CHIRAVA (COCONUTSCRAPER-GRATE) Dearfriends, Todaymorning I heard for more time the coconut scrapping sound by the electrical Grate(scraper). I just peeped in to kitchen. Without asking my wife said-If coconutmeat is scrapped now and kept in fridge, the scrapped coconut could be used fortoday and tomorrow for preparing sundal (Navarathri) to the invitees. Also foryou pure coconut chutney would be prepared today as side dish with iddali. I mightbe leaving by 9 AM and return after meals in Kaveri mami’s home. I didnot ask more details. It might irritate both of us. I know all food items would be available inthe dining table. Irecollected only two days back she ordered for large size coconut with a nearbyshop that made home delivery. It is easier to scrap coconut meat from large coconuts. Isearched whether I had any earlier posting on coconut scrapper. I found one dated5-4-2012. Ithought using some matter from it and with some additions I may make a postingon coconut scrapper. Sincerely, GopalaKrishnan 9-10-2021. 1. Interesting imagination Thereare interesting imaginations about equipments. These imaginations can make onelaugh and laugh. One such thing is the slope of the wooden block on which theold type manual scrapper is fitted, slope away from scrapper. Suppose the slopeis reversed? While scrapping the person may move forward and can get injured bythe scrapper. 2. I would sit in the back seat. Onthose days the PUSHPAKA Brahmin varrier was the person doing coconut scrapping work in mostfeasts among families of Nampoothiries, royal families and iyers. Themiddle aged varrier from nearby place is INVITED. He should not be asked whether he could come. They would scrapcoconut meat, make it as flour, and ground and keep ready for use. If no majorwork in temple was there, variassar may join him. She would chit chat andremain, when required assist varrier. Theold model wooden chirava for making coconut meat scrapped as flour is usednowadays mostly during feasts to grate coconut. Variarwould always take the back seat of buses keeping the wooden scrapper under theseat. Chirava is carried on shoulder over a thick 2nd cloth andscrapping end is closed tying with a cloth- piece. Now plastic covers are thereto cover and tight. Less difficulty in getting down. 3 Quick scrapping when one is angry Thereis a saying. Hand over the coconuts to a person who is angry for some issue.The coconut would be quickly grated from the shell as flours. Somepeople preserve old chirava made ofwood as antique and use rarely. Some caterers still start work with chiravaused by their elders. I recollect now the scene in the film Malayalam film “Kalyana Raman” , inwhich Dilip(hero) is coming in the motor bike, safely keeping his wooden smallchirava (used by his grandfather) in a box similar to violin box and putting it across his body through its handle belt. Hecoolly took it out and offered prayer before starting grating work. Dilip is apost graduate and he gets irritated when Navya nair (heroine) call him “entaa- Dehanna kkara?.... Nowadaysduring feasts some experts are employed to grate coconut meat as flour from the shell. Unlike other works itrequires more man -power. Quickness of work is more important. In village feasts still we could see variar community people. 4 Remembrance of seeing first electrical scrapper During2002 when I visited Dubai I could see electric scraper in LULU. The electricalscrapper was fitted inside glass enclosure and plantain leaf waslaid at bottom. The halved coconuts were held before it through a large hole for grating. Grated coconut flour got heaped on plantain leaf. Itwas measured in kgs and sold in packets. It was a new thing to me at that time. 5. Variar start the work on coconuts Duringfeasts the first work started is gratingcoconut meat in to flours using chirava.The variar would wake up in the earlymorning itself, take bath and dress new clothes, and apply sandal paste beforeGod. Then spread olappa(braided palm leaf and keep ready a few cut or sizedplantain leaves, keep chirava , place a slightly ripen leaf( Vatiya ila) onwhich flours would fall on grating. Normallyhe may have an assistant who might break coconut to two halves and keep in a basket for grating. Thework in the early morning fresh air would be very quick. Normally variar would spread a towel on the chirava and sit overthat so that pain is not felt of continuous sitting. 6 Variar calculations Variarhas got calculations- how much coconut flour is required for different items ofdishes for certain number of invitees. He would keep the coconut flour separated in differentleaves for different preparations. The chief cook just has a view of things.Variar never go wrong. Surelyfirst he would separate a handful toLord Vinayaka and then coconut flour forchutni along with Iddali. 7. Why variar is selected for coconutwork . Variaris one among ambala vasies, andvegetarians and in upper part of PUSHPAKA BRAHMINS . Moothathu, and Elayathu arein top of Pushpaka Brahmins. From the beginning for coconut work, variar isinvited . Probably theywould have got an expertise through generations in the work. 7a. Aaara variaru? Normallycooks used to confirm who is variar forcoconut work on those days. Cooks may suggest good variars, and host had toinvite. If he had any unforeseen inconvenience, a substitute was arranged by him . 8. Chirava nakku Chiravanakku is very sharp and if at all our skin just touch, it would give ascratch in depth to skin. Hence the nakku is kept covered , mostly with a smalltowel tightly on those days. Later covers for chiravanakku have come. Thosewith harsh tongue is nick named chirava nakkan. We would have met many harsh tonguedin life. 9. Wooden body Thewooden body of the grater has to takethe weight of a grown up person, but it should not have too much weight toensure transportation. Mostly chirava body was made of jack fruit or jungle woodtree. Chirava tongue is made of quality iron with good thickness and very firmly fitted to the body. Theslope towards back ensured on no account the person grating must get slip totongue side. The width in the front also made bigger to ensure in the course of working he may go back side from tongue andnot towards front side. THIS ENSURED SAFETY IN WORKING. Normallyafter work, chirava is kept in a corner, again the tongue towards any corner. If achirava is kept in any other position, it is possible one may accidentally hitand fall. Even variar would sit forcoconut work in a side of working area. I will continue in next posting. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1465369416.767525.1633796109961%40mail.yahoo.com.
