HYDERABAD: Organised by the Deccan Development Society, The Millet Food Festival at Vidyaranya School, Saifabad, showcased a diverse millet buffet, offering a delightful experience while promoting their health benefits. Additionally, attendees enjoyed engaging in panel discussions, captivating seed exhibitions, and informative recipe demonstrations, fostering awareness and appreciation for millets in our day-to-day recipes.
Salomi Yesudas, nutritionist and home science specialist who is associated with the Deccan Development Society, an NGO that works with Dalit women farmers, for a long time now says, “The DDS works with the Dalit women farmers, and with the expansion of their work they have achieved a lot in terms of recognition.
Coming to this occasion, after Covid-19, this is the first time they are organising this festival here. You can talk a lot about food but unless you eat and taste you wouldn’t know, why this food festival is organised. There is overwhelming participation, more than 400 people have registered and I am very happy, they get to taste around 13 millet dishes.”
Apart from the millet buffet which included dishes like Korra Kichidi, Saama payasam, Korra murukulu, Korra Laddu, Thaida laddu, Thaida rotte, Jonna Rotte, Sajja Rotte, Saama perugunnam, etc there were other activities such as live demonstration of recipes and farmers were present to interact and explain more about the millets during seeds display. “From field to plate,” says Salomi while talking about the line-up of the activities.
Chandramma and Lakshmamma who have been farmers for more than 40 years now, interacted with the gathering with enthusiasm and took everyone through their journey. Chandramma elaborating on how the future generations must be aware of these pulses, says, “Everyone should know the benefits and advantages of millets, we are aware of it and it is up to us to create the awareness for the benefit of the others.
I don’t want it to be only us who know about this, the future generation is not aware of the crops and tasty dishes that can be made out of this. There are so many health benefits with millet, and we don’t eat just one dish out of it, we make rotte out of it, porridge out of it and when all these are going inside my body, how do we contact any disease? We are conducting this festival mainly to create awareness for the younger generation so that they can acquire all the benefits of it.”
The event also showcased a film solely made by these women on millets and agriculture. After the screening of the movie, the event proceeded with the Millet buffet. “I can get a whiff of the delicious items from here itself, you look at this long line, it says it all, even before the buffet started they stood in the line waiting. Yes, I am aware of millet and its benefits, now and then I’ve made some dishes out of it but murukulu and ladoo are something that I’m looking forward to. Eager to taste them,” chuckles Abhi, an attendee waiting in line.