Points
to Ponder
Tasting
Callaloo and Chutney in Trinidad
During
my second or third stay in Trinidad, one gentleman asked me
if I had ever had a taste of what they call ‘callaloo’.
I had never even heard about
let alone tasted it. I said so and I was told that I
could not leave Trinidad without tasting the famous ‘callaloo’.
The gentleman took me to his place and we had the dish. It
is a thick slimy soup
made from lady’s fingers or ‘laloes’ if you prefer,
dasheen leaves which we call ‘bredes songes’ or
‘katchou’ cooked with seasonings and to which they add
some very hot chillies and dried fish or crab meat. To those
who love a thick slimy
soup, ‘callaloo’ is a really marvelous dish.
When
I told my friend that I have a relative settled down in
Trinidad, we found out that he was married to a relative of
his. And the next day, my relative came to see me at the
hotel. He was accompanied by his wife and they are among the
very best people I have come across. Both of them wanted me
at all costs to stay with them for a few days. As my job was
over by then, I agreed and my relative collected us in his
car.
We
were in Port of Spain which is situated in the north of
Trinidad and the relative lives in San Fernando, which is
situated in the southern part of the island some 70-100
kilometers away. About half-way through, there is the
well-known town of Chaguanas. We did stop there but not for
long. On another occasion I had the opportunity for a longer
stopover and may be I will tell you about that place later
on.
After
visiting the town, we were told by our relatives that we
were invited to a Ramayana satsang. We are always ready for
any religious gathering, satsang or puja. And so, we did go.
Of course it was held in a Hindu household and the audience
was very attentive. The Pandit who was chanting the verses
of the Ramayana and explaining the different aspects
thereof. He was a very learned person but I found it a bit
strange for the explanation was in English with some Hindi
thrown in. I found it strange because I am used to hearing
Ramayana being expounded in Hindi only.
When
the satsang was over, the Pandit made a speech in which he
referred to my wife and myself, then the householder made a
speech. You would not believe it, but he started his speech
with ‘Ladies and gentlemen, Namaste and Assalam Waleikum….’
And at the end I was called upon to make a speech as well. I
told the audience that there should be interaction between
the people of Trinidad and Mauritius being given that there
is so much in common between us, especially in terms of
culture, religion, food, system of government and so many
other matters. The people were satisfied and they invited us
to the temple or shivalaya the following morning, which was
a Sunday.
After
the satsang, we had dinner. It was the same preparations
that we serve here, everything vegetarian, we had puri, five
or six varieties of curries, kutcha, chillies and rice among
other things. After dinner I had two questions for the host.
The first one was about the fact the he started his speech
with ‘Namaste’ which is understandable in a Ramayana
satsang, but why did he continue with ‘Assalam Waleikum’.
He told me because there were Muslims as well in the
audience. They usually attend and take part in Hindu
prayers. That was a lesson for me for having put a stupid
question and I have now decided never to put such senseless
questions. My second question was about the status of the
various Indian languages in Trinidad. He told me that in so
far as Hindi and Bhojpuri are concerned, nowadays very few
people speak these two languages and that also it is
restricted to more or less the old persons. That set me
thinking about Mauritius and I could not but come to the
conclusion that maybe in another generation Hindi and
Bhojpuri would go the Trinidad way unless parents, teachers
and society as a whole are aware of the danger.
Our
host of the day told me that his mother who was over eighty
years old could speak very good Bhojpuri. He introduced me
to her and we started conversing in Bhojpuri to her complete
satisfaction as well as mine. That conversation was worth
more for me than any talks that I have had in Trinidad with
the top people, for it came from the heart and it touched
the heart.
Before
taking leave, our host requested me to deliver a message to
his Mauritian university friend whom I happen to know very
well and I did it most gladly. Both of them studied in the
same university, at the same time in England.
The
following day, we were taken to the temple where we were
welcomed by the pujari. The set-up over there is the same as
we have here, with ‘moorties’ of the various deities
that have been installed after the ‘prana-pratishtha’
ceremony. People were singing bhajans and kirtan at the same
time. I was invited to deliver a speech over there as well
when the puja and the bhajan and kirtan sessions were over.
The difference between our temples and those in Trinidad is
that people over there have arranged their sitting
accommodations in the manner of the Christian churches.
During
the last day of my stay in Trinidad, we were taken to a
performance of Chutney. This is not the edible variety of
very hot accompaniment to ordinary fare, but it is rather it
is fast-paced songs in Hindi interspersed with English
words. Normally, people dance to the tune of the Chutney
which find their origin in the classical songs, the
religious renderings, the folk songs which the immigrants
and their descendants used to sing on the occasions of
births and weddings as well as film songs. With Chutney
Trinidadian Indian music has come of age and such music has
become part of the culture of the country.
The
Trinidadians use different types of instruments, with which
we are familiar, like the dholak, tabla, jhal, harmonium,
sitar, and also those with which we are not familiar like
the tassa, nal, majeer, and the jhanji. And the people are
well versed in the singing of geets and bhajans as well as
chowtal songs of Phagwa.
We
have lived in this country for a long time since our
ancestors migrated or were forced to migrate in this
country. And the same fate has followed the Trinidad
Indians. We have been influenced by French culture but the
Trinidadians by English culture. A historian or a socialist
should do a comparative study of the Indian descendants in
both countries because we would like to compare how we have
fared in all spheres.
LEX
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