It may be a coincidence, or destiny of this blog, that I witnessed large bunches of "thor" (full length large stem from full-grown banana trees) at New Jalpaiguri station when I was returning to Kolkata last week. I was curious, thought aimlessly about the intended purpose of the same, could not fathom much, and moved on to other thoughts. Cut to today evening, when I was in charge of the venue management for a friend's wedding ceremony at a five star hotel in Kolkata. I reached when the florist was half-way done; first thing that caught my attention was the preponderance of "thor" inside the banquet hall. Half-cut longitudinal sections were used to demarcate borders of different lines of flowers in the backdrop behind the ceremonial platform; four "thor" coloumns were used in different strategic locations of the venue; at the entrance there was table decoration using "thor". Each "thor" decoration was brightly lit with focus lights shining on it, and it dazzled in its new-found glory. It is evidently a florists delight- cheap price, white color, shiny texture, eminently "pinnable", strong yet soft, and can be cut to any size and shape. I initially chuckled at the turn of fortune for this humble middle class vegetable, and could not help rewind to the memory of "thor" consignments at Siliguri, which I now understood was heading for a grand wedding ceremony. The florist proudly declared that her decoration was "organic" in nature- she could easily have said "partially edible"! I also overheard her telling her workforce to use the item judiciously- as each piece costs Rs. 70 ($1.8). I wondered if the banana stems found their way to the market the next day, through the incredibly efficient recycling market of India.
When someone moves up in the corporate ladder, you do not expect him to do the jobs he left behind. Likewise, understandably, there was no "thor" item in the menu.
Here's your treatise on "thor" = banana stem = the tender core of the banana plant's trunk. First, it is an effective diet to lose weight. It is rich in fibre and can be had as a juice or as a cooked food. People suffering from kidney stones can have the juice extract prepared from the tender core of the banana’s trunk as a remedy. It is diuretic in nature and helps to get rid of the toxins in the body. It is a mild laxative too. Banana’s stem helps to cool the body. Like banana, banana stem is also rich in potassium and vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 helps production of chemicals such as hemoglobin and insulin. Again, it improves the ability of body to fight against infection. Potassium helps effective functioning of muscles including cardiac muscles, prevents high blood pressure, helps nerve impulses and maintains fluid balance within the body. It is a popular food in the South India- called as “Vazhai Thandu” in Tamil. It can also be cooked as a vegetable, as done in Bengal. "Thor" is a very good source of cellulose, therefore it can be used to make paper. Banana production in India is the highest, and the area under it’s cultivation is second largest, among all fruit crops grown in India. Banana stem is usually thrown away or sold at throwaway price by the farmers after harvesting.
So, "thor" has arrived; traveling beyond the food plate of traditional Bengalis and South Indians, in to the minds of health conscious urban citizens of India, and finally in the marriage venue decorations of upwardly mobile middle class. Hail "thor"!
