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| Kanglapat..Photo by Yaikhomba. |
Those days, me and
mom used to go for walks almost every evening if it does not rain. And as our home is situated at the heart of Imphal city, normally our route happened to be via the market place and then along the Kanglapat moat. As we walk along, we come across the popcorn sellers who go around pushing a handcart upon which the guy had a gas stove, on the stove a big iron kadhai(pan) which contained a large
amount of salt to be used as a medium to pop the corns and at the same time give them a salty flavour. He used to pop his popcorn right in front of his customers and it was always fun to watch him do so. Mom loves popcorn and me too. So often, we used to stop and buy whenever we come across one such seller. While waiting for him to pop the corns for us, I used to watch him with due interest as
he adds the corn seeds on the heated salt in the pan, stirs the salt and corn holding a long iron ladle with his right hand while he holds with his left hand, an aluminium pan cover a little above and over the pan so as the popping corns do not escape from the pan and fall back within the pan. It was a delight to watch each seed going pop* pop*
pop*...and bursting into lovely white flower like popcorn until almost all the
seeds get done. Soon the huge iron pan gets filled up with these lovely white
popcorn and the aroma was just Mmmmmm...... tempting!! With undivided attention, I used to observed him as he turns off the flames on his stove and using the ladle
scoops out the popcorn. He then would put them inside a Potlang(bamboo basket woven with spaces in between)and shake the
basket over the pan so as all the extra salt fall back through the spaces in between the weave of the basket. By this time the popcorn have cooled down a bit from
being pan hot to deliciously warm. He than packs for us in packets for all those
waiting around his cart. 5 Rupees per packet was the cost. I used to walk home
beside mom, a delighted girl full of glee, munching the warm and delicious
popcorn. No butter, no pepper or any other added flavor but
Simple Classic Salted. We used to bring extra packets for everybody at
home too. This became a regular thing and each day I used to watch the popcorn guy's every move as he makes the popcorn for us to buy. One day it
finally struck my mind that I now know how to make popcorn so, why
not try at home? Why not make on my own and serve them to the people I love most? That would be just wonderful!!
Now now, *Project Popcorn* is beginning to
take shape in my mind and decided to implement my project and accomplish it as
the earliest. I made a mental calculation of what the things that I would be needing to put to task my idea. Then started looking for them in the kitchen and the storeroom......1. Big Iron Pan, it is there in the kitchen...not so big as the
one the popcorn guy has but would still serve the purpose. The ones in the
storeroom were huge ones, two or three times as big as the one the Popcorn Guy has and are meant for use when there is a big luncheon or dinner at home and Brahmin Cooks would
use them to cook for the guests on firewood. No way a young girl could lift it up and place on the stove. 2. Long handled ladle and aluminium pan
cover,... found those that matched the pan in the kitchen. 3. Potlang,... found
many. These bamboo baskets, every
household in Manipurkgs". I asked Mom to buy me 2 Kgs of corn. With an
amusing spark in her eyes, Mom asked, "Are you going to pop all of
them?" I said "YES! Am going to make for all of us at home and who soever
might be visiting us today." With a smile she bought me 2 kilograms of
dry corn seeds from a store. Holding and hugging my precious corn seeds this
excited girl walks home to begin work on her new project.
Soon as we reached home and while mom went and sat beside Granny talking
about something(nothing went into my mind. All my concentration was
on the implementation of my project at the earliest) I walked
straight inside the kitchen, placed the packet of corn on the kitchen counter,
hurriedly drank a glass of water and began my task without waiting for mom
to join me and guide me. I thought I have learnt all by watching the Popcorn Guy. Did not have the slightest idea about what is going to happen in the next few moments.
Finally I began my task. ....One, two, three... lighted the stove. Four five six.....placed the pan
on the gas stove. Seven, eight, nine.... opened a 1 kg pack of iodized salt and
poured all onto the pan. Happily I kept stirring the salt with my
ladle for some time until it became very hot. Ten, eleven, twelve... here we
go,.... I scoped with my palm the corn seeds and added them in the pan not just
once or twice but 5 times!! Whoops, the pan is 1/4th occupied now with the 1kg of salt and 5 heaped palm fulls of corn!!. Still not realizing what the result of
my over enthusiasm is going to turn out to be, my excitement increased with each
passing moment. I strained my ears to hear the first magical popping sound of the corn. Geeeeee ..soon all these seeds are going to pop and I'll be
serving my family with my very own popcorn!! I kept stirring
in the pan and the first magical popping sound came Pop*...it was music to my
ears. A white popped corn jumped up and landed back in the pan. My eyes
sparkled and anxiously waited for more pops. The second popped soon and
a third...and a fourth....and a fifth... pop*..................
pop*................ pop*........... pop*.....pop* ..... A few landed outside
the pan and some even hit me. I reached out for the pan cover and tried
to prevent them from landing outside from a height but by that time, the popping
became faster and faster and many began to pop at the same
time......... pop*... pop*.. pop* ..pop* pop*pop*pop*.... Some remained in the pan and more
and more escaped and landed all around in the kitchen. I managed to control
for sometime but after a few moments I could no longer control as I could not keep them covered and also had to keep stirring. The pan soon filled up and overflowed and if I continue to stir, all came out and fell outside. I could do nothing but watch helplessly as the corns
continue to pop at a super fast rate hitting me now and then. Was at a lost for
a few seconds, then with a quick reflex, switched off the flames and went a
few steps backwards away from the erupting volcano of popcorn. Even
though I had switched off the flames, the heat retained on pan and the salt caused the
corns to continue popping and the whole kitchen was being strewn with all those
freshly popped corns. After a while the popping slowed down as all the seeds
were done by that time. I looked around in dismay at first but suddenly a smile curved around my lips. As my nature is, I never lose my cool even as a child. I was in my early teens that time so even more composed. Instead of panicking, I began admiring the beauty enhanced in the kitchen by my popcorn. What a pretty sight! What an art I created!! The floor totally covered by white popcorn..lovely!! It appeared as if hundreds of small white flowers are being scattered on the the otherwise grey floor enhancing the beauty of the kitchen. I was not worried about what mom or granny or dad would say to me but kept looking and smiling at my work of art. What ever happened, I have finally made my popcorn and I still had a pan full even though 10 times the amount in the pan are all on
the floor, table, counter and one of them even found its way into my pocket which I took out and popped in my mouth. Delicious!! Its perfectly salted!! At that moment mom
entered the kitchen and saw what has just happened. She stopped short on
her steps as she could find hardly any space to put her feet down. Her eyes roamed
all around the room, on the stove, at the pan and finally looked straight onto my eyes. I looked back at her and remained still, not showing any emotions and preparing myself to hear what my Mom has to say. She suddenly broke into a smile and said "I knew something of this sort is definitely going to
happen. But you did make your own popcorn on your own without help from me or any other and that's fantastic! So what if the floor is covered with popcorn. We can always scoop up everything and give them to the fishes in the pond. There are quite a few big ones in the pond which can swallow the them whole and the smaller ones can nimble on them and they will break up in the water making it easy for the fishes to swallow. But next time you try to do so, do it with smaller amounts of corn and it won't happen again. As of now, Well done!!" Then both of us burst out laughing. 
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| Smt. Shantibala Devi |
✿A mother is not just the one who gave birth to you. She is also your best friend who loves you unconditionally and guides you throughout your journey of life.✿ - DRK
