Green Food

Sattvik 2004: Traditional Food Festival at IIMA

The Honey Bee Network has been promoting the cause of compulsive organic farmers in dry regions, hill areas and forest regions for quite some time. These farmers are not well organized, often uneducated, dispersed, and ill connected to urban markets and institutions. Can the Traditional Food Festival help in stimulating demand for products of such farmers this was the question we wanted to answer. Many of these farmers have had to diversify their cropping pattern to deal with environmental fluctuations. They grew minor millets and local varieties of various crops. Whether conservation of such crops and varieties could be facilitated by generating demand for food recipes based on such crops and varieties was another question in our mind. To provide wider range to consumers, test their response and generate feed back, we involved transition farmers and NGOs selling organic products procured from such farmers in this first festival.

arious institutions that are a part of the Honey Bee Network (NIF, SRISTI, GIAN and IIMA) came together to organize the Traditional Food Festival at IIMA campus on February 28-29, 2004. The timing

to identify recipes based on less common or uncultivated plants and create awareness about organic food in the cities for better consumer health as well as sustainability of soil and water use practices, and (d) to bring various institutions working for the cause of organic agriculture on a common platform. The advantage of emerging demand for organic food is being harnessed primarily by gentlemen farmers who have switched to organic agriculture in the recent past. Just as rich farmers could derive greater benefit from the green revolution, there is fear that the organic food market may similarly see their dominance.

Honey Bee Network has been documenting peoples knowledge and innovations about biodiversity as well as other resources. As a part of an on-going research at IIMA and SRISTI, dialogues have been held with the industry, researchers and other stakeholders about incentives for in situ conservation. Since many of the local varieties are also grown organically, for lack of choice and options as poor farmers cannot afford inputs, demand for these varieties also reinforces demand for organic products.

Prof. Bakul Dholakia, Director IIMA, inaugurating the festival

was not accidental. February 28 is the Foundation Day of NIF and thus the Festival was also a way of celebrating NIFs commitment to diversity, local knowledge and innovations based on agro-biodiversity. The festival focused on four objectives : (a) to stimulate demand of local crops and their varieties from dry regions so as to generate market based incentives for their conservation, (b) to generate feedback from the visitors about the attributes they prefer in local varieties and also in organic food, (c) to organize competition among women and others

It is also important to note that several factors have led to a decline in agrobiodiversity in rural areas such as The farmer group from Panchmahal district at diffusion of modern the festival varieties primarily by public agencies, changes in Diversity of crops and other food consumer taste, declining demand items is closely linked with cultural from consumers as well as from diversity. One cannot conserve one food and agro processing industry without the other. The Traditional for dry land crops and their varieties, Food Festival, thus, also became an lack of public procurement and occasion to celebrate diversity of price support policy, etc. culture, creativity in cuisine and

This report is based on contributions by members of the SRISTI team

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View of the Traditional Food Festival

conservation ethic. A book of traditional food recipes in Gujarati published by SRISTI was also released on the occasion and about 250 copies were sold. Prof. Bakul Dholakia, Director, IIMA, while inaugurating the Food Festival emphasized the importance of biological and food diversity present in our culture. He regretted that a lot of restaurants took great pride in offering Thai, Mexican or Italian food. But one would not be able to sample recipes from different regions of Gujarat in the same restaurant. He appreciated the efforts made by SRISTI and NIF which were trying to highlight the knowledge and values of informal technologies and institutions in our villages. He said that contrary to popular perception, IIMA was not indifferent to local knowledge and diversity. In fact, considerable work had been done in this field during the last decade or so. He hoped that more faculty members and students from the Institute would join such efforts and help in conserving cultural, biological and food diversity for future generations. Organizing the Festival Several institutions involved in organic farming joined hands with SRISTI to organize the festival. Jatan, was one such institution which was an important part of the endeavour. It had earlier organized food festivals for organic producers in several parts of Gujarat. In all, there were 40 different stalls, primarily of food. Stalls dealing with publications related to sustainable agriculture were also there. Total sales at the festival amounted to Rs.2.8 lakh with maximum sales generated at the farmers market where organic producers sold their products themselves. There were many Gandhian organizations which had put up their stalls. These provided a complete range of organic products to the consumers. Farmers from Vadodara had brought organic vegetables which proved to be extremely popular. Kutch organic farmers had brought herbal value

added products made of Aloe vera and other such dry land plants. V S Hospital had put up a stall to highlight their observation (based on scientific experiments) that considerable health improvement was witnessed in specific disease groups by feeding patients with diet comprising minor millets. One of the most popular stalls at the Festival was the stall by farmers from Surjumi village of Panchmahal district. It had recipes based on local grains such as sweet laddu (Rs.10 per piece of 40 g) made of Eleusine coracana. In addition, they sold various dishes made of local varieties of maize, Setaria italica, Paspalum scorbiculatum, Cucumis callosus, Ficus glomerata, Cucurbita pepo, Oryza sativa, Zea mays, etc. About 14,000 people visited the festival during the two days that it was organized and consumed various food items and also bought fabrics dyed with vegetable colours and treated with herbal extracts. A recipe competition was also organized on the occasion and was judged by the executive chef of Hotel Taj Umed, faculty from Institute of Hotel Management and other local food

experts.There was also considerable interest among the representatives of major hotels who had visited the food festival to present to their clients special health based food menu cards. If this caught on and became a trend, it could herald a major breakthrough in the area of conserving agro biodiversity. Demand for minor millets and other crops from hotel industry could provide incentives for conservation and production of these health crops. Nutritional information about some of the food items was also displayed but this is an area where much more research needs to be done before the next food festival. The presence of a large number of children was a welcome sign as it translated into their becoming more aware about the idea of diversity. The media also took considerable interest in the festival and the activities like the recipe competition. Members of the media interacted with the visitors. Many distinguished citizens including eminent Gandhian leaders, scientists, High Court Judges and entrepreneurs also visited the festival. The festival generated significant appreciation from the IIMA community. Many were eager to know when the next food festival would be organized. Awareness and demand for organic The impact of the festival could be gauged from an on the spot survey that revealed the estimated demand for organic grains. The preference for organic food was articulated by 422 visitors who responded to the questionnaire.

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A Dialogue on People's Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation

Demand for wheat was about 36 tons (251 respondents), rice 16 ton (238), pearl millet (bajra) 2 tons (127), edible oil 8.6 ton (176), jaggery 3 ton (170), gram whole 2.7 ton (178), gram pulse (176), moong bean 2.4 ton (178), tur dal 4 ton (178), black gram 1.6 ton (118) and many other commodities (Figures in parentheses indicate number of respondents). When asked how many would like to read about organic farming, more than 90 per cent showed interest. In terms of promoting organic products, majority were interested in either helping by spreading the information by word of mouth or by purchasing these products. A few were willing to help as representatives or volunteers for various activities and a couple wanted to help by singing or writing songs. More than 50 per cent of the respondents said that such a festival should be Suggestions for the future The next festival will have to include many new features: (a) farmer to consumer interaction about local varieties and organic food, (b) at least half the stalls by local communities from dry regions, hill areas, forest areas and other such regions where farmers are, by and large, involved in organic farming because of economic and ecological reasons, (c) consumers to be organized to visit organic farms where they can confirm that the conditions of production are in line with their expectation and support the producers in proper grading, packaging and transportation, (d) provision of much more systematic information on the nutritional, nutraceutical and other health and environmental benefits of local varieties and organic food, (e) databases on recipes as well as more diverse source base books, (f) posters for schools, colleges and other public and private establishments highlighting the importance of sustainable food production and consumption, (g) special meetings of women to discuss the blending of traditional and modern recipes to generate new tastes suitable for urban palate, (h) pre-festival and post-festival meetings with the hotel industry and other agro processing entrepreneurs to follow up on the demand generated during the festival, (i) interaction with medical professionals, dieticians and consumers to understand the health aspects of organic food and (j) consultation with policy makers as well as food chains to generate demand for organically grown, non-uniform grains and vegetables.

organized more often. About 20 per cent of the men and 10 per cent of the women wanted access to information as well as organic products. While evaluating various

The festival became an occasion to celebrate diversity of culture, creativity in cuisine and conservation ethic
criteria for purchasing organic products, the quality of produce was given the maximum rank followed by organic certification, reliable source of supply, reasonable price and packaging. Men placed more emphasis on certification. Majority of the respondents had come to know about the festival through media reports. Other sources included friends, hoardings on the road side and staff of SRISTI, IIMA, NIF, GIAN and through the Loksarvani newsletter. More than 70 per cent of the respondents were willing to pay 10 to 15 per cent premium, 20 per cent of the male and 11 per cent of the female respondents were willing to pay 16 to 20 per cent premium. About less than 10 per cent of the respondents (of the total 358 respondents) were willing to pay more than 20 percent premium. Another survey had been carried out by two students Sudipta and Vijaya of Postgraduate Programme in Agri Business Management for a second year course at IIMA. The survey was conducted essentially to study the organic food market and consumer behaviour. A sample of 40 respondents, of which one third were women, was surveyed. More than 80 per cent had monthly income of more than Rs.15,000 and 30 per cent had a professional degree. About 95 per cent defined organic food as one grown without any chemicals and 80 per cent considered organic food to have been grown with organic

fertilizer and pesticides. Hardly six per cent were aware about the procedural requirements for certification. Majority of the respondents were not willing to pay any premium of more than one or two per cent (a finding at variance from the larger sample study done at Food Festival, mentioned above). Many consumers considered the goodwill of the retailer a significantly more important factor than certification. The demand for food and vegetables was much higher than grains and the ease of availability was considered an important factor influencing purchase. Taste, trust and goodwill seemed to be the three differentiating factors. The Food Festival was quite successful as a means of generating awareness about crops and varieties for which consumption is almost non-

existent in urban areas and is going down even in rural areas. But while demand for organic food was quite high, supply was a major constraint. People's Action for Research and Assistance to Innovation and Traditional Knowledge Holders (Parakh) has taken a major initiative in this regard. One institution alone may not be able to handle all these goals. Certification of organically grown crops and livestock produce a crucial issue will require a large network of volunteer inspectors knowledgeable about agriculture to visit farmers. Much of the sourcing of organic food is currently done on goodwill basis. Sadbhav SRISTI Sanshodhan Laboratory will also have to play its role in testing soils and grains/ vegetables for pesticide residues.

Honey Bee Vol 14(4) & 15(1) October 2003 - March 2004 Will you stand by the IPRs of peasants ?

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Agrobiodiversity Food for Thought Satvik 2004

The overwhelming success of the First Traditional Food Festival held during Feb 28-29, 2004, at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, had helped emphasize the importance and relevance of such initiatives. This paved the way for Satvik 2004 Second Traditional Food Festival. This became a platform that brought the urban and rural consumers, farmers, distributors and others interested in organic farming and conservation of agro-biodiversity together. The festival proved to be a great opportunity for generating awareness about traditional and organic food, varieties group which were fast disappearing and also get the feedback of the visitors. This is crucial for any attempt aimed at preserving and enhancing the demand for traditional crop varieties and organic farming products. Purpose was also to do action research on the determinants of consumer demand for local varieties of crops, organic food, and other green products that went with these.

atvik 2004 Second Traditional Food Festival proved to be a unique way of highlighting diversity in cultures and tastes. The ninety traditional recipes and dishes made of organic produce from nine states was an indication of the rich and varied cuisine of the country. With its focus on traditional and organic food, the two day festival (Dec 4-5, 2004), was able to provide a rare opportunity for the urban people to understand and appreciate use of diverse crop varieties and uncultivated plants. It emphasized the importance of voluntary organic farming but also drew attention to often ignored compulsive organic farmers whose poverty necessitated their dependence on organic inputs.

