An artisan shapes dry grass into a storage container.
Credit: Surendra Pai
In the days of yore, farmers used unique techniques to preserve harvested paddy and grains. These time-tested methods, developed using locally available materials, helped protect the grains from pests and moisture.
In coastal Karnataka, farmers traditionally preserved paddy in barns using dry grass. This method is known as akki mudi. The traditional method of preservation involves tightly wrapping rice in straw to create a sealed, natural container that can preserve grains for years, sometimes up to 40 kg in a single mudi.
Akki mudi was widely practised in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada and Udupi.
Since rice is the staple food of the coastal population, vast paddy fields were cultivated across these regions. In earlier times, when modern devices were unavailable, clay pots, wooden containers, and rugs made of grass were most commonly used for storage for rice and paddy, respectively. Once the harvested crops were threshed and the paddy separated, the pile of paddy was wrapped in baihullu (a type of dry grass) to form the akki mudi.
The methodology
Ropes woven from baihullu, either long ropes or small strands, play a crucial role in the process. A spade made from the tamarind tree is also important as it is used to bring the akki mudi into a circular shape
When struck from all sides with such a spade, the straw compresses tightly and creates a vacuum, allowing the stored paddy to be preserved for years without spoilage.
The collected pile of paddy is tied with the baihullu rope into a neat, circular bundle. The tip of the circular bundle is tied with a short rope, and then filled with one measure of rice, known as a kalsa, in layers. One kalsa equals 14 seru (a traditional unit of measurement used across India).
After one kalsa is filled, the container is tied with the baihullu rope. Once three kalsas are filled, the container is fastened together with a single knot of baihullu. One akki mudi contains 42 seru of rice. Three straw ropes are tied around the middle of the bundle.
Powdered straw is then sprinkled on the top. At an angle of about 23.5 degrees from bottom to top, around sixteen strands of straw are pulled and tied to strengthen the structure. This is not an ordinary skill and requires great effort, patience and craftsmanship.
It is said that one who completes an akki mudi without leaving a single strand of baihullu loose is the most skilled artisan of all. As Davayya, an akki mudi artisan, recalls, in earlier times, the wealth and prosperity of a family were often measured by the size and number of akki mudi in the household courtyard.
Continuing legacy
Even today, akki mudi is offered by devotees to the deity during fairs and the paryaya at Udupi Krishna Matha. It is also offered during the Brahmakalashotsava celebrations in many coastal temples.
Unfortunately, this skilled art of creating storage containers is slowly disappearing. The widespread use of gunny bags and plastic containers, and the decline in demand for such craftsmanship are some factors that have forced many skilled workers to abandon the practice and seek other livelihoods.
The era of plastic has contributed to the decline of other agricultural practices such as baihullu weaving, all of which were once in harmony with nature.