I sent a picture of my Biryani with an elaichi (cardamom pod) sticking out out to my friend. He replied "You're going to hell!". This got me thinking, why is there such intense hatred towards this amazing spice? We love it in our chai and mitthai (desserts). Why the double standards?
If, like Forest Gump once said, "life is like a pot of biryani; you never know when you'll get a bite of elaichi", then elaichi are just the moments in life full of intense emotions (good and bad) that remind us of our own humanity. You'll also notice that the rice surrounding the pod is also the most flavourful.
I responded to my friend with one of Jigar Moradabadi's shers (couplets): "Aatish-e-ishq woh jahannum hai, jismein firdaus ke nazzaare hain" (The fire of love, that is Hell, in which the sights of heaven dwell).
Its time to salute this belittled spice. Let's end the discrimination... kal, aaj, hamesha (then, now, always).
