Rain played spoilsport for the lovers of “Pakhal” (soaked or fermented rice) as Pakhal Divas was celebrated across the state on Wednesday to showcase Odisha’s love for the food that has travelled from the kitchens of humble labourers to capture a pride of place in star hotels and high-end restaurants.

It has been raining almost incessantly since Tuesday night at most of the places in the state, including the capital Bhubaneswar. With rain continuing throughout the day, people, who normally shop for fish and other accessories that go with Pakhal, the staple food of the poor and the lower middle class during the summer, avoided going to the market and managed with whatever was available at home.

There was, however, no stopping them from having soaked rice in traditional metal bowls. They had it with “sag” (spinach and other leafy green vegetables), “badi” or dried lentil nuggets, onion and a variety of fries. Those who could afford also had grilled or fried fish with “pakhal”, the fermented watery rice that keeps the body sufficiently hydrated to resist the sapping effect of the heat.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who spent his entire youth in the rarified environs of Delhi, is a “Pakhal” lover. Wishing people on the “Pakhal Divas” he had once shared a throwback picture of him enjoying this summer delicacy with VIP guests such as former president, late Pranab Mukherjee, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, senior BJP leader L.K. Advani and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury. The picture was taken in 2018 when these leaders had visited Bhubaneswar for the release of “The Tall Man Biju Patnaik”, a book on his father. They had lunch with him at Naveen Nivas.

The day was marked by several organisations and even some politicians organising “Pakhal” parties where the delicacy was served to the people with a variety of accessories. One such party was organised at the Old Town residence of former minister and senior Congress MLA Suresh Kumar Routray. “Pakhal is offered to Lord Jagannath of Puri and Lord Lingraj of Bhubaneswar. Pakhal is attached to the sentiments of the Odias. It is such a healthy food it has kept me fit even at this age,” said 80-year-old Routray.