Honey Bee Network and IIMA 1. There were sixty stalls a 50% per cent increase in the number from the First Traditional Food Festival which was held on Feb 28-29, 2004. Nine states were represented - Uttaranchal, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Rajasthan, Orissa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. Thus, one could taste puttus from Tamil Nadu, dudi ka halwa from Uttaranchal or arisha cakes from Orissa. The response of the visitors was overwhelming. Sunda Ram Verma, who was manning Rajasthani stall said, So many people came to taste our dal bati choorma and pyaz kachhori. Now they all know about our Shekhawati cuisine. Verma is the

Honey Bee Network Collaborator for Rajasthan and has been involved in scouting and documenting traditional knowledge practices and grassroots innovations. Organizations promoting organic farming and produce such as Sanskruti, Asal, Jatan Vitran Kendra and Vikalp had also put up their stalls. The Peermade Development Society (Kerala) stall sold ayurveda medicines such as thaleepatradi churnam, dashamoolambari lehyam and sahyadri dahasamini. Gandhi Vidyapeeth, Vedchhi, Gujarat had put up a stall where one could buy khadi clothes made with herbal dyes. Muslim women affected by the earthquake in 2001 had put the

Around 18,000 people visited the festival during two days. It was organized by SRISTI, along with National Innovation Foundation, Grassroots Innovations Augmentation Network (GIAN),
1

EU supported project on Knowledge Network for Augmenting Grassroots Innovations, and IFPRI and CIDA supported project on Incentives for in situ conservation of agro-biodiversity at IIMA also helped in organizing the festival.

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A Dialogue on People's Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation

Grassroots does not mean living with old unproductive small time mindsets. Cobbler as a cobbler, fishermen in the same old boat with few nuts changed - but to move fast towards knowledge society
Dr A P J Abdul Kalam (President of India)

Ratnaprava Barik, teacher & SRISTI Sanman awardee from Orissa and Manubhai from Gujarat inaugurating the Traditional Food Festival

clothes made by them on sale. Besides this, creative games, educational activities and quizzes were also organized for children. The biggest draw, however, was the khedut mandal where vegetables and farm products were on display. The large, fresh vegetables and fruits proved to be irresistible for many. For instance, about 20 kg of bijoru, a large sized fruit belonging to the citrus family, was sold during the festival. Total sales at the festival exceeded rupees eight lakhs. Another major highlight was the recipe competition which was held on Dec 4, 2004. The 25 participants mainly women from Gujarat and other states prepared dishes based on minor millets and uncultivated plants. The competition yielded a rich

harvest of traditional dishes such as kele ke phool ka subzi (a dish made of banana flowers). Some had experimented with the minor millets and uncultivated plants and created new, delicious dishes. The competition was judged by Ambarben Trivedi, head of the department - food and nutrition, B Arts College, Smitaben, faculty in SLU College and B B S Chauhan, Chief Chef-Hotel Inder Residency. Kaushik Deepti with her laddoo (made of soyabean, ragi, bunti, bawta and coconut) and purla (made of jowar and soyabean) was given the first prize. The second prize went to Damayanti G Segade who had made

two dishes from an uncultivated plant and pulses respectively. These were looni ki bhaji and kulche ki sabzi. Kavita Kaushik Pathak won the third prize for kele ke phool ki subzi and laddoos in which she had used the seeds of the tulsi plant. Seven varieties of minor millets and twelve other grains were used in many recipe s. The festival also provided an opportunity for farmers, distributors and others interested in organic farming to come together. A meeting was held and various issues such as certification, marketing etc., were discussed. It was felt that all those who were involved in this field should pool their knowledge and expertise. The information which is collated could be put up on a website. The idea of a helpline which would provide information about places from where one could buy organic produce was also mooted. A survey aimed at gauging peoples understanding of organic farming and related issues was conducted with the help of MBA and Journalism students of Rai University, Ahmedabad. The survey was a part of the ongoing research activities on organic and traditional food undertaken by SRISTI and IIMA. The focus of the survey was on aspects like awareness, preferences, attitudes and demand for genetically diverse and organic food produced by small and marginal farmers. The information collected is currently being collated and analyzed.

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Agro-biodiversity

Sattvik 2005

Sattvik 2005, the third Traditional Food Festival opened the eyes of the urban consumer to the nutritive value of traditional and organically grown grains, while simultaneously providing a platform for the rural producers to directly sell their produce in the urban market. The purpose was also to test the consumer response to different varieties of minor and major crops so that market based incentives could be generated for conservation of agrobiodiversity.

round 22,000 visitors thronged the campus of the Indian Institute of Management, on 10 and 11 December 2005, when the third Traditional Food Festival Sattvik was organized by SRISTI, NIF, GIAN and IIM. The venue was an enchanting spectacle, with a wide spread of culinary delicacies on either side, even as the center space was devoted to grassroots innovations. The festival posed certain fundamental questions about the kind of foods

all, unless the urban consumers start demanding these grains, the income will never flow from our pockets to the small and experimenting farmers. In most cases, the grains grown by these farmers are not only more nutritious, but are also compulsively organic, because many of the farmers cannot afford to use any chemical growth promoters or pesticides. Over 60 farmers, including many women, as well as entrepreneurs, Civil Society Organizations like Gantar, Paryavaran Shikshan Kendra and Gujarat Gram Vidyapith, and others utilized this opportunity to display and sell their ideas and produce. The farmers mostly came from the dry regions of Gujarat, like Kutch, Banaskantha, Panchmahal, and Surendranagar. Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh were the other states represented. The festival also provided an opportunity to spread the message about healthy food. The tribal people from Panchmahal district gave the urban consumers a rare treat of kumbh aur shuri ki bhaji. At the

Gujarat Vidyapith stall eatables like dry fruits laddoo, bavte ka laddoo and Khajur ka sharbat were sold and the advantages of such types of food were also explained. The Paryavaran Shikshan Kendra did brisk business

Visitors at the traditional food festival

we consume and how we could make it more healthy and nutritious. In the process, could we also ensure that the poor farmers who cultivate such healthy food grains get a fair share of the profits? The food festival aims to generate market based incentives for such lesser known, organically grown crops and their varieties. After

with the muthiya of Moringa oleifera and a novel preparation - sharbet made from cactus (Euphorbia caducitolia). It definitely opened our eyes to the nutritious potential of what is otherwise considered an inhospitable plant. In Saurashtra, the plant is beleived to have medicinal value, specially for increasing haemoglobin in the blood. The delicacy was lapped up by the

Honey Bee Vol 16(4) October - December 2005

A Dialogue on People's Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation

crowds and the sales of this beverage generated around Rs. 10,000 over the two days.

At the Kishor Vataliya stall, the Farali Khichu and soup of kalathi (Dolichos biflorus), was doing brisk business. The Arya Sanskriti stall came up with an interesting idea of selling rain water, and drew many visitors. At the Akhand Jyot Foundation Stall, the attractions were methi (Trigonella foenum-graecum) thepla, Vegetable pancake and Bhaidaku of Echinochloa colonum. At the Swagat stall, different delicacies made of maize were available, including soup, samosa and halva. The stall set up under Canadian International Development Agency, Guelph, implemented by IFPRI and

Farmers selling their produce to the urban consumers

Multimedia Innovation Kiosk

Recipe Contests : Rewarding Culinary Creativity The recipe contest was organized on Dec 9, 2005 at the IIM A campus. The recipes were supposed to encourage the use of the lesser known and consumed food grains and minor millets such as kui (Carvia callosa ), kodri (Paspalum scrobiculatum), banti, bavto (Eleusine coracana) and kang (Setaria italica). The purpose was to help the revival of traditional, diverse food and create awareness about the nutritional benefits of minor millets and uncultivated plants. We believe that the housewives who use these recipes have played a major role in the conservation of the grains and vegetables involved in the recipes, and need to be recognized and rewarded. The entries were judged by Ms. Ambarben Trivedi (HoD of Health and Nutrition, NC Bodiwala College), Mr. B.B.S. Chauhan (Chief Chef, Hotel Inder Residency), Ms. Smithaben Dave (Lecturer, SLU Womens College) and Ms. Kavitaben Phatak (winner of the recipe contest for the last two years). The recipes were judged based on the taste, nutritional value, method of cooking, knowledge about medicinal use and presentation. One hundred and eighty two people submitted 334 entries by post. Of these, 65 people were present at the venue on the allotted day and between them prepared 140 traditional dishes. A leading Gujarati daily helped us mobilize participants for the contest. Through the competition, we were able to document the use of 59 crops of which 18 were grains and 41 were vegetables. The most commonly used grains were makkai (Zea mays) (69), jowar (Sorgham vulgare) (67) and kodri (Paspalum scrobiculatum) (63). The least common grains were Kali (Oryza sativa), Jov (Hordeum vulgare) and Moth(Vigna aconitifolia) , each of which were used once. Among the vegetables, the most commonly used were tamarind flower (Tamarindus indica) used ten times, followed by Methi (Trigonella foenum-graecum) used seven times, and sargavo (Moringa oleifera) and palak (Spinacea oleracea) used five times each. The least common vegetables were padma (Nelumbo nucifera), Apple (Pyrus malus) , Gulab na ful (Rosa damascus) , Punrnava na pan (Boerhaivia diffusa), used once each. The first prize was bagged by Hema Mehta from Ahmedabad, who prepared a nutritious pancake using kodri. The recipe was aesthetically presented and involved the use of very little oil. The second prize went to Ekta Parikh, also from Ahmedabad who prepared a special katli using 35 medicinal plants and the third prize went to Sheetal Shah, from Baroda, who made kodri ki tikiya. Ms. Sheetal Shah remarked that when she had first read about the contest in the paper, she thought there must have been a misprint, because she could not believe that the minor millets and uncultivated grains could be used in the recipes. She then consulted her mother and learnt about the uses of these grains and the recipe which won her the prize.
Honey Bee Vol 16(4) October - December 2005 Will you stand by the IPRs of peasants ?

Exhibiting Grassroots Creativity The Innovation Exhibition set up by GIAN and NIF was a major attraction at the festival. This was an opportunity to display many grassroots innovations. Interestingly, when we had organized an exhibition of only the grassroots innovations, it drew far fewer visitors. The blend of culinary and technological creativity seems to have worked. Vinod Gajjar, who has developed innovative tongs to hold hot vessels was able to sell about 220 pieces. Mr. M M Ahuja, the entrepreneur who has licensed the water cooler developed

Women's groups doing brisk business at the stalls

Exhhibition of Green Grassroots Innovation

by Arvindbhai Patel, has received 50 enquiries from people who were interested in ordering the product. He expects that at least 10 per cent will materialize into orders. Mr. Mansukhbhai Prajapati has received orders worth Rs. 20,000 for the earthen container for keeping vegetables fresh and orders worth Rs. 10,000 for the Teflon coated earthen pan, an interesting use of modern technology for traditional objects. Mr. Panchal was able to sell 50 pieces of the motorized phirkee, which can be used to wind strings while flying kites. He considers this to be a good sale, specially since the kite festival was still more than a month away, during the food festival. He has also recived enquiries from around 100 people. Mr. Sakarbhai Prajapatis health care chair, which helps people exercise, was another popular attraction, and he ended up selling not only the two chairs he had brought for demonstration, but 10 more pieces to people who contacted him after having seen his chair at the exhibition.

