By Girija Madhavan
Spring in Mysuru brings jewel-like flowers to the leafless, stumpy branches of the Frangipani trees after the cold season. The flowers usually have five white petals around a heart of gold. Some blooms are pale yellow set off by a magenta centre, or white deepening to pink; all are lovely and delicately fragrant. “Plumeria” or “Frangipani” is the horticultural name; colloquially it is the “Temple Tree.” In North India, it is called “Champa.” I love the Kannada name I knew as a child, “Devaganigile.” It evokes memories of processions of women walking along the roads long ago in Mysuru’s Vontikoppal during religious rites for the Goddess Chamundeshwari or Mariamma. They carried on their heads salvers of a sweet called “Thambittu,” made with rice flour and jaggery. It was decorated with Frangipani blooms threaded on fine skewers. Sometimes a circular woven disc of bamboo [“Simbi”] under the tray helped to steady it. More often the pallu of the sari was worn long. After covering the head, the slack was twisted into a rope-like shape to balance the load. They sang a song with the refrain of “Thambittu, Thambittu.” They were led by musicians playing the “Volaga” . This festival is still an annual event in Vontikoppal, celebrated as "Nada Habba." The decorations feature the traditional “Chapra” or arches. In addition, there are twinkling fairy lights and music on loudspeakers. One misses the soft voices of the women.
