Branded cos make way for 'desi colas'

PATNA: Come summer, folks in rural Bihar can't do without bottles and cans of 'phoren' soft-drinks to wet their parched throat and beat the sweltering heat. And, given the growing preference for branded soft-drinks of rural folks, small dingy stalls at village markets and shops dotting the state's national highways (NHs), too, have taken to stock the branded varieties these days.
The picture, however, is quite different in most areas of urban Bihar.For, traditional and indigenous summer drinks have, of late, invaded the urban market threatening to replace soft-drinks of the branded kind. These "desi colas" made from sattu, aamjhor (juice of raw mango), juice of bel (wood apple) and sugarcane have also invaded the state capital in a big way.
And for a change Patnaites - both old and young - have taken to these 'desi colas' like ducks take to water. As a result, the demand and sale of branded soft-drinks - in trendy bottles of all shapes and sizes - is fast declining here. In fact, people are taking to "desi" soft-drinks all the more given that these are healthy, easily digestible and also suit the pockets of all and sundry.
And given their growing popularity, thelas selling sattu-cola, aamjhor, wood apple and sugarcane juice can be seen at many vantage points in Patna. And why not! The "desi colas" neither need sophisticated equipment nor refrigerator to remain fresh and cold.
Moreover, these can be easily prepared. For sattu-cola, all that one needs to do is mix sattu with water and it's ready for consumption. However, some enterprising sellers add a pinch of black salt, pepper, a bit of garlic, lemon juice and chilly to enhance its taste and attract customers.
Similarly, to prepare wood apple (bel) juice, all that needs to be done is extract the pulp, remove the seeds and other gummy materials. Mix it with water, filter the concoction and add some sugar and a pinch of peppered salt. The drink is ready. To have it cold, add some crushed ice to it.
Manoj Kumar, who sells aamjhor and bel juice at Mahatma Gandhi Setu, says people coming to Patna from far off places always make it a point to drink the "desi colas" prepared by him. "After all, these drinks come at Rs 5 per glass. It's no big deal," he adds for good measure.