The Munda people's association with the mahua tree begins even before they are born. Would-be mothers are fed a simple chutney made of mahua flowers that is believed to be healthy. Mahua is also a part of wedding rituals and mahua liquor is served at the ceremony. From birth, through marriage, till funeral — mahua is intertwined with their cultural life. In their daily life too, mahua is omnipresent from food to fodder, dawaa (medicine) to daaru (alcohol). In their own words, ‘Mahua is not a tree, it’s our way of life’.