the terms issurrai,
chaata, cheepuru and rolu and rokali bring to mind the objects that were part
of our life once and are not anymore.
issurrai served as
mill by powdering pulses whereas chaata cleaned rice. rolu and rokali were used
to pound or trample pulses and vegetables as wet grinder.
the utility of these
age-old implements reduced gradually with the advent of electric grinder, mixer
and vaccum cleaner. though change is inevitable, some cannot be replaced
completely.
with an aim to
preserve our culture, the folk and tribal lore museums of the telugu university
has collected a number of items that were in use till recently.
speaking to the hindu,
dean of the centre, battu ramesh said: “the traditional items are manually
operated. these implements, besides protecting the nutrients in pulses, provide
physical exercise to women,” he explained.
in most of the
houses, women in groups crushed paddy and they used to set the pace of the work
by singing folk songs that helped them forget the physical strain.
according to
assistant professor, department of folklore, gaddam venkanna, the manual work
done by the people in the olden days gave them the endurance power. those who
crossed 60 years of age could still work whereas those in 30s now complain of
back ache, arthritis etc, he added.
machines, no doubt,
made life easy but have no charm that the traditional implements had. as the
way of doing things changed, so did the life. the change was so rapid that the
terms issurrai, chaata, cheepuru and so on hardly been heard among youngsters,
laments mr. battu ramesh.
on the positive
side, the museum, which houses many of these items, is frequented by students
from various schools. at least, the efforts of the telugu university to
familiarise people with things past would help them reconstruct the life of
their ancestors.
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