Warm Pithas in Misty Winter

Winter in Bangladesh comes in a variety of colours. There is the morning mist, with intimations of date juice. There are the new vegetables, reminding one of the fecundity of the soil. And then there is more. This 'more' comes in the shape of pithas, or rice cakes, that are to be found in homes across the hamlets and villages of this country. True to tradition, in line with heritage, pithas are but a symbol of the culture which has kept Bengalis rooted to their ambience. As these images show, it is the variety, together with the abundance, that underlines the preparation of pithas. Time was when the bhapa pitha, the chittoi pitha, the chui pitha, the phool pitha, the taaler pitha and many other such delicacies were prepared in the serenity of our rural clime. In recent years, though, pithas have become part of a national awakening through festivals being organized around them in urban clime.
Feel your taste buds tingle in anticipation of the pithas. And then let the mouth savour the beauty which comes of having these pithas fulfill life, give it new substance as it were.

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Photo: Anisur Rahman