Celebrating our regional food – Usecase of ‘Litti Choka’

Introduction

Our country stretches vast and diversity is aplenty. We have so many nuances regarding food within the same region or linguistic belt that when people from one corner of the country visit or stay at another end, probably except the staple, rest will be a surprise. My introduction to tasty, nutritious, never forgotten ‘Litti Choka’ or ‘LC’ in short happened when I was posted for on-the-job training at pit-head, green-field Vindhyachal ‘Super’ Thermal Power Station. It then achieved the commissioning of units in the first phase, but yet to stabilize. Never we imagined that after two and half decades, the same location shall move to become the largest power station of our country. Phase I was a wonder to visit and work for, vast stretches of empty land that supremely hosted another three thousand plus brown-field ventures in future. Coal Handling Plant (CHP) that was a black beauty to watch and defined by the operational priority, given the JIT inventory that was forced on downstream due to upstream realities. Why mention of the Coal and CHP here is, at the precincts of this great CHP that my batchmates Amitabh and BN Jha the natives of the land of Litti Choka introduced me to the topic of this evening, the Litti eaten with Choka. ‘Value added’ gets covered later in this writing, generous ghee serving on top!

Onboarding

For the uninitiated, Litti is the round ball of wheat floor stuffed with roasted gram flour powder mixed with masala. Its JV partner Choka is the ‘Kande/Gouri/dung cake’ fire toasted potato, eggplant, tomatoes mixed with raw onion pieces and cut green chillies. Coriander leaves, if you have access to, and little of mustard oil make up for the ‘icing’! It is pure desi food, low-cost, supplies all you require, fills you without stuffy feeling, keeps you hunger free for the next 6-8 hours. You can eat these Littis quickly, yes our own Indian fast food. You can carry it easily, dry non-oily or non-oozy balls that can stay for days. If you have nothing to access for food, our Litti alone can help you survive. Eat two and have plenty of water. You are powered for the day!

Space and Time

Litti Choka royally became the part of rest of life for this person who till then never heard of the delicacy. Attribute the ‘missing’ to the origin of the person and the localized education he had till then, including his engineering. The cusp of studentship to apprenticeship was on, and it was the training period, prior to the confirmation. The location was north-eastern parts of the greatly spread ‘Central Place’ state and the borders of UP and Bihar/JH were a few minutes of journey. The special treatment of ‘desi ghee’ that Litti-Choka stall owner was remembered for the flavour and taste of the ghee, and for the respectful affection of his. This was the ‘value added service’. He was not much educated but the passion he had for his work, making of the combo of Litti Choka, the equity with which he treated his customers, many of who were ‘stone pickers’ (from the coal), and also blue-collar workers dealing with the life line of the power station, and the authenticity with which he used to make and offer it, they stayed with me for this life. I was sorry and sad to learn that baba/chacha as he was called by his customers lost his life in a highhanded treatment by those who were supposed to protect the plant equipment and prevent unethical things around. He represents for me the honest, hardworking, silent majority of my Bharat.

Becoming ‘infectious fan’

Those were the celebrated bachelor days, was on a sharp learning curve, and no responsibilities. Aspirations were soaring high, mastery on many fronts was happening. But there was instability. Though it was a value adding phase, the formation of the joint venture was waiting. For better, I must admit. Many of the friends and hostel mates from ‘Periyar Bhavan’, building named on national integration lines (hostel in the northern state named after the river in the deep south). Thus, the transition into ‘stable state’ had to happen sooner or later for all.

Journaling the journey

After the memorable marriage in the Maharashtra Mandal in the great city, the journey by Katni-Chopan passenger was grounding experience. Eight long hours, the passenger carrying locals for whom the only day train to carry out all their transactions. Train halts so that people could pickup rock salt, veggies along the way was a surprise for the big city girl coming to terms with ‘post-merger integration’ and ‘cultural assimilation’. Honestly, I could not even treat her with a cup of tea along the way, a journey of eight hours! On that route, the last chai we had was always outside Katni station, the famous ‘chaiwala’. More ‘inductions’ for her were to happen. Long wait for ICH’s order delivery, Banarasi’s jilebi + puri combination in breakfast, Moti dhaba’s authentic and affectionate Sunday lunch, and our topic of this evening Litti+Choka were the chapters that got introduced. A visit to Nepal by road and hunger in Gorakhpur on the way, the satiating and saving food was our own Litti and Choka for her. By then she was completely onboarded.

Subsequent journey of two plus decades took us to north to east to complete west. Along with memories, our own eclectic food choices and exposure continued to travel with us. Occasionally to say ‘hi’, we reconstruct and relish our own version Litti Choka. Needless to say, we ensure we use mustard oil and ‘stuffed ripe red chilly’ aachaar (spicy pickle simply called ‘bhari mirch’). Over the years our kids too got used to the parental ‘aquired eating habits’. Strictly veg and less spicy ONLY are the defining features. So, holiday dinner, if it has to be ‘hatke’ (different if not ‘differentiated’), it has to be a change from the routine. Our own Litti Choka happened at home this evening. Hence, is this reminiscing.

On a closing note ?

Life is a journey. The destination in our case kept calibrated and re-calibrated. Sometimes we felt the place we were as the ‘last place’. GOD’s plans were different and we had to move on. Moving on happened with learnings and memories. Connecting the dots now, it appears clearly that every phase of life had prepared us for the next leg. Every part of the journey was worth it, and taught us the value of life, integration that must happen in the ecosystem, need for tolerance and patience, and most importantly the openness/ability to see the positive in every situation. Writing this I know one kid moved to the same shores I left at the peak of youth to pursue higher aspirations, the second may get a cadre of a state whose name we guess at this stage, and we are open to another place that is ready to affectionately host us. ?The common thread is, we are becoming more grateful and learned to trust higher wisdom.

In our journey, Litti Choka, Misal Pav, Rajma Chaval, Avial Rice, Bissi Bele Huli Anna, and Jhunka Bhakri, all have become 'our own' part. These appear at intervals on our dining table to remind us of the ‘less-travelled road’ we took. We THANK that the outcome has been worth the long journey. Our advanced gratitude for next-leg, so that we do not miss mentioning it.