CHENNAI : Halwa from karuppu kavuni rice. Toothpaste from cloves and cinnamon. Napkins naturally-woven from cotton balls. The weekend at Hotel Metro Manor was all about going back to the roots with organic alternatives.
Semparuthi Nature Health Group and Mannvasanai invited participants to learn the health benefits of cooking with our traditional rice varieties and prepare home remedies with kitchen ingredients.
On the first day, the participants got to learn healthy cooking with traditional rice varieties like thooyamalli, karuthakkaar, maplai samba, kichili samba, poongar and kuzhivedichaa.
The workshop was conducted by Menaka who runs a shop that sells traditional and lesser-known rice varieties called Mannvasanai in Kodambakkam.
“The idea is to expose our younger generation to these varieties. There are about 100 types of rice and only 30 are commonly cultivated. My late husband studied about these varieties in detail for over 10 years, and we have preserved 100 varieties in our shop.
"We have tie ups with farmers, and we give these varieties for cultivation based on demand from our clients. It was his dream to pass on the healthy traditional rice cooking to future generations,” said Menaka.
Diet options that cater to the taste of millennials were taught at the workshop. Some of the delicacies included rice lollipops, kuzhi paniyaram and porridge varieties.
Day two of the workshop focused on methods to make herbal tooth powder, utensil cleaning powder, organic sanitary napkin and 15 other organic products.
“Participants were trained in two types of napkin-making — with cotton balls and with recycled cloth. Next, we learned how to prepare skin care and home cleaning products.
Every powder used for daily use was made with ingredients commonly available in the kitchen or directly collected from nature. The ingredients have vitamins or minerals necessary to nourish the body part depending on where it’s used. For instance, hair powder includes hibiscus and shikakai,” said Bharathi who runs a home-based shop called Dhivyam in Salem.
“Earlier, people naturally sourced their eatables based on what was grown in the topography of their settlement. With evolving discoveries and the eagerness to explore new tastes, we have missed out the continuity of our traditional food chain. This is an effort to remind people of the healthier options available,” said Maria Belsin, founder of Semparuthi Nature Health Group.