Piqued with curiosity, the architect asked, “How did you catch crabs when there were no torches?” “People use battery torches now,” the adivasi youth replied, “But earlier torches were different. They were bamboo sticks that worked like a torch. We call them habel. We pour kerosene in the stick and light it” like a lamp “while we walk. The intestine of a hen is hooked to its other end and lowered near the rocks. Then one waits for the crab to hook onto the bait. At that time, we spin the stick and catch it. This happens during the monsoon. Sometimes, even today, we do use habel.” But during the non-monsoon season, he continued, “When there is no water, crabs are deeper inside the ground. So we rub rocks against one another to create vibrations that penetrate into the ground. Crabs feel as if it has begun to rain and climb up. The dried leaves make a” crackling “sound when they surface. That’s how we know they are here to catch. Without dried leaves we won’t know, no? They require moist grounds.” ”One thing though,” he warned, “We don't eat crabs everyday. We eat them keeping in mind that their population should not deplete. So, we don't eat crabs during the Shraavan month. They bear babies, no? We don't eat crabs with babies so as to save the species. We do farming at that time. People think it is a superstition but we have a saying, ‘Eat a crab after the first cultivation!’ ”
