09-08-2025
Koozhu: Goodness of an old concoction
Every year during Aadi, southern states experience mixed weather. While some experience showers, others record warm or humid weather conditions.
This year, Chennai experienced a combination of humidity and occasional drizzles. Under the sweltering heat, outside the temples and households, a pot of koozhu welcomed the season and with it, the age-old traditions, too. This staple drink harbours a story of climate change, culture, and wisdom passed down through generations.
'I have been preparing koozhu for 27 years. I picked this practice from my mom, who inherited it from her mom,' shares Kalai Vani, adding that the process of preparing and distributing the drink is an act of rejoicing. She recalls the story behind the practice. 'The common belief is that there was once a sage who was on a penance. He and his children were killed by evil forces. The mourning wife and mother, set her mind to die and lit a fire from which she sustained injuries,' narrates the housewife. The woman with her burn marks covered in neem leaves started walking towards a village in search of food. 'There, she was served with millet and ragi — prime ingredients of koozhu. After that, with a bright light appeared lord Shiva and advised everyone to make this koozhu every year. The reason, in the mythological story, is to cool down the burn marks of the sage's wife.' But there was also a belief that during this month, people could get chicken pox and small pox.
