Sir,
Dating back to Indian civilizations and Indian old literature, every community that lived in India had a clear belief system. According to Aryan belief, food was considered as a source of strength and a gift from God. But eating on banana leaves and Kanak Champa leaves is a good custom. Kanak Champa leaves are woven into dinner plates and hence the tree in some of parts of India has earned the nickname ‘Dinner Plate Tree’. One has to squat as if one is sitting in the Padamasana (Lotus) pose. However, its benefits are still relevant today.
Leaf plates are chemical-free. As the plates are washed with soap and water, traces of the chemicals in the soap may still remain on the plates, contaminating the food. But both the leaves of Banana and Kanak Champa just need to be rinsed with a little water, and need not to be washed with soap, so the food will be chemical-free. But now-a- days, the younger generation has forgotten customs and traditions and try to imitate the life styles of Western countries. Adopting short-cut method, they use plastic or Styrofoam plates when they need disposable utensils. However, Kanak Champa and banana leaves are a much more eco-friendly option. They decompose in a very short time, unlike plastic, which takes hundreds of years to biodegrade.
Samvedna Sharma
Jammu
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