Not sure if the millennial generation of Odisha is aware of "GUDAKHU" - a paste like chewing tobacco used mostly in its Coastal area. It is identified by a popular brand named "AKBAR KHAN KADAA "(strong) Gudakhu which has a typical bright reddish-orange tinge with an overbearing scent. No idea if that brand still exists.
The users of the product rub it on their teeth and their subsequent spit leaves a stubborn stain which can resist world's most efficient industrial cleaning bleach. Many who are addicted to it can't take their morning dump without rubbing it on their teeth. Though GUDAKHU helps inducing bowel movement, it creates a dependency leading to addiction, not to mention the gluey paste being a leading cause of oral cancer.
The depth of dependency it creates can be measured from the anxiety of a gentleman from Odisha, a GUDAKHU addict who was visiting his son in the United States on a visitor's Visa. Though he well wrapped it, his stock of the red paste tobacco inside his luggage was a matter of concern at the US immigration because of its strong smell which won't elude the drug sniffing dogs at Airport. He frankly proclaimed - if the Customs Authorities find and confiscate my GUDAKHU, I will catch the next flight back home. Luckily for him, nothing of that sort happened and he managed to get his 6 month stock of GUDAKHU inside US, though his daughter-in-law wasn't amused as she struggled to keep their bathroom sink clean.
Not everyone who tried to surreptitiously sneak in GUDAKHU inside United States were so lucky. Another elderly gentleman attempted to bring in this sticky stuff. No sooner he pulled out the luggages from the conveyor belt than a sniffing dog started circling around his bag, barking loudly. Next thing the couple found themselves surrounded by burly US DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) agents who threw a volley of questions to them. Terribly fatigued after a long tiring flight, this was the rough start, the last thing the Odia couple wanted while coming to visit their progeny in America. The lady who couldn't speak a single word in English nervously watched her visibly shaken husband trying his best to explain to the Officers that they weren't carrying any kind of contraband.
The Agents ordered them to open the bag in open sight, which the gigantic doggy of the size of a calf was still busy scratching, its barking getting louder and louder. With fidgety hands our gentleman from Odisha opened his bag as the old lady rested on a nearby chair, shocked and gaping at the ongoing commotion around her. The big dog growled, rubbing its nose against one particular corner of the suitcase excited by the ubiquitous smell of GUDAKHU, frantically scratching on its surface before burying its snout inside the luggage, as the tag it depicting name and address of the senior citizen's son printed in bold, helplessly hanging outside.
Following the directive of the detective doggie, one of the Officers plucked a box from the inside wrapped in Odia daily "The Samaja" with the face of our Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik smiling at him. The box was opened as the area was filled with an overpowering, moist stench of GUDAKHU hanging still in the air. The face of the Odia couple turned red akin to red stuff the Officer was holding, sniffing it with a squeezed nose, wrinkles forming on it due its horrendous smell. Finally the Agent threw away the GUDAKHU box as the yelping doggie didn't sniff the suitcase anymore. Our Odia visitors were let go with a warning as the DEA agent duo took away the canine who got busy inspecting other luggages. The couple finally breathed a sigh of relief after this close call.
It is rumored this legendary tobacco paste is smoothed by GODARAs (Filaria infected thick legged folks, some with super sized balls - a common site in our coastal Odisha) who march past on layers of the Gudakhu paste with their uncovered, pus filled legs. They alternate that with rhythmically scratching their private parts in public, giving the GUDAKHU paste a hand until it is fined into perfection. It is said that this brings the best taste and flavor out of it.
Can't remember any proverbs going with GUDAKHU, but there is certainly one on the GODARI (female with filaria stricken leg) -"GODARI LO TO GODAKU CHAHAN", transliterated it means, "O' the lady with filaria. Look at your infected legs". It simply means - Look at yourself before you point fingers to others.
Don't know if this Red Paste is used by the new generation back home, because it doesn't sound cool to chew GUDAKHU for a modern Odia youth to impress his girlfriend, exposing his stained teeth to his beloved as his symbol of love. The act of proclaiming to his beloved his dependency of the orange paste to his bowel movement hardly sounds very romantic. That's good news - for like any tobacco product GUDAKHU causes cancer, a notorious disease with a history of consuming many consumers of the famous Akbar Khan brand.
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