IIM A attempted to create awareness (Setaria italica). There were many about the nutritional value of enquiries about availability of these traditional varieties of grains like different varieties and many consumers expressed minor millets and The festival has an interest in buying maize from Dahod them. (Gujarat) rice provided an opportunity varieties from for me to understand the market for organic The festival not only Faizabad (UP) and produce. I have used this provided an bajra (Pennisetum opportunity for the typhoides) from Sikar knowledge and set up a (Rajasthan). The rice shop for organic produce farmers to directly sell in the village", says their produce and varieties on display Khimjibhai. eliminate the included Kalanamak, middlemen, but also Lalmati, Dhaniya, Kanakjir, Bengal Juhi, Baghari, gave them an exposure to urban Dehula, Erri and Muthmuri. A markets, the demands of urban detailed nutritional analysis of each consumers and the market potential of the grains was made and this for organic products. According to information was provided to the Arvind Paramar of Kuchch Sajiv Kheti consumers. Minor millets included Manch, who had brought 18 farmers bavto (Eleusine coracana), kodi to the festival, All the grains were (Paspalum scrobiculatum), and kang sold and we also got a lot of contacts

The stall set up by IIMA and IFPRI under a CIDA Project

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A Dialogue on People's Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation

Inviting Ideas Another interesting feature of the food festival was the idea contest, conducted by GIAN and NIF for all the visitors. The contest encouraged all the visitors to come up with innovative ideas and solutions for day-to-day problems and share it with us. Through the contest we have been able to generate some interesting ideas. One idea, given by Ashish Gajjar, was for the installation of mini-speakers in helmets, to make driving more pleasurable. Tusharbindu Tapuldhar suggested that tooth-brushes be made of small length which can be fixed to the fingers. This not only helps us get a better grip while brushing, but also saves on the usage of plastic, which would otherwise be used to make a longer grip. Narendra Vansjatra suggests that copper coils can be attached to the bottom of cooking pans, so that water can be heated, even as the cooking is in progress.

festival. Khimjibhai, a farmer, adds, The festival has provided an opportunity for me to understand the market for organic produce. I have used this knowledge and set up a shop for organic produce in the village. Not only do I sell my produce, but I also procure from other farmers and sell it if the demand is high. The festival has helped me become an entrepreneur. Many non-governmental organizations had bought farmers and womens groups to sell their products. The festival proved to be an income generating opportunity for them. According to Tanuben, from Gudala, who is part of a self-help group which has been selling pudina sharbet during the festival, We have been able to get a lot of money. Some of it will cover our costs in coming here, the remaining, we will deposit in the bank and use for our childrens education or for some health emergencies. The festival also provided a platform for Gantar, an NGO working in Gujarat, to display some of their innovative teaching material, which aims to teach children without using books. The innovative toys include spelling games, umbrellas to teach astronomy and mathematics and math games. The festival not only promotes the consumption of organic food, but also provides ways of growing organic food. Many herbal growth promoters with pesticidal properties, developed by the Sadbhav SRISTI Sanshodhan Labaratory were displayed and sold. The purpose was to promote organic cultivation not only in farms, but also in kitchen gardens. The SRISTI stall also sold literature on indigenous knowledge and practices, organic farming etc. The festival also had its share of attractive practices for the children. Quiz competitions and antakshari ensured that children not only enjoyed the ocassion but also went home with attractive prizes.

Another idea for institutional improvement was the creation of a sarpanch network among villages, to promote organic farming and the cultivation of traditional varieties. The idea was suggested by Hemchandre Barat. Shashikant Gupta suggested that a directory of all organic farmers be prepared, so that people have easier access to them. about people who are interested in buying our produce. So that is a definite benefit we got. Moreover, it was the first time farmers from a dryland area were going into the city to market their products. It has given them a sense of Alabhai, a farmer from Kutch, who had put up five stalls at the festival is also extremely happy with his business. We got to see for ourselves the demand for organic products in urban areas. All our products are organic, but when we sell them through outlets in the city, we dont make such profits. Through this festival, we got to see how much profit we can actually make. There needs to be more transparency in the outlets which sell organic produce in the urban areas. The farmers, urban outlets and consumers should come together on a common platform and we must try to ensure that farmers get a fair share of the profits. According to Mukesh Ravel from YUVA, who brought four farmers to the festival, Such opportunities are definitely needed for farmers to get to know how to sell their products without any middlemen. If the festival was organized over a longer period of time, the farmers can also bear some of the cost of the

The SRISTI stall displaying publications

confidence about themselves and their produce. According to Jivrajbhai from Sarjan Bodeli, We were able to get many farmers, including women farmers from the tribal areas. They got to know a lot about organic farming, on how to market organic products etc. It was a learning experience.

Honey Bee Vol 16(4) October - December 2005 Will you stand by the IPRs of peasants ?

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FOOD FESTIVAL

Healthy soil, healthy food, healthy thoughts: Satvik 2006

A sweet pudding made of seeds of Bamboo that flowers once in 12 years, Amrut Pey, an energetic drink made from Bilipatra and Pipal leaves, a dish made of Aloe Vera, and many more recipes using rare and traditional crop varieties were displayed at Satvik, the fourth Traditional Food Festival (TFF) organized by SRISTI in collaboration with GIAN, NIF and IIMA. The festival also brought the grassroots innovators on a common platform, and helped disseminate the spirit of the organic movement. Idea contest organised on the occasion tried to spread creative consciousness not yet pervasive enough in society.

atvik, the fourth annual food festival was organized at the new campus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad from 25th November, 2006. Dr Bakul Dholakia, IIMs Director, inaugurated the festival, and stressed the importance of preserving traditional knowledge and agricultural biodiversity. It was also mentioned on the occasion that only food grown on fertile soil can promote constructive ideas, and a realization of right values in the long run.

About 44,000 visitors, including 15,000 children visited the stalls during three days ( Nov 25-27, 2006) featuring organic produce, grassroots innovations, traditional foods, and social ventures. These stalls were set up by various organizations, farmers collectives and individuals from Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Orissa, and Kerala apart from Gujarat. The food festival provided the platform to reach out to as many people as possible, and to sensitize them about the implications of going organic, conserving not only less known crops but also varieties of different food and other crops for which market did not exist. There was a special focus on the school going children; for moulding the consumption preference of young people is one of the major challenges faced by the organic movement.

Consumer surveys were also undertaken to gauge peoples opinions about organic food. Tens of thousand free passes were given to children so that they would bring their parents to the TFF and trigger learning in families from below. Culinary diversity: The recipe contest Minor millets and many traditional dishes have been disappearing from our cuisine, leading to a decline in their demand and thus causing loss in agrobiodiversity. The food festival provided an opportunity to familiarize the urban audience with recipes made from these crops, and to utilize consumer demand as a major catalyst towards their conservation. In all, 72 food stalls were set up, of which 54 showcased the revival of traditional recipes. Attempt was made to ensure that the recipes were free from

Honey Bee Vol 17(4) & 18(1) October - December 2006 & January - March 2007 Will you stand by the IPRs of peasants ?

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artificial colours and additives, even if all of them were not entirely based on organic ingredients. People from all over the state were invited to participate and submit their recipes and bring a sample a day before the TFF. The entries were judged by Ms Rekhaben Mehta (Retd. HoD, Health and Nutrition, DD College of Home Science, and a regular columnist in a leading local newspaper), Ms Kirti Rathod (winner of the 2nd prize during the first recipe contest, and an active participant in SRISTI activities concerning promotion of traditional food varieties), and Ms Sudhaben Dhanesha (a traditional food expert and winner of the special prize during the first food festival for bringing 30 recipes made from rare and less cultivated crops). The competition received a total of 49 some what unique recipes (either in terms of ingredients or in the way of presentation) representing a diversity of cultural patterns. There were many interesting entries like "Makai Paniya" and "Makai ki Thuli", two dishes made of Maize (Zea mays L.), "Urd ka Vada", a snack made of Black Gram (Phaseolus mungo L.), "Bavta ka Ladoo/Papad", a sweet and a snack made of Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.), "Baans ke beej ka Sheera", a sweet pudding made of Bamboo (Bambusa arundinacea (Retz.) Willd.) seeds, "Kodri ki Khichdi" , a dish made of Kodo Millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum L.), "Marua ki Sharbat" , a drink made of Marua (Ocimum basilicum L.), "Kothambda ka wafer", wafers made of Wild Melon (Cucumis callosus (Rottl.) Cogn. ex Cogn. & Harms), "Ranikela ki Shak", "Thumro", etc. M o r e o v e r, there were few very rare or less

Singhada ki Tikki", a snack made of Coco Yam {(Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott}, and Water Chestnut {Trapa natans L. var. bispinosa (Roxb.) Makino)}, and energetic drinks like "Ashtamrut", and "Amrut Pey" prepared from Apple Wood, (Aegle marmelos (L.) Corr.) and Pipal ( Ficus religiosa L.) leaves. The first prize was given to "Khatta Mitha Gola" prepared from Dates (Phoenix sylvestris (L.) Roxb.), Elephant apple (Limonia acidissima L.), and jaggery. "Kodri ki Khichdi" made of Kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum L.) won the

said Roma Bhatt. Dr Narendra Parikh, a retired principal, also looked forward

to this festival all year long. He added "If you want people to adapt to a healthy lifestyle, such festivals should be organized at least every quarter. I never knew Dhokla could be cooked using Soyabean (Glycine max L.)". The magic of "Organic" The food festival also served as a platform for people for various parts of the country to sell their organically grown products. Mr P Surulivel of Tamilnadu brought organically grown cardamom variety. One of the Honey Bee Network volunteer did a survey in the nearby market and found the price of good quality dried cardamom, and accordingly suggested Mr Surulivel . By lunch, all his cardamom was sold, fetching him more than double the profit he originally expected. One could not imagine the happiness on his face. Mr Sabu Varghese who came on the second day with his cardamom variety also managed to sell it fast, and at a very good profit. Navara rice, a variety of rice, which grows in the wild in some pockets of Kerala, was also a major attraction. Though priced at Rs. 400 a kg, it found many customers who bought the 100 gm samples. The rice is claimed to have medicinal properties, particularly for people with heart problems, diabetes and nervous disorders.

second prize. The third prize was given to "Amrut Pey", "Chitravali ki Chutney" and "Hariyalu Shak". Ms Hema Mehta, who has studied home science and read many books on traditional cuisine, learnt the recipe of Amrut Pey in an old book belonging to her mother-in-law. Chitravali Chutney is made from the roots of Leadwort (Plumbago zeylanica L.) and is a very good digestive agent. Many visitors were pleased to find a variety of dishes that they had heard of but never tasted. "I tasted Saragawa soup, made of Drumstick (Moringa oleifera Lam.) for the first time and liked it too. Im going to go home and prepare it for my husband",

common ingredients used in recipes such as "Kunvarpathu Shak", a vegetable made of Aloe Vera (Aloe vera (L.) Webb. & Berth.), "Arbi

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A Dialogue on People's Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation

Khedut haat One of the most important features of the festival was the Khedut Haat, which gave the farmers a platform to sell their products directly to the customers. Eighty farmers from 30 villages displayed around 15,000 kg of organic products. They were happy with the direct sales approach, as they collected much higher profit than they could have got otherwise. Kankuben made such a lot of profit that she was finally able to afford a cell phone. "The cell phone allows me to keep in touch with people. I can now get orders on my phone". Another farmer, Mr Mahendra Patel, who participated in the festival for the first time displayed four varieties of Amla, candies and mouth freshner made of Amla. He wished he had brought more products to the festival as all his organic wheat biscuits were sold out by the second day. He plans to bring a variety of organic products to the next festival as per the feedback of the visitors. Sardar Patel Farm, a well-known organic farm, has been a regular participant in the food festival during the last four years. This year, they had brought over 25 varieties of grains and 12 kinds of vegetables and fruits, all of which were sold by the third day. Mr Pratik Patel, an organic farmer was very happy to see many people informed about organic products. He said "Until last year, people used to enquire about organic products. This year, almost all the visitors were aware of organic farm products. When such customers buy our products, we also feel satisfied." Mr Mukesh of YUVA, an NGO in Rapar, Gujarat recalled how only one farmer had participated in the first food festival. The farmers later formed an association, and this year, 31 farmers participated in the festival displaying organic and dairy products from their area. He believes that the number will increase to 70 participants for the coming food festival. He added, "In each festival, we gauge the market requirements and consumer behaviour, with the result that this time not even a grain was left unsold". He also emphasized the need for value addition in the products saying "We need to lay more importance on value addition in products to make them appealing to the urban dwellers and to make the festival a bigger success". Ms Rita Rathode of Jasdan, coordinator of an organic farmers group, brought 40 farmers, of whom 20 were women. She appreciated the efforts of SRISTI in organizing such a unique festival and suggested that the space allotted to the stalls in the Khedut Haat should be increased, so that customers can be attended well.

