At the height of the Uttarakhand statehood movement in the 1990s, the hills often resonated with “”. Will eat Kodo-Jhangora, will make UttarakhandThe slogan commemorates Dwarika Prasad Semwal, a social activist who pioneered a mission to popularize the traditional food items of the state.
The slogan took a liking to Mr. Semwal, at the time a teenager helping his father run a small eatery that served delicious local dishes often made from ‘. Manduwa‘ And ‘ jhangora‘ (class of millet) is grown abundantly in the village.
“Though just 18 or 19 years old at the time, I had no doubt that the state’s struggle was a movement for Uttarakhand’s separate identity and that its traditional foods and cuisine were an integral part of it,” said Mr. Semwal PTI in an interview.
culture meets taste
When Uttarakhand was created in 2000, Mr Semwal’s firm belief in the delicious taste and high nutritional qualities of traditional Pahari food set him on a mission to popularize a uniquely Uttarakhandi. Plate“Made from mountain cuisine” Garh Bhoj,
The objective was two-fold – to keep the state’s culture alive by helping people develop a taste for traditional Uttarakhandi food, and to promote the cultivation of local crops, especially millet-based produce, by creating a market for them.
Twenty-three years later, Mr Semwal has a sense of accomplishment Kodo, jhangora, Manduwa And dishes made from these crops, which grow in abundance in the state, are served to students in government schools across the state at least once a week as part of the mid-day meal.
Garh Bhoj Stalls of traditional food items like ” Mandu ka halwa, Jhangore Ki Kheer, swale ki puri, Ghat ka Fanu, Gahat’s wife” And ” Bread of GhatHe said that now it can be seen in all the cultural fairs of Uttarakhand.
government push
The state government has issued orders to purchase 9600 metric tonnes of Mandua and supply it to schools. Minimum Support Price (MSP) is more than ₹3,500 per quintal Mandua has also been announced.
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Mr Semwal views Centre’s decision Celebrate 2023-24 as Year of Millets And the recent Uttarakhand Millet Mission approved by the state cabinet as a culmination of collective efforts by activists like him and successive governments to promote local cuisine and farm produce.
The Millets Mission of the state government will facilitate monthly distribution of one kilogram of millets to each Antyodaya family through the Public Distribution System.
“Such a move by the government would create a huge market for millet and encourage its cultivation by our farmers, besides strengthening the rural economy and putting a brake on the continuous exodus from hill villages,” Semwal said.
Uttarakhand Police has also made it mandatory to serve in its 365 canteens in the state. Garh Bhoj He treats his personnel at least once a week with typical dishes of the state.
Garh Bhoj It has also been put in the menu of hospitals.
Uttarakhand Bhawan in Mumbai also functions Garh Bhoj item twice a week, he said.
Mr. Semwal said, “The traditional foods and dishes of Uttarakhand apart from being delicious are high in nutrition and help in building immunity. This was one of the reasons why their consumption increased during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
, Mandua And jhangora good for diabetes ghat Or Kalthi soup for kidney stones ‘Chaulai Mujli’ For first stage cancer,” said Mr. Semwal, outlining the medicinal properties of traditional crops of Uttarakhand and the dishes made from them.
Similarly, “Jhangore Ki Kheer”“Good for the liver and prescribed as a guaranteed cure for jaundice,” he said.
Read this also | Union Budget disappoints state’s millet growers, especially ragi farmers in International Year of Millets
Successive state governments have been extremely supportive of Mr. Semwal’s campaign. Former Chief Minister Harish Rawat had agreed in principle to give the state food status Garh Bhoj In 2015, he said.
However, his term ended before he could do so.
Former DGP Anil Raturi and his immediate successor Ashok Kumar were instrumental in making it mandatory for police canteens to serve once a week, while its inclusion in the mid-day meal scheme would not have been possible without the support of Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat. , Mr Semwal said.
a long fight
However, such acceptance and recognition Garh Bhoj didn’t come easily.
“When we came up with this idea we were made fun of. Food addicts rice and lentils, People also found it regressive to go back to traditional Pahari food. We had to struggle a lot to convince them about their health benefits,” said Mr Semwal, whose NGO Himalaya Environment Herbal Herbs Agro Institute leads the campaign.
“First we involved women self-help groups to popularize the local cuisine, then we involved the district administration in this exercise and gradually reached out to the ministers, who were very supportive,” she said.
“We also told people how growing Manduwa And jhangora Their farms can be economically beneficial as they can be grown even in low rainfall and are not destroyed by wild animals as they might not like their taste”, he said.
They were also told that increasing Manduwa And jhangora He said the crops can fetch him good profits as they are low on investment and high in yield.
“The government’s support made our task a little easier, I would especially like to thank former CM Harish Rawat, current CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, cabinet ministers Premchand Agarwal, Dhan Singh Rawat, DGP Ashok Kumar and his predecessor Anil Kumar Raturi for their active support Thank you for.” Our campaign,” Mr Semwal said.
He said that the budgetary thrust for the promotion of Bajra and the approval of the State Cabinet for the Millet Mission would also give a big boost to his campaign.
He said that he would encourage more and more people to take up farming in the hills of Uttarakhand and strengthen their economy.