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Remember the taste and tang of a "vada" fried in groundnut oil? Or the flavour
of "sambar" seasoned with mustard seeds in gingely oil? If today food tastes
much the same everywhere and has lost much of its individuality, it is because the cooking
medium used has become common to all types of food. The cholesterol bogey has made people
turn almost completely to oils that contain more of what is called poly-unsaturated fat
and less of saturated fat. But recent scientific evidence suggests that if you are the
type who eats a bag of potato fries everyday, then you are certainly more in danger of
having a heart attack, whether the potatoes were fried in coconut oil or sunflower oil!
 Several organisations in the
country have been concerned about the impending death of certain oilseed or grain
varieties in the country, particularly those of indigenous origin. The introduction of
high-yielding exotic rice varieties, for instance, has meant the extinction of native
varieties. India is said to have once had 400,000 different types of rice varieties. If
some of them, at least, have survived, it is thanks to farmers who have continued growing
them for their own consumption, while growing the high-yielding hybrids for the market.
There is another major problem with the high-yielding exotic varieties. They need a
huge and harmful quantity of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. India, experts say,
consumes food with the maximum chemical pesticide residues in the world. In the last
decade, the number of diseases caused owing to chemical pesticide residues has doubled in
our country. India is still importing and extensively using chemical pesticides banned in
the Western countries. A disturbing situation indeed! Only a true commitment to organic
farming - using fertilizer and pest control based purely on biological material –
coupled with increasing awareness on this subject and thereby creating a market for
organic products, can alleviate the problem.
 The Centre for
Indian Knowledge Systems (CIKS) based in Chennai has set out to do exactly this. Dr.
Vijayalakshmi, Research Director at CIKS, says that for some years now, they have been
working with farmers in several parts of Tamil Nadu and trying to convert them to organic
farming. Conservation of indigenous varieties of grains has also been a major thrust
activity. Examples are rice varieties called "Seeraga Samba", which is of an
aromatic type, and "Neela Samba", which is used for rituals. The farmers, who
used to grow small quantities of such varieties for themselves, hesitate to grow them in
large quantities because these "pazhiaragams" (old varieties) would fetch only a
low price in the market.
After the initial hard work to conserve the traditional varieties in farms in areas
such as, Kattankalathur, Manambadi, Tiruvannamalai, Tirupporur and Wandavasi, CIKS felt
the need to create a market for the produce. After much thought, they have launched a
scheme called "Arogyam" or "Good Health". Enrolment, as a member at a
cost of Rs. 1,000, entitles one to organic products at a rate much lower than that
prevailing in the few outlets for organic food in the country. The assured delivery of the
quantity and variety of the product sought, a guarantee that the produce has been grown
without any chemicals whatsoever and access to the latest information on the subject
through the large number of contacts CIKS has in this field.
 While the
organisation has achieved its target in terms of number of members, what it is keen now is
to get these members and other new ones to go further & buy in order to eat the
organic products on offer. Go organic, in other words! Vijayalakshmi says that in her own
household, for instance, they have got so used to the taste and healthy qualities of
organic food, that her teenaged daughter is the first to object if any other variety of
rice from the shop is served up on the table!
Different varieties of rice, oilseed or vegetables are available through this scheme in
different parts of the year. The most popular, "Kichli Samba", is available in
March. In December, "Kullakar" a variety of boiled rice excellent for idlis and
dosas, will be available. Another interesting variety is "Pisni", which does not
require much water or inputs. Vijayalakshmi calls it a "non-fussy" variety.
Non-indigenous rice varieties, ground nut oil and sesame oil are also part of the goodies
on offer. Apart from the farms they are working with directly, CIKS also sources products
from elsewhere if they can be absolutely sure they are completely organic in nature.
Coming under this category are jaggery from Chittoor, cashew nuts from Auroville and
spices from Karnataka. As for vegetables, CIKS is working hard on the logistics of supply,
as they are perishable.
So, for your hotline to health, write to:
Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems,
47-C, Gandhi Mandapam Road,
Kotturpuram, Chennai-600085.
E-mail: CIKS@.vsnl.com
Ambujam Anantharaman
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