TSHERING EDEN
Who doesn’t like oranges, right? The Suntala has forever been part of our lives here in Sikkim, going a little beyond being merely a fruit one eats. The Suntala arrives with the bright sunny days of early winter which is also when the schools are closing for the winter vacation. So, children, their mothers, uncles, aunts and everybody else can be seen sitting out on their front yards or rooftops chatting along while their hands are busy peeling the fruit. Childhood memories are replete with such images and times spent pinching orange peels to squirt the juice at each other and teasing each other with the line, “khuching tala mai tala, das paisa ko suntala”… And then there is relishing oranges cut down the centre and garnished with some salt and chilli powder.
