An ode to the groundnut!

The train from Mumbai ambles into Lonavla station. It is late afternoon. The vendors make brisk business peddling their usual wares- tea, coffee, and other tidbits. Over and above the hubbub, a particular vendor catches your attention as he announces, “Chikki…chikki…Lonavla chikki…Maganlal Lonavla chikki!”

There is a certain mystique in this vendor’s enunciation- how he adds attributes in successive tiers, like a classical vocalist building up a raga step by step. He creates an element of suspense by starting with just “chikki”; he follows it up with more detail by mentioning “Lonavla chikki” and finally, he hits the crescendo with the grand, climactic finish of “Maganlal Lonavla chikki”! That’s how you market a product effectively.

Lonavla and “chikki” are synonymous. Like Tirupati and laddu, Tirunelveli and halwa, Agra and Petha…Lonavla and chikki are inseparable.

Several decades ago, Maganlal created a brand name around this groundnut delicacy. If someone asked, “Can I give you some “Madan Lal chikki” instead, or maybe, some “Madana-gopal chikki" as an alternative?” you were shell-shocked and flatly refused. You rose to your full height and declared, “Nice try! But I want Maganlal Lonavla chikki and no other chikki! Ok?”

This groundnut sweetmeat was packaged in an attractive cardboard-case filled with multiple slices of “chikki”. There was “groundnut-with-jaggery-chikki", “groundnut-with-caramel-chikki" and even a “powdered-groundnut-chikki” version. No self-respecting train traveler could resist the indulgence. The groundnut did the trick- it raised the sweetness level of the journey by several notches! By the time the train reached Pune, an hour later, you could scarcely believe, that the cardboard-case was completely empty. Only the chikki-crumbs were left- they lay scattered on the lap and on the train-seat. You ran your finger over the crumbs and gave the finger a good lick, to catch the last vestige of chikki!

If “chikki” is a favorite for the foodie with a sweet tooth, groundnut in its salty avatar is a greater hit. As you loitered around the great cricket maidans of South Mumbai, you were irresistibly drawn to the groundnut vendor. The vendor moved around with a basket strung from the shoulder and hanging at the belly. The basket was heaped with groundnuts, kept warm from the embers of a compact coal-pot. On one side of the basket, paper-cones were strung, cone upon cone, like a multistoried building!

The moment you expressed interest, with a flourish, the vendor drew out a paper-cone. His fingers reached out for a tiny, metal, measuring cup. One scoop from that measure filled the cone. But the vendor wasn’t done yet. He looked at you in the eye with overflowing generosity, took a few extra groundnuts in hand, and topped the cone. That way, he had gone beyond the call of duty (and his measuring cup) and given full value for your money and a lot more!

Warm, crisp, laced with a dash of salt, and with the hanging aroma of coal, the groundnuts were a delightful snack. In a few minutes, you shook the paper-cone for some more, only to find it empty. You now inspected the paper-cone in all its detail. It was indeed a piece of artwork.  It gave the illusion of being commodious…a tall cone, a veritable skyscraper, but was crafted so unbelievably narrow, that barely one column of groundnuts could fit in! Hungry for more, you ran after the vendor for a second helping!

Groundnut is often called a “poor man’s almond”. If groundnut had had a human face, it would have stoutly protested and filed a character defamation case against the almond! And rightfully so- after all, can anyone, least of all almond, beat the groundnut, for its taste and versatility?

In the US, groundnuts are called “peanuts”. “I slog like a dog at my workplace, but they pay me peanuts for all the hard work!” the American complains. I wish I could tell him, “You get paid in peanuts? You said…you get paid in peanuts, did you? Give me your job maan! I will make some sweet “chikki”, some “cooked-groundnut-sundal with coconut”, some roasted, groundnut-savory and munch away! I want your job maan! I want the peanuts…sacks and sacks…of peanuts!”