Inventions are a part of life, and they are what have distinguished us humans as the most intelligent species on earth. Tracing the evolution of humankind through the innovations man has done throughout history is a rather enlightening thing to do. At Manjusha Museum of Dharmasthala, we can find a number of such vestiges that make us admire our ancestors for their practical thinking, and the skills they had in times when technology was limited.
The special wooden rice-straining equipment called as ‘Marayi’ used to be a common sighting in households of Tulunadu until a decade ago. Many of us have probably used it, or at least witnessed our parents or grandparents use it. They have vanished from households today and are conserved at museums as a timestamp to the past lifestyle of Tulunadu.
At the outset, one would wonder why anyone would need such a massive rice-strainer. The wooden structure of the equipment is unique too, raising a lot of questions regarding its usage. But the design is one of the simplest yet most practical ones you’ll ever come across. The unique hourglass like structure of the wooden container with a certain depth allows it to collect water that is strained from rice. A pot – made of either brass or any sturdy metal – is used to cook the rice atop a traditional stove. Once the rice is cooked, the pot is covered at its lid with a filtering plate made of strong vines, and a metal plate. The size of the filtering plate and the metal plate must fit the lid of the pot perfectly.
Once covered properly, the pot is picked up with the help of a cloth (if its too hot) and placed inverted on top of the wooden structure such that the lid sits perfectly perpendicular to the centre of the hourglass structure. The bottom of the pot is rested on one edge of the wooden collector.
The apparatus is left to its own and the water drains from the pot into the wooden collector in some time. The wooden collector is often filled more than halfway. The pot is then carefully removed from the collector and the rice is ready for consumption.
However, why is there a need for such a large apparatus for this simple process? The process wasn’t as simple in the past as it is today. Joint families cooked rice in large pots that needed a great deal of support while they were being strained. The wooden structure made it easy and the rice water that was collected could easily be carried away to be discarded or fed to cattle. Nuclear families don’t find it necessary, so the apparatus has made its way into museums, away from households. Despite its absence in modern homes, Marayi is still a nostalgic element for Tuluvas. Sighting it at Manjusha Museum of Dharmasthala brings a smile of recognition on the faces of people who recognize it from, probably their grandparents’ homes.
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