Published on Thursday, September 10 by Kalpana Jha
👩🏫 Two Achaar-ya (आचार्या) who still inspire JhaJi’s pickles
Like most women in Mithila, I learned everything about pickles from our day-to-day life.
We learned as apprentices.
Seeing and tasting pickles that others make.
Following them. Exchanging recipes.
Trying them on your own. Failing and then getting it right.
Then perfecting the recipe every year from thereon.
I had the good fortune of having two teachers (आचार्या) right by my side - my mother and mother-in-law.
It was a blessing that I didn’t realize until much later.
Their ingenuity in making pickles that people relish was unmatched.
Today, I can’t help but wonder at the subconscious impact they have had on the pickles we make today at JhaJi.
So, let me tell you a bit about them.
Pramila - the adventurous one
The one you see in the picture here is my mother.
People have always known her to create unconventional recipes.
She had a knack of pickling fruits and vegetables that you’d not think can be made into Achaar.
Amla and Amra achaar are two pickles I can directly attribute to my mother.
The fact that JhaJi Store has a variety of pickles from the get go - I see it as a subconscious tribute to my mother.
She is 85 years old today and isn’t active everyday.
But I keep her posted about the progress here at JhaJi Store and regularly share positive feedback with her.
So, if you have tasted Amra and Amla pickles and have something to say to my mother, please write it in the comments.
I’ll bring back her words to you in the replies :)
Tarini - the perfectionist
The woman in this picture is my mother in law.
She passed away a few years ago, but the education and experiences she shared with me has stayed.
If there’s one thing she taught me above everything else, is how to pour love and care in the pickles so that they come out excellent.
All Mango pickle recipes, particularly the Mithila Special Mango and Khatt-Meethi are highly inspired with what she has trained us for over the decades.
Sometimes when I’m tasting a batch of freshly made pickles for quality, I can hear her feedback in my head - always pushing me to do even better.
It is her voice that keeps me humble and asking for feedback on what you’ll like better about the pickles.
Do you have a message for these two wonderful अचार्-या?I know they’ll love to hear from you :)
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