Grandma's Popula Dabba

Was it a wand or a magic potion or a genie? – Shanta wanted to know. What made her Amamma’s food so delicious? Why was grandma so secretive about her magic? Would Shanta know the secret magic?

 

She would ask the question today. It was decided. Shanta could no longer hold her curiosity.

“Amamma”, she asked, “How do you prepare such tasty food?” licking into the tomato pappu that her grandma had prepared that morning.

Shanta was in her grandparents place for almost a month now. And her Amamma had never missed to prepare an extraordinarily tasty meal. 

“Oh! Do you really like it?” beamed her grandma and hastily filled her plate with a little more rice and pappu. 

“Yes. But you haven’t answered my question. Do you have a magic wand? Please tell me”, Shanta said in a low voice leaning close to grandma.

“Wand? What is that?” Grandma rubbished. Then she thought for a little while. “The magic must be in my popula dabba”, she said still thinking.

 “What is popula dabba? I want to see it”, exclaimed Shanta her eyes wide with excitement. Grandma immediately rushed to the kitchen and fetched a shiny stubby circular steel box. Grandma held it steady with both her hands carefully as though it was heavy. 

Shanta eagerly stretched out her hand to hold the box but grandma pulled it back fiercely and hid it in her sari’s pallu. “Not here. I don’t want everybody to know my magic”, she said in an annoyed whisper eyeing at Shanta’s mother and grandpa who were sitting closeby and chatting. “I will show it you in the evening when everyone is relaxing outside.” Shanta eyes were fixed on the steel box. Her grandma didn’t tilt the box, even slightly, as she hid it. “Must be a liquid potion”, guessed Shanta.

 True enough. The popula dabba seemed to hold grandma’s magic. Shanta noticed that her grandma used the popula dabba quite often. Amamma had placed it in the shelf just next to the stove. She used the contents of the popula dabba quite often. She picked up that magic using the tips of her fingers and put it into hot oil in the frying pan that she used. This she did multiple times before she added the actual ingredients. “But not a liquid potion”, Shanta concluded. “Could they be gems?” she wondered. But they weren’t big enough. If they were gems, she could have seen them.

Shanta waited restlessly for evening. In the evening she would find out grandma’s secret - The secret to such delicious food. The minute Shanta’s mother and grandpa went outside, Shanta ran to the kitchen. “Everyone is outside, Amamma. Show me the secret NOW. Please quickly”, she squeaked. But grandma disappointed her. “No, no, dear not now”, she said patting lightly on Shanta’s head. “We have Ramu uncle and his family coming home for dinner tonight. I am sure you are waiting to meet Little Nandu. Oh! He loves the pulihora that I make. The tamarind paste is already ready. I have to just mix it with the rice. Let me make some for the naughty kid……..”, she rattled on and on but Shanta did not listen. Shanta wondered why her grandma was so secretive about her popula dabba. But Shanta wanted to know the secret. She just had to know it. And she had little time. “Amamma, I am leaving home tomorrow night. You have to show me the secret before that”, she declared cutting short grandma’s rattle. “Oh! Sure dear, tomorrow morning I will show it to you”, replied her grandma replacing the popula dabba on the topmost rack of the shelf. 

Next morning she would find out grandma’s secret - the secret to such delicious food.

 That night Shanta dreamt about grandma’s popula dabba. Grandma rubbed her popula dabba just like Aladdin his magic lamp. A tiny genie oozed out of the lid and sprinkled something into her frying pan. But Shanta was not fooled. “Amamma has no genie. Dreams can be wild”, she thought. She jumped off her bed and dashed towards the kitchen. “Amamma, you promised. What is the magic? Everyone else is still asleep.”, she screamed. But grandma was indifferent to what Shanta said. “Oh! Silly girl, you have not bathed yet. Do not enter my kitchen”, she shooed a hurt Shanta away.

NOW, it struck Shanta. Grandma never wanted to show her the popula dabba. She made up excuses everytime. But Shanta was not the one to give up. She would definitely find out. But of course she needed help – but who? Of course, amma. So Shanta complained to amma. The daughter and mother sketched a plan for the evening. Yet again, Shanta waited restlessly for the evening. In the evening, this time definitely, she would find out grandma’s secret – the secret to such delicious food.

 

“I want those red bangles, amma”, Shanta shouted to her mother. 

“No, Shanta. You never wear them. We will not waste our money”, shouted back her mother.

“But I really want them”, Shanta said tearfully but of course very loudly.

“Oh! Why would you not buy the bangles for the poor girl? “, an annoyed grandma asked amma.

“I do not want to waste money on them”, retorted Shanta’s mother. 

Shanta ran to her grandma and hugged her. “Please amamma, I want the red bangles”, she said. “Amma will not oblige once she has made up her mind. Buy them for me before the cart leaves.”

Grandma rushed to the kitchen. She pulled out her popula dabba and ran back to the front yard with it. “Babu! Wait, we want bangles”, she yelled out to the young man pulling the cart of bangles. “I have lots of money, you can buy all you want”, she said to Shanta and opened the popula dabba.

Grandma’s secret was out. Shanta’s inquisitive eyes drank every detail of it like bee drinks nectar. Grandma’s popula dabba had seven small canisters of equal size inside it. Each was the same shiny steel as that of the outer box. One bowel, containing dried red chilli was in the center. The other six arranged in a circle around it contained mustard, cumin seeds, pepper, turmeric powder, fenugreek and white lentils each. “SPICES!” exclaimed Shanta as grandma pulled out two canisters – the ones containing the red chillies and fenugreek - lifting them up together using her thumb and pointer. Underneath them grandma had hid a few rupee notes. 

“Oh! This is where you hide your money. It had always been a mystery”, grandpa said peering into the popula dabba. “Thank you”, he grinned at Shanta. And that was when grandma realized that she had opened her popula dabba in front of everyone. 

“You bad girl!” exclaimed grandma. “You stole both my secrets. There would be no magic around this old lady anymore”, she said sadly to Shanta. But Shanta hugged her grandma. “Just spices cannot be your magic, amamma”, she said reassuringly. “I am sure you cook such delicious food because you really want to. That’s your magic. Nobody can steal it from you.” Grandma smiled relieved. “But the next time I wish to buy some toffees for myself, I know where to look”, said grandpa. “You dare touch my popula dabba without my permission”, warned grandma and on and on they squabbled throwing Shanta and amma into a fit of laughter.  

But of course, amamma did not forget to buy Shanta the red bangles.