Making edible jewellery

On the full moon day following Deepavali, Manasi Bedekar of Belagavi gets busy. She wakes up at three every morning and prepares kusarellu (tiny white and spiky sugar-coated sesame balls) till six.

She then uses it to make jewellery, which is worn by children and newly-wed couples during Sankranthi.

Wearing kusarellu jewellery during Sankranthi is a custom followed in parts of north Karnataka, especially in areas influenced by Maharashtrian culture.

Children under the age of five are made to wear kusarellu jewellery like bangles, armlets, neck pieces, crown (tiara), and waistband over a black dress (believed to ward off evils) and are showered with puffed rice and seasonal fruits like the jujube (ber), sugarcane pieces, carrot, peas, batasha (sugar candies) and others. This custom is called Hannu Ereyuvudu which literally translates to showering fruits.

Along with children, even newly-wed women and men wear these jewellery wearing black clothes and distribute kusarellu among their near and dear ones.

There is no clear indication about when the tradition of wearing the kusarellu jewellery started. However, it has existed for over a century, as octogenarians remember wearing them as a child.

Today, the tradition of wearing kusarellu jewellery has extended to several communities owing to its uniqueness. But the art of making them traditionally is declining, as the process is tedious and needs a lot of patience. Yet, some people are keeping the art alive.

Manasi Bedekar, a professional theatre actor, has been preparing these jewellery sets for the last 20 years.

She learnt how to make them from her relatives and today, she gets orders from across Karnataka and Maharashtra and even from Indian expatriates in countries like Germany, Singapore, Dubai, US, UK, and others.

The process

She explains the process: First, the sugar is turned into syrup with some milk. Then, the syrup with the right consistency is poured over sesame seeds in a heavy-bottom pan on a traditional oven. It is stirred on a low heat. Once the seeds are sugar coated, they are cooled. The second coating is done in a similar way the following day. At least three coatings are done on the seeds so that it develops its characteristic spikes.

To give different shapes to the sugary beads, sesame is replaced by sago (sabudana) beads, pumpkin seeds, puffed rice, cloves and fennel seeds. Sometimes, food colour is added to the syrup for different colours. Once prepared, the beads are stored in airtight containers to retain their hardness.

Later, each bead is stitched to a base for making jewellery. As there are no holes in it, the spikes help the stitch stay intact. Neck pieces too are prepared by stringing the beads together.

“Our hand-made sugary beads are chemical-free and we stitch the beads so that it is not damaged and can be even eaten later. But today, we see some people sticking market-brought beads using glue,” says Mansi. The Paranjape family of Belagavi too is known for making the jewellery. Started by Annapurna Paranjape in the 1940s, her children and grandchildren make them to this day.

Vijay Paranjape, 76, a retired teacher staying in Hyderabad now, comes down to the city during Sankranti to make the jewellery along with his sister Shashikala Kulkarni and others, including Dr Milind Paranjape, a Belagavi-based doctor and their neighbours. It is a family activity and they love doing this along with their professions.

They make traditional jewellery like tanmani, mangalsutra, chinchpeti, Kolhapuri saaj, mekhla, challa, nath, gajra etc.

Then, there are bracelets, finger rings, watches and even chappals. Each set for children is sold between Rs 500 and Rs 1,200, while the ladies set costs Rs 700 to Rs 2,000. “Every year, we make around 200 sets but the demand is higher. We do not believe in commercialisation and just want the tradition to continue,” says Dr Paranjape.