Face painting, T-shirt painting, and hand painting done by students of the National Institute of Design and the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad

Honey Bee Vol 17(4) & 18(1) October - December 2006 & January - March 2007 When did you think of a new idea last?

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The wild varieties of chilly brought by Mr R.G. Hedge were well appreciated by the people. Since he had mainly brought the varieties for demonstration, many were left disappointed as they were too eager to buy it after tasting it. The black pepper he had brought also generated a lot of interest among the customers. Walnuts from Kashmir brought by Mr Mushtaq Dar were also liked by many people. Grassroots creativity on display An exhibition showcased by GIAN and NIF displayed innovations like a cycle sprayer, an amphibious bicycle, a mechanical thresher, tongs, tawas, firkis, etc. Visitors showed a lot of interest in these innovations and many of them were sold quickly. Mr Mansukhbhai Prajapati displayed his non-stick clay tawas (earthen cooking plates coated with non-stick material) and earthen refrigerator, "Mitti Cool". He sold all his 400 tawas in two days and was very happy with the overwhelming response that he received from the urban dwellers. "Such festivals provide a very good platform for grassroots innovators. The objective of the food festival i.e., adapting to natural lifestyle was one strong factor for the sale of my products", commented the innovator. He too wished that such festivals were held every quarter. Mr Ravajibhai Savaliya also sold out his entire stock of Ribbed Tawa. People responded very positively to his design which has now been proved to have higher thermal efficiency. The University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT), Mumbai has confirmed the advantage of ribbing in increasing thermal efficiency besides similar

confirmation by Indian Institute of Petroleum earlier. This was sent for testing by GIAN (West) and NIF under the CSIR-NIF partnership for value addition in different areas. It could have enormous implications for saving energy in industrial boilers worldwide-another example of grassroots to global (g2g). Ms Doru Kachu and her husband from UK have attended many food festivals in there and were happy to visit Satvik while they were passing through Ahmedabad on their India trip. "It is good to see that such things are happening in India. Such fairs are also good for the sustainability of farmers." Of course they could not notice that in UK, the focus was on food rather than conserving agrobiodiversity alongside. Innovative tongs helping one carry hot vessels with more convenience than the conventional ones were liked by consumers a great deal. With the kite flying festival around, motor operated Firkis were also sold out quickly. These innovative firkis work on a battery to wind the thread, when pressed from one end and were available at Rs 225. The idea was that when a kite was cut, the thread had to be wound up manually. This took a lot of time and strain. With motor inside winding took place fast without tiring the flyer. The Robocrats, a club for engineering students from around

Gujarat, also displayed an innovation relating to the kite festival. These student innovators designed a low cost method for shielding cyclists from stray kite strings. They distributed hundreds of such shields free among the visitors and the whole concept was highly appreciated. Many new mentors had shown their interest in further development of technologies and providing financial support to the innovators. The support staff and innovators received several queries from the visitors, on topics like business development of innovations. The response received from the mentors incubating some of the grassroots innovations during the food festival is being used to strengthen the on-line collaboration model developed by SRISTI. Social ventures There were stalls where physically challenged children sold their paper crafts. Another NGO, Arzoo working with riot affected Hindu & Muslim children sold the beautiful cards made of hand made paper. Ms Sulekha Ali, who runs the organization, recalls that "For the last two years, I was attending the festival only as a visitor. This year, on SRISTIs suggestion, we decided to set up a stall displaying the handmade paper cards, diaries, and products made by the riot-affected

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A Dialogue on People's Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation

Children from Arzoo displaying handmade paper cards

children". She suggests that the festival should be extended for a few more days, and the entry fees could be increased. She plans to display paintings, flower pots, cups, and other items made by the children in the next festival. Darpana Academy had a stall where women from their village development project sold their goods. Students from IIMA are now planning to join hand next time to arrange a social venture fair along side Satvik 2007. Social, cultural and culinary diversity will reinforce each other and make us respect the salt of life, the diversity. The road ahead

practices, as compared to 40 stalls in 2004. The total sales for this food festival were about three times that of the first festival. This year, about 44,000 people attended the festival, more than twice the number during the first one. The food festival attracted participants from states like Uttaranchal, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Rajasthan, Orissa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat. Visitors and organizers of the fair had a number of suggestions that SRISTI would like to implement.

Some visitors and participants expressed an interest in holding the traditional food festival during every quarter. Other suggestions were: organizing region wise stalls, and including larger stalls and a bigger seating area to reduce crowding. Mr Mahendra Patel emphasized the need for forming associations of farmers in any area prior to the festival, so that they can attend the festival in groups and travel costs can be cut down. Many participants suggested that a meeting should be organized prior to the festival where the potential participants can interact amongst themselves, and discuss the rules and regulations to be followed. This way the inconsistency observed in the prices of some of the goods across the stalls can also be dealt with. It was also felt that a certification mechanism should be introduced so that only farmers with genuine organic products are encouraged. (Those interested in participating in future fairs should get in touch with SRISTI) The spirit of Traditional Food Festival hinges closely on the ability of urban consumers to pay for conservation of agro-biodiversity in the rural areas. They would do so only when taste is blended with information and innovations.Satvik 2007 awaits new ideas, new innovations and new tastes.

This year, a total of 72 stalls showcased products and information about traditional food

Honey Bee Vol 17(4) & 18(1) October - December 2006 & January - March 2007 When did you last confess to your children that you did not know the answer to their question?

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SATTVIK

Sattvik 2007 - The Fifth Traditional Food Festival

December 1-4, 2007

If God had intended us to follow recipes, He wouldnt have given us grandmothers. Linda Henley
Diversity in food cannot be maintained without appreciating and acknowledging the diversity in culture. But how do we express our cultural preferences and differences? Food is one way. We celebrate these differences every year through Sattvik Food Festival. Creating market for organic food, fast disappearing grains, recipes and products from different parts of the country may help us in maintining the cultural, culinary and agricultural diversity. Most children who visited Sattvik could tell more about the purpose of the Traditional Food Festival, compared to adults. This is what gives us hope. Ask yourself, what did you consume last week, which connected you to the roots and the diversity?

A new beginning The Fifth Traditional Food Festival, Sattvik, was organized by SRISTI at IIMA campus during December 1-4, 2007 with the support of the Honey Bee Network, GIAN, NIF and IIMA. The Director of IIM, Prof Sameer Barua inaugurated the festival. Shri Ishwar Bhai, Founder Trustee of Gram Bharati, a Gandhian education institution at Amrapur and Gujarat Sarvodaya Mandal, appreciated the rich cultural and crop diversity in the country. With thousands of varieties of rice and other crops, it offered a vast range of choices to people. He commended the effort of organizing Sattvik, which might help in conserving not just

the diversity but also associated knowledge systems. Shri Sukhdevbhai of Ganatar took special effort to educate the visitors through his volunteers about the initiatives for making children more responsible, socially conscious and more inclusive in their outlook. Ganatar has provided immense support to the Honey Bee Network in scouting innovative practices from Gujarat. Sukhdevbhai's student Vishnu Bachubhai Dumania is one such example. Vishnu could not study

since most families in the salt manufacturing region required their children to monitor the water levels

Honey Bee Vol 18(3) & 18(4) July - December 2007 When did you consume organic food last? 11

in the water pumping tanks. Vishnu had received an award from Dr R A Mashelkar, Chairperson, National Innovation Foundation for his innovative water level indication system at the 4th biennial awards at NIF. We hope similar organizations will help disseminate this message of the Honey Bee Network so that we can reach out to many more Vishnus. Ganatar organised street plays and dances to convey the deeper messages about the relevant school education during the festival. Tongue Tied, Recipe Ride! On the afternoon of 30 th November, 2007 a contest of lesser known traditional recipes was held at the IIM campus. Thirty five participants shared more than 110 recipes. Some of the uncommon recipes were healthy noodles made of Ragi, sherbet made of Bili fruit, Apple Wood (Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa), nectar of lemon-guava (Citrus limon L. and Psidium guajava L.), Shoe-flower (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.) juice, Shankhpushpi (Evolvulus alsinoides

(Chenopodium album L.) & Dudhi (Leptadenia reticulata Wt. & Arn.) muthiya, Bili (Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa)juice,Shankhpushpi (Evolvulus alsinoides L.) juice. Ms Meenaben S. Trivedi received the 2nd prize for her recipes, "Dodi" muthiya, juice of ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.), lemon (Citrus limon L.), Amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.), Pudina (Mentha arvenses L.), and Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum L.), chutney of Amli-khajur and gur (jaggery) (Tamarindus indica L. and Phoenix dactylifera L.) (that can be stored for one year). Mrs. Ekta Parekh received the 3rd prize for stuffed Pancake with Kang, Foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) Beauv.) dip (a low calorie dish). In addition, ten contestants received consolation prizes. Potpourri in Hot Pots! Though the participation from Gujarat was understandably large, people from far off places like Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala had also put up their stalls. The festival truly maintained its diversity by offering not just readymade organic products and dishes made of them, but also seedlings of Ajma pan, (Trachyspermum ammi L.), Brahmi (Centella asiatica (L.) urban), Mamejavo (Enicostemma littorale Bl.), Dodi (Leptadenia reticulata Wt. & Arn.), Kuvarpathhu (Aloe vera L.), Limbdo (Azadirachta indica Nees). Organic food from Daanta Ramgarh, Shekhawati and Jodhpur, Rajasthan mobilized by the HBN innovator Mr Sundaram Verma was available. Dal Baati Dahi Bade, Baajre ki Rabri, choorma made of wheat flour (helps fight against cold) and onion kachori were quite popular among the visitors. One of the stall owners added that the urban ways of making Baati using an oven makes it lose the

original taste. According to him their uniqueness lies in maintaining the age old process of making the dishes. People from Chamba and Kangra, Himachal Pradesh had also put up their stall (mobilized by two NGOs,

L.) juice, sweet kachori, stuffed pancake with "Kang", Foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) Beauv.) dip, "Dodi" (Leptadenia reticulata Wt. & Arn.) mathiya, Jowar (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.)apple pudding, sweet Shingoda, Water Chesnut (Trapa natans L.) and many more. Prof (Smt) Ambarben Trivedi (Former Head of the Department, Food and Nutrition, B.D. Home Science College, Ahmedabad), Prof (Smt) Rekhaben Mehta (Head Department of Food & Nutrition) and Dr. Dharmishtha Gandhi (Asst. Professor, Dental College, Vadodara) evaluated the recipes. Ms. Ranjanben Shah received the 1st prize for her five recipes, healthy noodles, Jowar, (Sorghum bicolor (L.)Moench)raab,Chil

