Where the Mahua means much

Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh: When the harvest season is over and after the Holi colours have faded off the walls, the Mahua trees bloom; their flowers falling to the earth, waiting to be gathered by the village women and children.

 The Mahua tree has always been a large part of the lives of men ad women in rural Madhya Pradesh and elsewhere in Central India, especially the tribals. The tall trees dot the village landscape, and are found in abundance in the uncultivated outskirts of villages and in the forest. The fleshy corolla of the Mahua flower is an important part of the village economy. The Mahua season lasts through February and March. The flowers are gathered at night and early in the morning and then cut and dried for preservation. Once dried, they can be stored away for more than a year. Poor families use these preserved flowers during the monsoon when food and work are scarce. Sugandhi Bai, a Gondi tribal woman displayed the carefully stored dried Mahua she keeps at home. “We usually fry them in some oil and eat. If there is no oil in the house we eat it raw and drink some water”.  Dried Mahua flowers are made into chutney with ground nut and consumed too. The seed of the Mahua fruit, called ‘Gulli’ by the villagers, is used to extract oil which is also stored in large jars for later use or sold.

While tribals still consume preserved Mahua, others usually collect only to sell it off to the market. Considered an exotic ingredient, dried Mahua is exported and used in fancy cuisine in cities. A kilo gram of dried Mahua fruits can fetch more than a thousand rupees in the market.

The Mahua flower is also used in the preparation of liquor, popularly referred to as Mahua. This spirit is prepared and consumed by tribal sans non-tribals alike and even though the sale is unauthorised, it is freely available in the market. According to government directions, a family is allowed to keep five litres of Mahua liquor at their home at a time. (Price of Mahua liquor)