Lesson in a bowl of rasayana

The Sanskrit word rasayana is described as the “path of essence” in Ayurveda. Rasayana is a popular dish, more so during festivals and vratas (fasts), and is relished by children and adults alike. A preparation fit for the gods -- as it is a popular offering as a pooja special and distributed as prasadam after.

It is a medley of ripe fruits, jaggery, honey, and coconut scrapings (optional), without sugar. Balehannu (banana) almost always takes the avatar of rasayana, but when mixed with other fruits like apple, cantaloupe, and chikoo, and dry fruits like cashews, almonds, and raisins topped with a seasoning of cardamom powder, it instantly becomes the star attraction even in a well-spread menu.

Whether as a treat to the visitors who come to see our resplendent dolls on display during Dasara or as a snack for a Satsang group on an Ashtami, rasayana is our go-to option. As tempting as it sounds, the preparation can be tedious and is manpower intensive, especially if it is to be in good quantity and packed in individual boxes; the exercise mandates the combined family efforts of three generations. My octogenarian mother helped with less-intense chores. My wife donned her leader’s role, and my daughter and I cut fruit in plenty. This chore took an hour and a half.

Friendly banter was the order of the day—the daughter’s tantrums, the grandmother’s advice, and yours truly as a mediator. By the end of the exercise, I had a blister on my finger that needed some attention. My daughter blamed the knife that I used and complained that we accept mediocre tools; instead, we should have replaced it with a sharper knife.

She declared that she would buy a half-dozen sharp knives, to which she was reminded by her grandmother of the virtues of frugality. My wife remarked that the peace in the kitchen was now in pieces.

We stared at the large vessel in which the rasayana turned out the way we desired. The grandma reminisced the old days when families were large and “collective” cooking was the norm.

The management instincts in me prodded me to give a lesson in management to my daughter. While she expressed her reservations about the enormous physical activity involved in managing a large family that sometimes included three or four generations, living together with multiple age groups under one roof instilled forbearance at the very least. The fact that women and children worked together contributed to team building, social bonding, and honing other skills. Inclusivity was a given.

Despite strengths and weaknesses, activities helped one learn the nuances of planning, delegating, communicating -- very important project management skills. The collective effort is a practical approach to learning skills, like the learning and development framework that corporates build and boast about. It is the path of essence that is deeply ingrained in our society that helps us better understand a vast ocean of management principles.