Era and Sewa Himalaya). Dr Arun Chandan explained that the Rajma, Kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and Urd, Black gram, (Vigna mungo L.) they had brought along was grown by the tribals and other farmers in the middle, upper-middle and alpine zones. The Urd, (Black gram) according to him not only takes less time to cook, but is also incomparable in taste. They had also brought jams, chutney and sherbet made of Rhododendron, which they claimed were highly recommended for cardiac patients. Rhododendrons are notable for their flowers lasting only for fifteen days after which they wither away. It is indeed a challenging task for farmers to gather these flowers within this time period and process them. Anoopbhai, a farmer mobilised local women in the area for picking these flowers and its sherbet

Honey Bee Vol 18(3) & 18(4) July - December 2007 12 A Dialogue on Peoples Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation

can opt for a group certification and practice organic farming. Sahya, a womens association from Idduki District, Kerala mobilized by the Peermade Development Society with active support from NIF also participated for the first time in the festival. On display were food supplements made of jackfruit, and pickles made of grapes, pineapple and dates. All the products had their base in the Traditional Knowledge of women. Commercialization of their innovative products has led to the women earning additional monthly income of 1000-1500 rupees. Health drinks like "Sehjan" (Moringa oleifera Lam.) Soup (helpful in arthritis) and sherbets made of Cactus fruit (Opuntia dillenii (Ker-Gawl.) Haw.), "Tulsi" (Ocimum sanctum Linn.) and Amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) were also available apart from organic herbal tea, barley water, imported coffee from Philippines and the traditional "Kahewa", the Kashmiri tea. The syrup of cactus fruit was a run away success. Khedut Haat had farmers from various regions selling seeds of cereals, herbs, oils, vegetables, millets, papad, jaggery and some herbal medicines. Women from various districts in Gujarat, mobilized by Sewa Gram Mahila Haat also displayed their products at the Khedut Haat. Interesting products at their stall were the Ginger-Amla sherbet from Deopura village, Anand. All of this was sold on first day. Mitticool, Maruti Jhoola and more... An exhibition of innovations from different parts of the country was organized by NIF and GIAN on the occasion. We had a gas operated iron from Andhra Pradesh, side stand gear lock from Kerala, manual milking machine from Karnataka, Maruti Jhoola, earthen kitchen product range from
13

besides plum jam and apple chutney. Despite the fact that the production was low and the prices high, most of the products were sold on the first day itself. Chukh, a variety of pickle made with citrus juice, chillies, garlic and sugar used as a natural preservative was another unique item from Chamba. A special feature of this stall was the "Makki ka Atta" (Maize floor) they had brought. A local non-hybrid variety of Maize was ground by water mill. They had also aimed at a set of new dishes everyday with eleven recipes to offer. Notable amongst these was Bichoo booti (Urtica dioca L.) ka saag, which is good for arthritis and neurological disorders. They were also very keen on holding the festival at local level with support of the HBN. Sardar Patel farm participates in the festival every year. They came up with powedered "Chiku", Sapota ( Achras sapota L.), Amla ( Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) and lemon that can be used as instant add-ins for milk shakes and ice creams. They also offered ice-creams made from these powders, which attracted a huge crowd. Dr Dinesh Patel, a cardiologist took a break from his

clinic only to be at the festival. The switch from being a doctor to a farmer came easy to him. He said, I had created a fence around me that separated me from nature. I thought I could not wake up at seven in the morning to dig soil. When I put my foot out, I saw unlimited opportunities. He touched upon the importance of certification in the acceptance of organic products among the public. When we started, I thought if I am practicing organic farming, I will need no certification from people for I know my products are authentic. But now I have realized that I may believe in my products, but it is important for people to see a third party confirming these products as genuine said Dr Patel whose farm has now obtained certification from India Organic, and other agencies. He added that though certification is a costly affair, small scale farmers

Honey Bee Vol 18(3) & 18(4) July - December 2007 Will you stand by the IPRs of peasants ?

.And the little ones

Face painting, hand painting and T-shirt painting were some of the activities organized for the children. Many beautiful and inspiring songs were sung by ten girls of Gram Vidyapith, Amrapur all belonging to different districts in Gujarat. A small girl guided her grandfather to the kids area and simply refused to leave. She was not the only one. Sanskriti, a student of class VII decided to skip her tuition classes for the festival. Though waste-bins were placed at regular intervals, their use by small kids was impressive. We observed a group with a small child near a food counter. After they had consumed the eatables, the group stood there for long chatting. A kid who was looking at them for quite some time took the waste plates from their hand, and despite not being tall enough to reach the waste bin, lifted himself up and threw the waste in. A remarkable feature of the Fifth Traditional Food Festival had been a clear understanding in children of not only the objectives of the food festival but also the implication of going organic. On being asked the purpose of the festival they said unanimously, it is organized to bring forth the traditional food varieties from different states of India and to promote organic food. Katha, of class VII went on to say we have been adopting food from different countries. This is an attempt to realize the cultural and culinary diversity within our own country. The Aggrawal family had visited the festival for the first time. They said our grand daughter Eli got us here.She had visited the festival twice with her Aunt. A year had passed but she knew the way to the festival and guided the rikshaw driver.

Asjadbhai demonstrating the functioning of his innovative tricycle

Gujarat among many other things. Earthen product range like tawas, pots, mugs, fridge (Mitticool) were displayed by Shri Mansukhbhai Prajapati, an innovator from Wakaner, Gujarat. Traditionally made and uniquely designed leather chappals by Bhaiyaram from Chattisgarh, small toys made from wires, cards and other stationary items made from flower pulp were other attractions. Battery operated tricycle for handicapped people made by Shri Asjadbhai from Kayalpur, Banaskantha, Gujarat also received some rave reviews. It was an outstanding example of how a son who really cared, designed a tricylcle to suit various needs of his aged father. New Products at Display Clay cooker by Shri Mansukhbhai Prajapati was launched on the first day along with the mobile water carrier and dispenser, Ganges Water Wagon, from the makers of Natural Water Cooler Unicool, M/s Rachna Industries and Shri Arvindbhai Patel, innovator. NIF-SRISTI also displayed their Shashvat range of neutraceutical products that included cactus fruit drink in two flavors, Moringa (Moringa olifera Lam.) based health tonic, Ragi (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.) and Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) enriched food supplements in three flavors, seven grain biscuits, biscuits to be had during fasting, Kodri, Kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum L.) biscuits and herbal tea. Once eaten, twice try! A critical component of the food festival was to gather feedback from the visitor to constantly improve the festival. Shri Arun Kumar Agrawal, who had been to all the earlier festivals, cancelled his trip to Agra for this food festival. His wife who always buys organic food for home supported the cause

Honey Bee Vol 18(3) & 18(4) July - December 2007 14 A Dialogue on Peoples Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation

digital display of the food items near the stalls so that the crowd at the stalls could be managed more effectively. Rameshbhai and Smt Tarulataben bought Singdana, Groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.), Nibda ka gado,Nagli ka aata (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.), and Til (Sesamum indicum L.) from the Khedut Haat. Despite realizing that the price of organic products was quite high as compared to the chemical input based products available in the market, an understanding of the authenticity of the products was enough for them to buy so much. They however felt that the Khedut Haat must be provided a bigger space and should be highlighted more. The aura at the festival was suffused with mirth, laughter, noise, music, and voices of the multitudes. Some who rejoiced the dishes wanted to change their life styles but for many, it was just a happy diversion from every day routine. Children seemed more interested in persuading their parents to shift their current consumption style. Lack of a regular

of organic farming saying ye do inch ki jeebh

hoti hai na, yehi faisla karti hai ki andar kya jayega. Hum sirf swad ke liye khate hain aur galat khana khake jab bimar hote hain to wohi jeebh kadwi dawai to jhel jati hai, lekin agar kaho ki neem ka ras sehat ke liye accha hai to nahi maanti. (This tongue no matter how small, decides what goes in the stomach. We have a habit of eating for taste. On falling sick after eating improperly the

authenticity can be assured, many consumers will remain unconvinced. The Network is pursuing this idea with its members and hopefully such a system of inspection will emerge in due course. Unless we create markets of some of the fast disappearing crops and their varieties, their conservation will indeed become very difficult. Urban consumers have to join hands with rural producers and the Sattvik will continue to provide a

same tongue that refuses to understand that Neem is good for health, takes in doses of bitter medicine)

Amanda from England liked the fact that she could get organic products in India. She said, In England, I only use organic products, but in the last four months that I have been in India, it has been difficult for me to find non chemical input based products. Its encouraging seeing there is a market for organic products here. She also suggested some of the banners be in English also so that people from other countries can enjoy the fare without having to deal with the language barrier. She expressed an interest in visiting the fair next year with a hope of seeing clothes made of organic fabrics. Shri M S Sudarshanan and Shri Ajay K Nair from IIMA said they would like to see more participation from the Southern states. They also suggested a

outlet of authentic organic choices was regretted by everybody. Unless farmers movement comes forward to develop a rigorous repeated and random inspection system so that

platform for dialogue to take place. Dialogue on diversity has to sustain the confluence of creativity in cultural, culinary and consumption choices of consumers.

Honey Bee Vol 18(3) & 18(4) July - December 2007 When did you think of a new idea last? 15

SATVIK

Sixth Traditional Food Festival - Satvik 2008

Sixth Annual Traditional Food Festival to celebrate culinary creativity along side the agro-biodiversity, that too maintained often without using chemical inputs, - Satvik 08 was organized by Honey Bee Network at IIM Ahmedabad Campus from 6th to 8th December. Aromas and smiles welcomed visitors to the confluence of consumers and farmers. With 57 stalls offering diverse cultures and tastes, people could not have asked for a bigger menu to tickle the taste buds and tinkle the brains. The festival was inaugurated by Prof B H Jajoo, the Acting Director of IIM Ahmedabad. Farmers from Kutch, Jasdaan, Surendranagar, Panchmahal and many other pats of the country attended the opening with grins and garnishings for the visitors. The winners of the SRISTI traditional recipe contest were also awarded on the occasion. Esther David (Times of India columnist) personally welcomed the visitors to the Jewish stall, set up for the first time in Satvik. She told that the Jews have strict dietary norms that often make them use coconut milk as substitute to the dairy products. Some of their festive fares like Kippur (Day of Atonement, better known as Yom Kippur) chi puri, oil free poha with coconut, raisins and nuts, badam chi pez, date sheera, black currants sherbet and falafal have been Indianised. Tribal and Rural Fare The farmers from the different villages in Gujarat put up 25 food stalls. Their mouth watering recipes like Bajra no rotlo (millet bread), ringan no sag (aubergine gravy), chat (spicy starters), seven grains khichdi, basil (Ocimum americanum) preparation, sheero (Indian pudding) uniquely made of bamboo seeds acted as major drawers. The visitors enjoyed many additional recipes from the tribal areas of Gujarat like dumplings made from local corn and laddoo (bolus) of bavta and mahua flowers, bhaji (gravy) of gram pulse leaves, etc. The North East India was animated through the Chutney made of Bamboo, also called Toko Toko Patta and steamed rice in leaves at Arunachal Pradesh stall. Mushtaq, an apple cum walnut cultivator and also an innovator from Jammu and Kashmir was welcoming the visitors with Keheva, Kashmiri tea made from saffron. From Bagpat, UP, there were nutritious as well as tasty palak and papita ki barfi (sweet made from spinach and papaya). The Prakriti Mahila Udyog, Ahmedabad drew countless visitors for its Natural Ice cream, sweetened with dry fruits only. James, a foreign national after tasting it, claimed that the Indian Ice cream was the best in the world. Sandhya Mandal, Honeybee collaborator from West Bengal had date jaggery as a variety. The stall of Centre for Environment and Education, Ahmedabad was selling Nagli (a grain) powder and papad (fritters) of pumpkin. Arrays of juices like phindla (prickly pear) juice (good for Asthma, Hepatitis B), pumpkin, mint-ginger and drumstick juice quenched the thirst and aroused the curiosity of the visitors. Adhar Charitable Trust an NGO, had a stall run by the HIV positive people. The crowd gathered at their stall to enjoy their tangy chaats. Bhakhri pizza, seven grains pizza and smoked chaas (buttermilk) were the Indian recipes refurbished in name and

presentation to attract the healthconscious and youngsters. The visitors happily shared their feelings. Mr & Mrs K N Dhingra, 60 years, were simply delighted at the concept of Traditional Food Festival. Saloni and Margi Parikh, young students from Nirma Institute were totally awed by this different picture of India. Emile and Sam, UK nationals living in Ahmedabad for a year now, were the happiest visitors around, beaming with the joy of aromatic spices, bought from the 'haat'. James from England was carrying back five kg of rice home. He said that the Satvik Food Festival was an answer to the Genetically Modified food. Consumer to Farmer: Khedut Haat - Farmers Fair The farmers, engaged in organic farming had the opportunity of selling their products directly to the urban

