January 13, 2024

Straight From The Source

Over the past few days, we’ve been fortunate enough to explore the heart of Srirangapatna, delving into the intricate production processes that give life to some of India’s everyday staples. Today we headed to a small jaggery factory, on a humble family farm. For those like myself who didn’t know what Jaggery was before today, Wikipedia defines it as a “non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian subcontinent”. I’m not really sure what that means, but it’s essentially blocks of sugar created from the juices of sugar cane. We learned that during their harvesting season, they go through anywhere between three to four tons of raw sugar cane a day. They begin each day by juicing the stalks in a sugar cane crusher, before boiling it over a fire fueled by the leftover fibers discarded. Then, they boil it for about three hours removing the impurities (and sometimes mixing in additives) until it is finally ready to be cast into molds. During this process, I was thoroughly impressed by their efficiency in utilizing essentially all parts of their harvest and how they were seemingly unbothered by the radiant heat of the cooking.

As we hung around watching in awe, they provided us with samples from each step of the process. We chewed on sugar cane fibers, which tasted sweet and refreshing like a watermelon, devoured the sweet pre-molded molasses and gnawed on chucks of the finished jaggery products. The whole time I was praying that my dentist never learns about today. While we enjoyed these delicious treats and were filled with new knowledge, I thought back to our previous day watching cocoons become silk. These two processes, both sources of common goods, made me recognize all the seemingly little things I take for granted. I go to stores, grab something off the shelf, and often scoff at the price, all while not once considering the source. Watching these workers grind in the heat for long hours has given me a heightened appreciation and an immense amount of respect for the tireless efforts of those laboring at the source.

Continuing on with our day, we had yet another delicious lunch, where I was able to ponder the sources of the various foods, before heading to a local temple. Unfortunately, the temple was closed, so we took a slight detour to Colonel Bailey’s Dungeon across the street. It was an interesting change of pace, but fascinating to say the least. Upon leaving the grounds we stopped at a cart selling sugar cane juice. We ordered a few, and they quickly fired up the motor of the sugar cane crusher, running fresh stalks through the machine that produced a sweet, but not overbearing drink. We then returned to the bus where we headed back to our riverside hotel for some discussion and unstructured free time.

I finished my day with a nice run around town, a much-needed shower, and a hefty dinner before sitting down to write this blog. I have always despised writing, so this has been a struggle, to be honest. However, as I think about it today, I realize how incredibly lucky I am to be sitting here in India, traveling around and exploring the culture. All while the “hard” part of my day is sitting in an air-conditioned room talking about my thoughts. As I conclude this reflection, I am engulfed with gratitude as I recognize the incredible fortune of being able to explore the intricate sources that provide me with the comforts of my everyday life.

By Ridgely

Jaggery cubes

Boiling sugar cane juice

Fire from sugar cane fibers

Sugar cane factory