While on their way to work or after their morning walk; they do not forget to step into Sunil Kumara’s wayside boutique. Whether they come in motorbikes, three-wheelers, cars, vans or four-wheel jeeps, they have only one purpose -- they come looking for that delicious, wholesome glass of kolakenda.
Be it hathawariya, kurakkan, gotukola, polpala, iramusu, karapincha or welpenera, a cheerful Sunil pours the kolakenda into the glass and offers it with a piece of kithul hakuru (jaggery) to the customer, most of whom are the familiar faces that have greeted him with a “good morning” almost every day for the past couple of years.
A quick friendly chat with Sunil follows while they savour the kolakenda. When they finish their drink, a humble Sunil collects the money and bids them farewell with “God bless”.
For Sunil, the day begins at 2 a.m. He starts preparing about 100 glasses of different types of kolakenda with the help of his wife. By 6 a.m. he is at his small wayside stall near Battaramulla Kala Kendraya, waiting for his customers.
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Sunil Kumara (above and below) serving customers. |
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Sunil has been selling kolakenda at this location for the past three years. “Earlier I was selling fruits here but police officers asked me to remove the stall due to security reasons. Then I decided to sell kolakenda. There is a big demand for herbal drinks these days as lot of people know their nutritional value.”
Sunil closes shop at 10 a.m. He does not open it on Poya days.He goes to a temple in Battaramulla on Poya days to offer a glass of free kolakenda to about 400 devotees who observe sil.
After he closes his stall, he drives a three-wheel taxi. This gives him an additional income.
Nalinda Weerasinghe, a police officer attached to Thalangama police who was at Sunil’s stall enjoying his glass of kolakenda says he seldom misses his health drink while on his way to work. “It is nothing but a glass full of vitamins and minerals at an affordable price,” he says.
Joining the conversation, G. Gunawardene, a businessman from Malabe, says he comes to Parliament Grounds for a jog in the morning and then visits Sunil’s stall to buy his glass of Kurakkan kenda which is a healthy drink for diabetic patients like himself.
Buddika Abeywardene, another kolakenda seller at Rajagiriya says he is mindful about the hygiene factor and as such he offers his clients kolakenda in disposable plastic cups.
“People are health conscious nowadays and even many young people are into herbal drinks,” he says.
According to him, kolakenda is a simple drink that can be made at home, but people have hardly any time these days, so they prefer to have it at wayside stalls.
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| Beatrice Fernando |
In and around Battaramulla, we find a number of wayside stalls selling herbal drinks.
Selling kolakenda near the Central Environmental Authority premises at Kobbekaduwa Mawatha in Battaramulla, Beatrice Fernando is a veteran in this business. She says she has been selling kolakenda at this location since 1985.
“I remember how I used to come here early in the morning and put up my makeshift stall in the dark. Not many people used to go on this road then, and only a few people came to drink kenda. Now that the area has developed I get fairly good business. This is my sole means of income. I have to look after my sick husband and the rest of the family from the money I earn selling kenda. I can cover the day’s expenditure by selling about 80 glasses a day,” she says.
Asked what their main problem was, many kolakenda sellers said it was the customers who drink kolakenda on credit and fail to pay up.
The growing number of sellers and customers indicates that there is a huge demand for this nutritional drink. However, they are not without their woes.
Their common grievance was that they are not able to put up a decent shelter to carry out their businesses. Whether it is heavy rain or scorching sun they are compelled to operate in their makeshift wayside huts.
At Rs 20 upwards for a glass, more and more passers-by are choosing the kolakenda and what better start to the day?
The sellers say if they have permanent stalls they could have given osu pan to people in the evenings too. |
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