CHENNAI: If you think you’ve found your favourite vegetable in potato or carrots or radish, just wait till you see what’s in store at the Thakkar Bapa Vidhyalaya this weekend. With purple yam, arrowroot, air potato, koorkankizhangu and more vying for your attention, you just might change your mind.
Thanks to ASHA-TN (Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture) and Safe Food Alliance hosting Chennai's first-ever Roots and Tubers Festival, in association with Thakkar Bapa Vidyalaya and Sahaja Samruddha.
"The idea is to create awareness about roots and tubers beyond potato and radish. There are so many other varieties that come with a lot of health benefits. You can shape your diet for entire seasons based on the tubers available in that period. That’s what we want to show people," shares Gopi Devarajan of Organic Farmers' Market, a 10-year-old effort that offers a platform for many organic farmers to reach the consumers.
Such a festival is an annual affair in Mysuru under the aegis of Sahaja Samrudhha - a farmers' group in Karnataka.
It is from there that we get a lot of these tubers; Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, has fewer people cultivating this, says Gopi. "We've visited the festival several times and gotten to learn how they work and who they work with. We wondered if we could bring it to Chennai. Hence, the initiative," he explains.
Joining the effort is ASHA-TN, another organisation that works towards the propagation of organic and safe food practices. The idea is to, initially, get people familiar with these tuber varieties.
"If we bring in two new kinds of roots at our store, even regular customers don’t even want to try it. Even if they do, they wouldn’t know how to cook it or what dish to make; that will turn them against buying it. Even raw turmeric and mango ginger don’t have many takers. Then, beyond the festival, these varieties will be available in organic markets. Farmers setting up stalls at the festival will also be able to offer it to those interested," he points out, adding that it is just a matter of getting them started.
The Roots and Tubers Festival would be a special addition to Organic Farmers' Market’s annual seed festival. So, besides all the kizhangu you’ll find on display, traditional varieties of paddy, millets and vegetable seeds will be available too.
Gopi also reveals that a host of experts and celebrities - Shanta Sheela Nair; Dr Shivaraman, Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal, Senthur Pari of Exnora, Vetrimaran, Vishnuvardan, Gnanavel, Nasser and others - will be speaking on the importance of cultivating and consuming these vegetables.
A cooking competition (judged on the second day of the festival) is also in place to encourage and motivate people to dive deeper into the tuber fever. Stalls offering tuber and root dishes, palm sweets, herbal juices, organic clothes, garden inputs and other festival staples will also be available for your wholesome consumption.
The festival will be held at Thakkar Bapa Vidhyalaya on April 9 and 10, from 10 am to 7 pm. For details, visit Facebook page: Roots & Tubers Festival.