar flour. She was smiling. "Just wait and see.. the bhakri you will make from this dough kneaded in the kaathvat, will be the sweetest you have ever eaten.." "When Ram visited Shabari, she washed his feet, placing them in her kaathvat. The water seeped well into the wooden kaathvat. From there on, every bhakri she kneaded in it would turn out sweeter.." she said. Folk tales... of the common people, held close to their hearts. passed down over generations, and made relevant even today !

 

 I just passed one on!