Honey Bee Vol 19(4) October - December 2008 When did you last confess to your children that you did not know the answer to their question? 7

Brain Teasers NIF stall showcased various innovations like the amphibious bicycle, pedaled washing machine. Hiteshbhai Bhrambhatt and fellow teachers from Kheda Zilla Shikshan Samiti put up 47 puppet shows featuring the importance of education and environmental conservation. Ratilal Mandali, had on display 52 cards, umbrella, and snakes and ladders to teach Hindi, English and Maths. buyers. The visitors were delighted to find some uncommon grains from the tribal areas of Gujarat like old varieties of red rice, Krishna-kumud rice, local varieties of soyabean and minor millets like bawto, bunti, nagli and Black moong. Apart from the usual vegetables, the cocassia leaves and bulbs, drumstick, single-bulb garlic (good for heart), gooseberry, suran, ratalu were sold in good volume. The guava, cactus, tulsisudha, khatti bhindi and takmaria (basil plant seed) juices were prepared and sold by the farmers in the haat itself. Ramkrishna Hegde, a farmer from Karnataka brought cardamom, clover, nutmeg and also local coconut sweets for sale. Some rare delicacies were only available at Satvik. They were banni ka mawa (a famous variety of mawa only made in deserts of Banni region in Kutchh, Gujarat), nagli ni sukhdi, kothumbura (cucumber) waffers, sharad saakar (sugar especially prepared in the moonlight on the Sharad Purnima). The visitors enjoyed the fresh chaas (buttermilk) of cow milk. Some interesting items for sale in the haat were black soil and goats droppings as fertilizer. Shilpa Mehta, a regular visitor for four years, remarked that she could never find things available here, in the outside markets. Swati Kachi wanted Food Festival to be extended by few more days. Splashing the Creativity The Satvik jostled with childrens activities throughout the three days. SRISTI had distributed 1,50,000 free passes to students. The talent hunt competitions like drawing and painting on theme of Satvik,

garnish it with desiccated coconut and chopped almonds. Sprinkle cardamom powder. SRISTI lab got the theg weed chemically analyzed and found it to be an extraordinary rich source of Calcium and many other nutrients. Market for theg will directly enhance income generating opportunities for some of the poorest people who collect this plant. 2. Baans nu Sheero (Bamboo Seeds Pudding) Thresh the bamboo seeds mildly and let the skin come out. Grind the seeds coarsely. Roast 250g of bamboo seeds in 100g ghee till they turn brown and then add the jaggery. Let it cook for a while and then garnish it with the chopped almonds and cardamom powder. 3. Mahua ke Phool ke Laddoo Sweet Bolus made from Madhuca longifolia (J.Konig) J. F. Machr. Mahua flowers are commonly found in the tribal areas in almost all the parts of the country. To make the laddoos take 500g of flowers and ground them till reduced to paste. Take 500g of wheat flour, add 75g of ghee and knead it hard. After making small balls

innovative idea, dancing, singing , card-making, face painting and slogan writing contests kept the children engaged and entertained. Vinay Mahajan, an IIM alumnus and Charul Bharwada, an architect, from Loknaad touched everybodys heart with the recital of songs on the issues of communal harmony, nonviolence and the concern for common people. Traditional Recipes 1. Theg nu Sheero (Pudding) Theg is a so called weed found mainly in the Nalsarovar area near Ahmedabad. Take 250g of Theg. Grind it coarse. Roast it in 100g ghee, till it turns brown. Then add 100g jaggery and cook for a while. Let it cool and then

of it, either make bhakri (cooked on clay tawa or griddle) or bati (roasted in oven/bhatthi/chulha). After the batis or bhakris cool, grind them coarsely, sieve to get the powdered form. Now add the mahua paste and 125g of ghee. Mix them properly and make the laddoo.

Honey Bee Vol 19(4) October - December 2008 8 A Dialogue on Peoples Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation

TRADITIONAL FOOD Traditional Food Festival SATTVIK VII 2009

The Seventh Traditional Food Festival reaffirmed the growing demand for traditional food items and organic products; coupled with a sustainable lifestyle. About forty thousand visitors thronged not only around the food counters, but also shopped to see different innovations and gadgets promoting a healthy life style. Will Sattvik2009 (19th to 21st December, 2009), trigger lasting changes in the food habit and life style remains to be seen.

fruits. Other healthy snacks were patties made of different spinach types, coconut kachori, grain pizzas, panipuri made from soybean ,Verdcourt, vadas, thepla and gota made of maize; organic bakery products like chocolates without cocoa, bread, toasts, pizza base, biscuits and muffins made of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecun L.) were also an attraction. Shilpaben, a primary school teacher, was extremely impressed by this concept. She said: I always felt there was some need to find a solution for the harmful consumption patterns of modern day children. But if biscuits, pizzas, and ice-creams can be cooked in a healthy way, why worry? Health drinks: learning from users Several health drinks caught the attention of visitors kashmiri tea kehwa (good for general health of children), khati bhindi nu sharbat made from Abelmoschus moschatus Medic. (believed to cure urination problems, controls blood pressure and cholesterol), cocum syrup (reported useful for skin and hair related

For the populace of Ahmedabad, it was a rare opportunity to be able to appreciate more than 300 different traditional food recipes made out of a diverse range of plants and many with organically grown crop varieties. The central theme was to discover and promote newer and sustainable ways of production as well as consumption of food and in the process create incentives for conservation of agro-biodiversity and healthy ecosystems More than 40000 people visited the festival in three days. There were 80 stalls, a 20 percent rise from Sattvik- 2008. Apart from several districts from Gujarat, one could also see energetic participation from Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and some other states. Healthy fast food for children The members of Prakruti Mahila Gruh Udyog, Ahmedabad had come with natural sweet items like biscuits and ice-cream made only from dry

ailments), Ashtamrut soup made of tulsi (Ocimum sanctum L.), ginger, lemon and bilipatra and Panchratna sharbat (both are reportedly good for curing tonsils, bad cough and increase metabolism), suran nu soup made from (Amorphophallus campanulatus (Roxb.) Bl.ex Decne. said to reduce fat), herbal coffee, caffeine free tea, organic tea from Darjeeling and others. Healthy food gave rise to some healthy learning too. For instance, Kajalben Soni, who sold saragva nu soup made from (Moringa oleifera Lam.) said, I knew that this soup reduces cholesterol and is good for joints, but I learnt from some visitors that it also helps cure breast cancer. Jigna Joshi, who runs a cooking class in Ahmedabad said: I was thrilled to know that kang no shiro is useful to pregnant mothers, children, is easily digestible and cures urination problems. I will surely teach its recipe to my customers. An interesting stall was Gruh Udhyog: Dadima nu Vasam by Sanjay Joshi, which had produced 14 different items from amla (Indian gooseberry: Emblica officinalis Gaertn F.) at one single place.

Honey Bee Vol 20(4) & 21(1) October - December 2009 & January - March 2010 Do you dare to seek admission for your children in unconventional schools? 31

NGOs, women groups and other social institutions Sales-women from RUDI (Rural and Urban Development Initiative), a company initiated by SEWA, called themselves Rudis with pride and sold agro-products like spices, pulses, and cereals along with items like agarbattis. It is hoped that they would move towards organic ingredients next time. Women from Aadhar Mahila Seva Trust, a group of people infected and affected by HIV, sold khichadi made of several grains, soyabean cutlets and amla nu sharbat. They are involved in several seasonal businesses and work on the principle of providing employment to HIV infected people, at the same time, utilizing revenues generated for the betterment of such people. The women were very much encouraged by the response they got but suggested that the Sattvik Festival be organized on 2nd or 4th Saturday of the month or around Christmas when maximum people can visit it. An Ahmedabad based NGO People for Animals which works for the basic rights of animals and birds had set up a stall to sell their literature and spread awareness about their cause. Mahendra Shrimali from the same group said: We are ready to collaborate with SRISTI on projects of common interest. Pitara Gujarat, an organization involved in primary education in Madhya Pradesh for 30 years exhibited books related to children. Their ARCH (Action Research in Community Health) group publishes health related literature in Gujarati. They also undertake students and teachers training in tribal areas of Gujarat. Khedut Haat More than 40 farmers from 30 different villages displayed their organic products at the Food Festival. The Khedut Haat looked flooded with fresh organically grown fruits like amla, lemon, guava, findla fal (Opuntia elatior Mill. Gard.) and others; food grains like wheat, basmati rice, pankhari rice (Oryza sativa L.), jowar; spices like lili haldhar, jeeru (Cuminum cyminum L.), lilu lasan (Alliun sativum L.), lila dhana (Coriandrum sativum L.), lilo fudino and snacks like paunva. Items that attracted a lot of attention were organic face pack, amla chavanprash, buttermilk masala, tulsi powder, henna powder, stavia (Stevia eupatoria )powder, Aloe vera juice and others.

Recipe Contest - Health all the way A Recipe Contest was held on 18th December at IIM-A New Campus. The competition showed huge cultural and culinary diversity, when 40 participants displayed more than 120 different traditional dishes. Most of the recipes had some form of uniqueness either in terms of ingredients or in the way of cooking. Many items are reported to have healing qualities against specific lifestyle related disorders and other ailments. Items like vegetable fala cake, rotlo made of fenugreek, bitter gourd and ragi (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn), sabji made from fenugreek seeds, chapati made of nagli (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn.) and other items control diabetes. Sangitaben Soni, a participant said: Doctors advise diabetic patients to eat crushed fenugreek dana powder, but sabji prepared out of the same is tasty and therefore one is more likely to eat it regularly. Additionally, people who are allergic to mango juice can consume it along with this sabji to get rid of the allergy. Chayanikaben, winner of Recipe contest of 2008 prepared halwa made of coconut, khajur

drakshavadi and bhaji-mogra ni dhokli; all items are iron-rich, solve acidity problems, increase memory power and should especially be consumed by women nearing menopause. Many other items like alachi na ladu made from (Elettaria cardamom) (good for waist pain, increases lactation in mothers without extra fat), ragi ni sukhadi, saat dhan ni khichadi (made of seven different grains), nimani na marcha (Capsicum annuum L.) and rotla (cures acidity), raita made of grapes (reportedly relieves from allergy due to curd), Aloe vera roti (strengthens digestive system), wood apple jam were prepared and displayed. Urvashi Parek won the First Prize for her fangaveli kalathi nu salad, jav nu soup and bathua ni bhaji (Chenopodium album L.) The first runner-up was Nirjaben Pradhan who prepared ragi ni sukhadi, chil ni bhaji, luni muthia and muthia of nagarvel leaves. Vasantben Pandya became the second runner-up for her kang na ladu, a sweet dish made of Setaria italica. We hope to get entries for Sattvik 2010 from all over the country.

