About 2 weeks back, I’d gone to my nani’s place in Dehradun.
“Tu baith, main paani laati hoon,” said my nani and disappeared into the kitchen.
“Nani thanda laana,” I shouted out to her. It’s June after all and I could feel my forehead melting away.
Less than a minute later, my nani emerged from the kitchen with a tall, cool glass of water.
And the moment I had my first sip, I knew I was home.
Because I could tell it was from a matka – our trusty earthen pot.
To me, cold water in summer is a necessity. But cold water from a matka is a luxury.
That humble clay container might look warped in time amidst modern day appliances, but trust me, it has an essence of its own that just cannot be rivaled by any modern day equipment.
In the complicated lives we live today, the matka bears testimony to simpler times. Of an era gone by. A time that felt easier to live in.
The setup was simple. A matka, that would be covered by a steel plate and a steel container with a long handle to draw the water out.
It would be given a dedicated corner in the kitchen, sometimes right next to the filter where it’d wait patiently to quench someone’s thirst.
As weird as it may sound, but water from a matka tastes organic.
Unlike water from a filter, it doesn’t taste manufactured. It doesn’t taste artificial.
It tastes like every drop of it was meant to quench someone’s thirst.
And it’s not just about taste. Water from earthen pots has been proven to improve the rate of metabolism and has been known to cure acidity.
Moreover, it has also been known to prevent sunstroke.
The matka is also an inherent part of our Indian culture.
Before refrigerators and freezers were invented, we Indians had the matka a.k.a the most awesome way of keeping water cool.
And they’re still in use since ancient times only because even in the face of modern day technology, they’re still effective. And just like the leaf plates, this is one thing that the world needs to learn from us Indians.
Water from a matka is cool.
It’s not jarringly cold like that from the fridge. It’s just the optimum amount of cool. Cool enough to satiate someone’s thirst and soothe someone’s parched soul.
No matter how many high-end filters enter the market, the matka will always remain special. Because while the filters eradicate thirst, the matka quenches it.