Bisu feast is a mixture of cultural and religious festival for Tongchangya people. During the festival they make variety of traditional cakes with sticky rice, and curry. Among them, pasan is a special cuisine prepared during Bisu feast. Pason curry is a mixture of 108 kinds of edible vegetable. It is unknown how old this tradition has been handing down.
Taking a look on the number of 108, we can find philosophical value. In Hinduism, this number is regarded as a mantra when reciting the beads for 108 times. It might look a kind of myth on this number. Again from Buddhist point of view, Venerable Gunaratana interpreted that 108 number is based on 108 aspects of craving: six (6) internal bases and six (6) external bases with the multiplication of three kinds of feelings of pleasant, unpleasant and neutral feeling and three times of past, present and future. This is the core value of preparing the curry with 108 kinds of vegetables.
Moreover, from medical perspective vegetable has nutritious value for physical well-being. It can be a kind of culture but it carries a value oriented well-beings. As the ancient Physician Jivaka observed that there is no plant that can not be used as medicine. Similarly, Tongchangya people prepare ‘pason curry’ which they can able to prevent many kinds of illness by eating pason curry.
In addition, it brings unity among Tongchangya people. During Bisu feast many people go around village where house owner invites for eating pason curry. When people visit house to house there brings a relationship and closer among the people.
Therefore, we can say ‘pason curry’ is not simply a culture. But it has value holistic orientation. It should be practised and continued because it is good for physical well-beings due to nutritious value and mental well-beings for unity among Tongchangya people.