Honey Bee Vol 20(4) & 21(1) October - December 2009 & January - March 2010 32 A Dialogue on Peoples Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation

SRISTI SANMAN Felicitating the Lone Crusaders

During the Traditional food festival, Sattvik 09, SRISTI, on behalf of the Honey Bee Network, conferred awards on some of the extraordinary people working zealously at the grassroots to support innovations and traditional knowledge practices besides bringing about social change. A few quotes of some of the awardees are followed by selected brief profiles.

Chaitanyabhai, (teacher) from Lok Mitra trust: I do not expect any help in my work. I have always readily lent help, but believe in continuing my work even in absence of help and support. Snake Lovers Club, (Vagmin Pandya, Dharmendra Trivedi, Bhumi Pandya)

Dharmendra Trivedi said: There should be at least one activity in the life of each one of us, which we pursue selflessly, without any personal benefit. Our slogan is Dont kill, just call. Rambhai Charan, (the person who has written more than 40,000 request letters for planting trees) I am happy to say that many a times, I h a v e received acknowledgement for my letters and people have expressed their faith in my cause.

R P Bhimani (The person who tries to use solar energy for every possible routine activity and has developed many solar gadgets) Mane jivan ma sauthi vadhu v h a l o surya che (I have loved sun the most in my life). It is an incessant source of energy.

Bemang Taniyang, (Herbal healer) In my work, many a times I observe that people do not know the usage of particular plants because they do not grow in

Honey Bee Vol 20(4) & 21(1) October - December 2009 & January - March 2010 When did you think of a new idea last? 33

their respective regions. People know limited usage of only local plants. I also advise my patients on which plants to use and which not to pluck due to sustainability issues. Orik Raalen (leads groups of women in Arunachal to impart traditional knowledge and also works on environment conservation)

I am in search of a destination. I havent yet got it.

Profiles
Smt Indira Ramanathan, Maharashtra I n d i r a follows the z e r o budget natural farming concept given by Balakarji of Maharashtra. She owns 150 acres of land where she g r o w s paddy, chickoo, coconut, guava, cocoa and spices like nutmeg. She also grows teak, melia dubia and other trees. She is an agriculturist for last 30 years, with 10 years experience in organic farming.

She practices the intercropping technique to get maximum productivity out of her land. In between trees like melia dubia and coconut, she grows areca nut and cocoa. She says: If you grow only coconut trees in a row, the space between two trees gets wasted. Also, the coconut leaves that shed is good mulch for the crops grown in between. Moreover, sunlight reaches the leaves of coconut trees, but not the soil underneath. This creates a condition for bacteria to grow, which are carriers of nutrition. Indira has successfully used hard and rocky mountainous land for agriculture, without even levelling it, by way of drip irrigation. Neighbouring farmers borrow seedlings from Indira. She gets around four to six calls for advice every day. Shri Kirankumar Bhikhubhai Patel, Gujarat Kiranbhai has grown a nursery in the primary school where he teaches, in Sisodia, Navsari, Gujarat. The nursery is home to 100-150 ayurvedic species. He calls it Dhanvantari Aushadhi Park.. He has opened an eco-club in his school meant exclusively for children. They take turns to come on holidays, and Sundays as well, to water the plants grown by Kiranbhai. He leaves his

school open for everyone in the village. Whoever wants to read or study, can sit comfortably under one of the trees of his school. His ambition: I want more and more people to be inspired by this creation of mine. Education is not business but a training which can cultivate values in the society. Many local schools in his region have taken a cue from Kiranbhai and started similar activities. Shri Bamang Taniang, Arunachal Pradesh Since 2000, Bamang Taniang has been researching on the herbal/ medicinal plants and trying to cure people using local medicines. He has, till now, treated 40-50 patients especially in the cases of malaria, typhoid and jaundice. He is also involved in training the local youth for herbal practices and to help them become herbal healers for their localities.

Prof Kuldeep Mathur conferring the SRISTI Sanman

Honey Bee Vol 20(4) & 21(1) October - December 2009 & January - March 2010 34 A Dialogue on Peoples Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation

environment conservation. She collects the herbs basically from the vicinity of three villages Sibut, Takilao and Yagrung. She collects herbs traditionally used for treating diabetes, hypertension and other ailments. She has learned from village elders and taken their help to identify the correct species, which are later identified for their scientific names and usage. She not only collects their

He has made community owned herbal garden in his village and is trying to mobilize others to do the same; to conserve the biodiversity of the region while preserving the ancient wisdom of herbal medicines of the different tribes each of which has a distinct culture and tradition. He told that most of the tribes use their own dialect and hence there is possibility of a communication gap between the tribes. He

wants to combine the knowledge of all the tribes, research for authenticity and share with them each others knowledge. Smt Orik Raalen, Arunachal Pradesh She leads groups of women in Arunachal to impart traditional knowledge and also works on traditional knowledge but also shares her findings with the herbal healers. Three years ago, she formed a self-help group called Sibut Ane Locali. As a part of the group she is also involved in various horticultural activities.

Honey Bee 10 years ago (Vol. 3(2) 26, 1992)

or ess n rof ive o ers p p rry urv pa So nt s arch a e I c r res lone! a ou y

Honey Bee Vol 20(4) & 21(1) October - December 2009 & January - March 2010 Do you dare to seek admission for your children in unconventional schools? 35

SATTVIK-2010

Savouring Tradition, Sustaining Diversity

For all the food lovers of Ahmedabad, the destination was IIMs new create market based incentives for the conservation of agrobiodiversity pots, solar energy applications, and products of SHGs and cottage industries. Among the 39 private stalls25 were that of food items with the rest 14 selling other products like books, herbal products, utensils, herbal mouth fresheners, etc. Of the 19 stalls of the nongovernmental organizations, 14 were for creating awareness on a range of issues like organic food, ayurveda, herbal healing, environment and physiotherapy. Books were available on subjects like healthy living, creativity, herbal remedies, spirituality, etc. Also, on display were grassroots innovations from NIF which continued to catch attention of the people amidst eatables all around. A bitter lesson The innovator duo, Mushtaq and Fayyaz, had brought walnuts from Kashmir. Rajasthani pyaz ki kachori and dal bati churma offered by Sundar Ramji was as always among the favourites since the first food festival. The stall from Koraput sold chikkis made from baked rice, which was sold out on the very first day. But, we are sorry to share that the owner, an economically poor tribesman from the Koraput, was robbed of his purse. Hence, he lost all that he had earned. Though, we could not make up for his emotional loss, he was given an amount of Rs 5000 and ticket to go back home. Since the festival pulls a huge crowd, it is at times difficult to control such mishaps, but such incidences are really unfortunate.

campus, when the Sattvik- 2010, the 8 th Traditional Food Festival was organized from 18th-20th December, 2010. The food festival had 87 stalls with participation from various states like Chattisgarh, Bihar, Assam, Rajasthan and Orissa, apart from Gujarat. About 45000 visitors tasted the traditional delicacies like bamboo rice and pickle, paranthas of Saijan (Saragva) leaves and, Surati ponk. Contemporary recipes with traditional ingredients like multigrain pizzas, nutritious products of Amla, Aloe vera and cactus fruits were also there to tantalise the taste buds. A quiz which highlighted the pros and cons of fast food viz-a-viz traditional food was conducted for the children, along with drawing competitions, creative games, pottery wheels where children could express their creativity and more. There was also a recipe competition to create awareness for food from rarely or uncultivated plants. Indigenous organic grains, fresh vegetables, books on ayurvedic and herbal practices were available for people to see and taste and learn as well as take home. On display were innovations from NIF to see and churn peoples mind to seek innovative solutions to their problems. This food festival was started eight years ago to popularise the vanishing traditional recipes,

and incentivise the farmers to adopt organic ways of growing crops through consumer support. Pattern in Particpation Out of the 87 stalls, 23 were put up by farmers, 19 by non-governmental organizations, six were put up by people from other states and 39 by private owners. Among the 23 stalls put up by farmers, 13 were food stalls and 10 were of various products and purposes like nursery

Honey Bee Vol 21(4) October - December 2010 Is marriage between traditional knowledge and modern science possible? 17

moth bean, groundnut, wheat, rice, black mung, gram, nagli (Finger millet, Eleusine coracana), Kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum), maize, yam, turmeric, chilly varieties, neem, amla juice, mango juice, aloe vera juice, ginger, white turmeric, honey, bamboo crafts, pickle of bamboo stem, bamboo shoot pickle, etc., were other popular items. Fun, food and knowledge sharing A quiz highlighting the pros and cons of fast food and traditional food was conducted for the children. In addition, drawing competitions, creative games, clay modelling etc., were also organised. Performance of traditional dance by the tribals of Dangs was another highlight of the festival. In one of the competitions, children were asked to move around and memorize as many food items as they could in a time frame of fifteen minutes. To the surprise of many, many children could memorize as many as 50 items. Innovations on display NIF, SRISTI and GIAN-West together put up an exhibition of innovations. Among the exhibits that were displayed, were bullock operated sprayer of Radhey Shyam Sharma, Madhya Pradesh, solar mosquito destroyer of Mathews K Mathew, Kerala, folding bicycle of Sandeep Kumar, Bihar, coffee making cooker of Md Rozadeen, Bihar, twin chambered cooker of Abdul Razaak, Tamil Nadu. The festival gave several innovators a platform to interact with the public such as: Mansukhbhai Prajapati with his earthen product range, Gopal Bhai Surtia with his cow dung cup for nurseries, Hussain Ajmeri with his gas operated iron, Arvindbhai Patel with his natural water cooler, Sheikh Nazim with

Innovative and nutritious recipes Several new food items were introduced: mahua based ice-cream, laddu, biscuit and bread; vegetable and bajra soup, sukhdi (a type sweet candy) made up of ragi flour, traditional palate of the tribals of Dang with rice chappatti, dhekra (also made up of rice flour). . Another popular attraction was jowar soup. There was also garlic chapatti, dahi wali undhiyo, baigan bharta with curd, guava drink, multigrain laddu and sarson ki bhajji with bajra rotla. A variety of delicacies were made from ragi like laddu, sandwich dhokla and dosa; other crowd pullers were oat uttapam, kang, maize, oat pizza, pineapple kheer, surati undhiyo, mung dal nu sirra, puran poli, chikoo and saunf ice-cream, nagli sukhri and kuler (sweet dishes), tuvar totha, amaranth laddu, and drumstick soup. The fruit biscuits made without mixing with any kind of flour and fruit icecreams prepared right in front of the consumers were quite popular. Recipe competition The competition mobilised the culinary skills of 45 women and two men, eight were given prizes. The participants had blended nutrition, tradition and contemporary tastes and preferences. Ranjanben Shah made parantha of seven types of grains and made kadhi from germinated fenugreek. Nitaben Panchal made bajra and date laddu, pizza of finger millet, Chenopodium album leaves and capsicum; Jyotiben Bhatt made kodri (Paspalum scrobiculatum) and ragi vasanu (sweet dish usually made in winters); Sangeetaben Soni made rabri malpua

of mahua (Madhuca indica) and lotus stem, betel leaves tikki (kind of cutlets), ice cream made from mahua and cashewnuts; satavari (Asparagus racemosa), ashwagandha and oat biscuits by Adi Ausadhya group from Dedhiyapara; Taraben Patel made kang (Setaria italica) laddu, soyabean thepla, sarson (mustard) muthiya and Murraya chutney. Germinated ragi kheer was made by Arunaben Salot. These are being compiled in the next edition of the book on The Forgotten Recipes. Khedut Haat: verifying claims about organic cultivation SRISTI- mitras (volunteers), along with the local NGOs, went to the fields of the farmers who participated in the food festival and verified the authenticity of their claim of the products being organic. This year, 43 farmers participated with the total sale of approximately Rs 12.5 lakh over three days with the maximum revenue generated by the women group from Jasdan. Organically grown bajra, white and black sesame, green bean,

