Kokam sherbet anyone, asks sons-of-the-soil Suresh Prabhu

May 15: What happens when sons-of-the-soil get elected to the Indian Parliament? They get sentimental about their bretheren and thirst for a taste of the good life back home. From his office in New Delhi, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Suresh Prabhu (elected from Rajapur parliamentary constituency in Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra) has been trying his utmost to sell kokam sherbet, typically a Maharashtrian refreshment, to the rest of the country.

In a proposal sent to Union Minister for Railways Mamata Bannerji and Union Minister of Civil Aviation Sharad Yadav, the Shiv Sena member of Parliament has suggested that kokam juice be served on express trains on the Indian Railways as well as Air-India and Indian Airlines flights.

Kokam, the multi-purpose crop grown along the Konkan coast in Western Maharashtra, not only makes for a tangy cold drink but it is also a medicinal fruit that counters acidity and indigestion. It is also an essential ingredient in the sol kadi served in various fish joints in Mumbai.

In his proposal, the minister states that aerated soft drinks served at the beginning of journeys on the Shatabdi and Rajdhani express trains be replaced by kokam sherbet. Embellishing his pitch for the drink, he says that not only will the novelty be good for queasy passengers, it will also boost the prospects of thousands of cultivators from his native Sindhudurg.