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Hazaribagh Usna Chawal Making: The traditional process of making Usna Chawal has started in many areas of Hazaribagh in winter which gives a festival like atmosphere. People prepare and store rice at this time for the whole year.
Hazaribagh: Hazaribagh is an agricultural district and the lifestyle, traditions and daily kitchen of the farmers here are all related to farming. About two-thirds of the people here are directly dependent on farms and fields. Every year, with the arrival of winter season, a different glow starts appearing in the villages of Hazaribagh. The paddy crop is ripe and ready, the ears of paddy start waving in the fields and as soon as the harvesting is completed, the process of making parboiled rice starts in the villages.
The atmosphere is like a festival
In changing times, this parboiled rice has come to be called steam rice. This rice is prepared in big rice mills, but women in rural areas still prepare it themselves in the old way. Making rice in Hazaribagh is no less than a festival. The process of making parboiled rice takes place simultaneously in the entire village and locality.
Nowhere else tastes like this
At present, the process of making steam rice has started in many villages of Katkamsandi, Tatijharia, Ichak, Barkagaon, Charhi and Sadar areas of the district. There is hustle and bustle in the village from morning till late night. Nanho Devi, a resident of Harhad village of Sadar area of the district, says that the same process of making rice has been going on in her place for years. There are many types of rice available in the market, but the taste of this rice is not found in other rice. For this reason, these people prepare rice for the whole year at one go.
This is how cooked rice is made
The process of making rice from paddy is very laborious. The entire family prepares it together. To make this, first of all the paddy is soaked in water for about 1 to 2 hours, after which it is kept in big pans and steamed. Then it is dried in light sunlight for 8 to 10 days and then it is crushed with a machine. Only then is this rice ready and reaches the plate at home.
same old taste all year round
This rice prepared in the old way is very different in taste. Villager Mahadev Mahato says that the aroma and texture of this rice is much better than the packaged rice in the market. This is the reason why most families prepare rice for the whole year in one go, so that the same old taste remains available throughout the year.
steam rising from every courtyard
The process of making usna rice is definitely a laborious task, but the enthusiasm of the villagers about it does not diminish. At present, the atmosphere in many villages of the district is such that wherever one looks, the warmth and aroma of soil rising from the steam of paddy can be felt in almost every house and every courtyard. This process of making steam rice in winter gives Hazaribagh a distinct identity.