Honey Bee Vol 21(4) October - December 2010 18 A Dialogue on Peoples Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation

BOOK REVIEW
his stencil cutter. There was a poster exhibition as well inviting the visitors to think creatively and come up with innovative ideas to be deposited in the idea boxes kept at different places in the pandal. Visitors feedback Dr Rakesh Bhavsar and his wife appreciated that events like this taught children about our traditional food and also about their nutritional value. They visited Sattvik on all the three days and suggested that representation of all the districts should be ensured in the festival. This time, the Kathiawadi stalls were more in number. The recipes if displayed outside the stall would spread more awareness and it would also help people to try cooking it at home. Prof. Pragnesh Suthariya said that the frequency of the festival should be increased. About increasing the frequency, around 20% of the total respondents in a survey done by PK Satheesh, a Honey Bee Network volunteer, replied in the affirmative. In the same survey, the top three suggestions were dust proofing the festival (32%), drinking water availability (27%) and food stalls from outside the state of Gujarat (27%). Some of the visitors also felt that the festival could be made more interesting by introducing traditional games for kids because the urban kids were getting away from the traditional/ local games like spinning top, gilli-danda and other games and these might also disappear like our traditional food, crafts, etc. The idea of a common pass for three days (i.e. people could get passes for all the three days together) was also voiced by many.

Timeless Inspirator-Reliving Gandhi, R A Mashelkar, Ed., 2010, Pune: Sakal Publications

(all proceeds from this book will go to Gandhi National Memorial Society), Rs 490
This book is a compilation of forty-six narratives from a diverse range of individual achievers from different stratas of life; from corporate leaders to scientists and social scientists, sportspersons to musicians, diplomats and doctors, the book truly raises Mahatma Gandhi from the hero stature, transcending his philosophy into Gandhism-the way of life. For example Ashok Jhunjhunwala, while advocating reduced consumption akin to the Gandhian thought of aparigrah mentions that Goodness ought to be preferred over greatness. Ela ben stresses that when we focus on women, we find allies for a stable community; as she is the forger of bonds-in her, essentially you have a creator, a preserver. In fact Gandhian thought echoes in every narrative of this book and is a reminder that time for pausing to reflect and undertake a course correction has arrived. Edited by Mashelkar, it is easy to see that having received so many laurels in science, a reorientation in Dr Mashelkars thinking was waiting to happen. The Gandhian engineering and getting more from less for many (MLM) are the offshoots of that rethinking. In editors words, I asked myself, what was Indias greatest gift to the world in the twentieth century? It was not of her cadre of young software professionals or medicine practitioners (species likely to be more easily spotted in other countries than India perhaps), or her status as the fastest growing economy, not even her achievement as an owner of nuclear expertise; it was Gandhi. Echoing the same sentiment, though in a different form even the greatest batsman of all time, Sachin Tendulkar too says that He never seemed to force them (the British), He gently led them into believing in the cause.. Nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar) realized a part of Gandhijis dream of Inclusive innovation when BARC started AKRUTI- a societal initiative for utilization of Non-Power application and spin off technologies with the help of local NGOs. Even Arnavez Aga, well known corporate leader, states that just before his death, Gandhi urged the U.S. to abandon the atomic bomb and yet his own country-India exploded a nuclear device in 1974 euphemistically calling it a peaceful nuclear explosion. Reading Gandhism and Ahimsa in different context and capacities, the readers might find the arguments adding diverse dimensions to their own interpretations. Solution science Samir Brahmachari, DG, CSIR, refers to CSIR 800 in the context of creating Global Public goods in sync with the Gandhian spirit. Open Source Drug Discovery (OSDD), he felt would have been applauded by Gandhi, if he was alive today. Extending the context of health, Abhay Bang refers to the movement they launched against the sale of liquor in Ghadchiroli. Without stopping sale of liquor, health and well being of tribals could not have been envisioned at all. Ramasamy recalls his experience with leather sector to illustrate how generating jobs for low income leather workers would have appealed to Gandhi as a pursuit of what he calls the solution science; serving the masses rather than the classes. The Museum of Tolerance cites one of Martin Luther King, Jr quotes, Tribute to Mahatma Gandhi was inevitable. If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable. At the heart of the book lies the concern about reinforcement of Gandhian presence in our day to day life.. When burden becomes a responsibility, and when concerns trigger creativity, we encounter Gandhi in action. This is a must book for not just libraries but also for keeping as a collectors edition on ones work station, gifting it to friends or keeping it near ones sleeping bed; who knows, when a thought of compassion may strike somebody and the thoughts of Gandhism may start rolling out an unfinished agenda again.

SRISTI Innovations New Publications

1. 2. 3. Creativity Counts : Editorial of Honey Bee Newsletter 1990 to 2010 Being the way one is: Stories that sustain the spirit Why do people innovate: A compendium of profiles of grassroots innovators and traditional knowledge holders
Being the way one is: Stories that sustain the spirit

Creativity Counts : Editorial of Honey Bee Newsletter 1990 - 2010

Honey Bee Vol 21(4) October - December 2010 Will you stand by the IPR's of the peasants? 19

TRADITIONAL FOOD FESTIVAL

Sattvik: Savouring the sweet & sour

A cultural milieu to revive the forgotten tastes and hence the forgotten ties!

The Ninth Annual Traditional Food Festival- Sattvik, was organized by SRISTI at IIM, Ahmedabad campus during December 16 to 18, 2011 with the support of the Honey Bee Network including GIAN, NIF and IIMA. Sattvik aims to conserve agrobiodiversity and create demand for traditional crops sparsely cultivated. It also tries to bring lesser known but nutrient-rich food to the urban people, helping them to adopt healthier food habits and lifestyles.SRISTI also

launched some healthy food products under the brand name SRISTI natural. Over three days, more than 45,000 people visited the festival. A wide variety of exotic recipes such as parathas from leaves of Saijan (Saragva), multigrain pizzas, nutritious products of Amla, Aloe vera, Cactus fruits, Qahwah (Kashmiri tea), Mahua ice cream, Brahmi khakhra and biscuits, different kinds of Undhiyon, Surati Ponk, Samo ki Idli; Kodri, Bunty, Jowar, Bajra and Makai ki Roti were available. Similarly, representatives of the Brokpa tribe from Arunachal Pradesh brought handloom bags and handicrafts made of yak hair. Recipes from Assam, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand and many other regions were offered to all those who wanted to learn new ways of combining taste, diversity, nutrition, and aesthetics. Jail na Bhajiya, prepared by the inmates of Sabarmati Central Jail tantalised the taste-buds and earned a good reputation as well.

Around 300 varieties of different traditional dishes made out of 450 ingredients were served during the three day festival. Like every year, the Vanagi Harifai - Sattvik recipe competition was held one day prior to the food festival. The pre-event had more than 105 food items were prepared by the participants. The winning recipe was the panchratna soup made of eight leafy vegetables and tripach laddu made from ragi, fenugreek, gram flour, sonth (dried ginger powder), gond (edible gum) prepared by Smt. Usha Jani. Other recipes were chocolate fudge cake made from wheat and ragi flours, chikki made from flax seeds, boiled dahi wada made from kodri seeds and stuffed with vegetables, multigrain basket chat, seven grain sweet paratha, ragi date halvasan, jowar and maize khandvi.

Jyotsana Sinha, who runs an NGO, introduced various dishes from Bihar like litti chokha, makhana, ghughni chooda, pittha chokha, traditional Bihari sweets (sattu laddu), etc. Many liked the

traditional Amritsari Kadhi too. This rare variety was presented together by Pooja Sharma from Uttar Pradesh who runs Savera a NGO working for children and Prabhakaran, a business man from Madhya Pradesh. It takes almost eight hours to cook this traditional kadhi which

A Dialogue on Peoples Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation 14 Honey Bee Vol 22(4) & 23(1) October - December 2011 & January - March 2012

SRISTI Samman - 2012

On the basis of outstanding contribution in conserving biodiversity, diffusing traditional knowledge and bringing about other social changes, SRISTI awarded eight people with SRISTI Samman on December 16, 2011 at the annual Sattvik food festival at IIM Ahmedabad. Mr. Badabhai Manat was honoured for relentlessly working for decades to impart knowledge on local biodiversity to children. His wife, Mrs. Gangaben Manat was honoured as well. She has continued her husbands mission in the government primary school located in a tribal area.

contains almost 15 types of spices and eight different vegetables, the duo informed.

Mr. Badabhai Manat & Mrs. Gangaben Manat

Mr. Darge Tsering (32) from Arunachal Pradesh has conserved more than 22 indigenous breeds/types of yak and developed mithak male and female breeds based on informal breeding of mithun (male) and yak (female). His idea was to bring desirable changes in the male mithak to have better stamina for combating climatic variability at higher altitude and high milk productivity in female mithak. Mrs. Urgen Pema (34) was awarded for mobilizing Brokpa women for the purpose of adding value to culturally important products made of sheep and yaks wool. She has also trained them to preserve Chhurpi (wet cheese; a fermented milk product of yak) and selling it in the local market. Mr. Kamleshbhai Kosambia, an innovative teacher from Valiya Taluka (Bharuch district, Gujarat) was recognized for his innovative Mr. Kamleshbhai methodology to transfer Kosambia intergeneration knowledge among his students. Dr. Paresh Rawal, Principal, RC Technical Institute, Ahmedabad was awarded for promoting sparrow conservation. He took the initiative to make specially designed earthen birds nests and set them up at public places. Mr. Rengaswami, another Samman recipient has made a small tractor and other Mr. Rengaswami agricultural implements to improve crop productivity.

Dorris Salam and her team from MS University Baroda offered traditional Manipuri food items viz. pakanam, utti and chakaou which contained endemic lichens, nutritive mushrooms and other herbs found particularly in Manipur. Sanjan Toppo and three other friends brought delicacies like arsa peetha, dhuska, etc. from Jharkhand. There were a lot of activities for children, including a quiz and competitions highlighting their creativity and knowledge on biodiversity. Children also tried their hand at pottery making. Among other things, there was an exhibition of innovations organized by National Innovation Foundation (NIF). Windmill for salt manufacturing
Another attraction for the visitors was a low cost windmill and the salt produced by using it. This windmill was originally made by using bamboo by Mehtar Hussain and Mushtaq Ahmed from Assam. The same was redesigned for the use of salt farmers of Gujarat to pump up underground saline water with the help of Chaudhary Fabricators. A team of four students from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands also worked with GIAN West to make some improvements.

Dr. Paresh Rawal

Mr. Jitendrabhai Tarawadia

Mr. Jitendrabhai Tarawadia (Amreli, Gujarat) was awarded for his notable role in bridging the gap between formal and informal sciences. He used to organize meetings and darbar (seminar) in school and colleges where he recognized herbal healers and formal doctors of Ayurveda.

When did you confess to your children last that you did not know the answer to their question? Honey Bee Vol 22(4) & 23(1) October - December 2011 & January - March 2012 15