Ethnomusicologist Daniyal Ahmed (also know by his handle honiunhoni and his journeys to find and record artists like Ustad Noor Bakhsh):

Karela occupies a contentious place on any South Asian table. Frequently adored by elders, often detested by children, the polarised reactions it evokes are perhaps to be expected of a vegetable whose name in most languages refers to its stark bitterness: bitter gourd; bitter melon; 苦瓜. Unexpected, however – and perhaps unexplainable – is the deep reverence and love for karela amongst classical music practitioners and their families, particularly in Punjab.