  Fleshy and nutritious, that’s what I am
Her smile lit up her small eyes.
She tied a big konde at the back of her head. One could not mistake
Eslin-Akka in her colourful chintz cloth and slip of blouse which
revealed several inches of bare midriff. Her well tanned complex and a
set of blood tanned teeth were in full display and she carried a huge
basket of fruits from door to door. Blood tanned teeth showed her
habitual chewing of betel (bulath vita). The basket contained a popular
fruit which brought her daily earnings.
If one digs out our family origins, originally we belong to
South-East Asia and the Indonesian region. Immigration laws never
existed in yesteryears. So my great grandparents took a easy ride to Sri
Lanka. My parents were the early settlers in a rural village in
Embilipitiya. Most of the villagers were ancient settlers. Some
abandoned in years past are now gaining a new lease of life in the wake
of cultivation.
As such I belonged to a family of cultivators. They helped to prepare
the way for fertile soil by breaking up the earth for cultivation. My
father possessed acres of land to accommodate us and give a happy
contended life. He got workmen from the village to nurse and feed us.
From my tender age I was brought up under good care along with my
siblings. Our family was large, we are propagated by planting ‘Rhizomes’
pieces. The new plant grows fast from the buds. We are fully exposed to
nature, sun, rain and wild winds. By now I have bloomed in to a perfect
figure, with all essential statistics. All of us branched out to 10
leaves and bear a single bunch of fruits.
The leaves are about 6ft to 7ft long and 7ft wide. I am usually tall,
very often 15ft to 20ft in height with an up-right body. Brought up in a
tropical climate. I maintain a healthy growth and baptised as banana. We
grew in Abundance and turned out to be a popular fruit even in the Asian
and the mediteranian countries. There are some 200 varieties belonging
to about 30 species. We are picked up when our skin turns green, and
gets ripen during transport to the big city.
I am known as a quite nourishing and digestible fruit. Which contains
many vitamins - A, C, B, and B2. Once we reach Colombo we are unloaded
by bare-bodied hefty men. A busy trade and distribution begin with
wholesale dealers in the Pettah. Most banana growers in Sri Lanka enjoy
a rich harvest. One acre yields an average of 20,000 fruits. Most
farmers earn at least 75-85 thousand rupees a month. If they plant
avocado trees between their rows of bananas they can add another couple
of thousands every month to their Bank Account.
In terms of living it means a nice luxury house, with air conditioned
rooms, colour television, fridges, 4 swanky cars, good food, good wine,
and few domestic helpers at your feet. And among all these one variety
of large bananas is called ‘Kolikuttu’.
-Tissa Hewavitarane
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