Blogs

VANISHING DISH AND THE DOWNFALL OF COORG

By P.T. Bopanna

Almost till two decades ago, Ginnu, a sweet dish made from the milk of newly calved cows, was a popular dish on Coorg table.

For centuries, the indigenous people of Coorg cultivated paddy fields and maintained cattle herds for ploughing the fields. This ensured there was no dearth of milk and milk products in households. The sweet dish of Ginnu made its appearance frequently whenever the cows calved.

With paddy farming becoming ‘un-remunerative’, people converted the paddy fields into coffee estates.

As long as paddy was cultivated, the fields acted as natural feeders to the Cauvery river, and also kept the water table high. The situation worsened following a sharp rise in borewells which further reduced the groundwater levels.

It has been pointed out by experts that coffee plants cannot hold water or soil as they have small roots. They neither conserve nor restore rainwater.

The change in land use triggered back-to-back landslides in Coorg in 2018 and 2019. The government has sensibly deployed the NDRF team in Coorg to ensure speedy rescue operations in the event of any calamity during this monsoon.

The message is clear – revive paddy cultivation and recharge groundwater. This can avoid flooding and drought. With the revival of paddy, cattle will make a come-back. The popular dish of Ginnu will be back on Coorg table.

Sharing the Ginnu recipe: