Daijiworld Media Network - Sullia (SP)
Sullia, Nov 3: A unique plant has been found here. This possibly was the plant which had helped our ancestors to keep the fire burning after producing fire obtained from sparks by rubbing stones against each other vigorously.
Our ancestors lived in forests when houses were unheard of. They perhaps used the tender shoots of these plants as lamps in pitch dark conditions.
This plant was found in Panja in the taluk. Jinnappa from Alpe in Panja saw this plant which was found in his rubber plantation. Jinnappa saw that the tender shoots of this plant were glowing in moonlight. He came to the spot the next morning and conducted checks but failed to notice anything special. At night however, he saw that the shoots glowed again. He realised that this could be a plant that has properties of giving out light.
Jinnappa took the tender shoots of the plant home and used them as wicks in place of cotton wicks. Surprisingly the shoots kept in the oil burnt brighter than cotton wicks. He discussed the issue with a person he knows, who follows religious matters. That man gave Jinnappa some information as per which this plant is known with the name, Pranatipatra.
Normal cotton or cloth wicks, once they are burnt by using oil as fuel, develop burnt ends which get damaged. But these shoots burn continuously as long as oil is continued to be fed. Jinnappa says that after this plant was found, at the Ashtamangala divine query organized at the family’s ancestral house, the shoots of these plants were used as wicks and they continuously burnt from morning to evening.
Jinnappa discussed this matter with some people who told him that the Pranatipatra plant could be one of the things the ancestors used from nature for their daily needs. The people then used to extract oil from a tree found in forest, known as 'Pundi Mara'. They used to burn shoots of that tree as wicks to get light at night. These rare plants are found in Jinnappa’s plantation, shoots from which he plans to use as wicks during this Deepavali festival.