A festival to celebrate rice heritage of India

Thiruvananthapuram: The rice varieties displayed in the coconut shell at the ongoing rice mela at Kowdiar speak a lot about the rich farming heritage of our country. The organic bazar at Kowdiar is organising the fest in collaboration with the Thanal trust. The mela includes more than 120 varieties of rice. The main attraction of the mela is the traditional Indian varieties. This is the fifth mela conducted by the organic bazar and Thanal.
This fest is being organised to create awareness about the desi rice varieties and make the present generation aware about the history of rice. India had a history of producing more than one lakh of rice varieties. There were about 3,000 varieties in Kerala, but now only around 200 varieties are available, according to the organisers. Other varieties got extinct as the farmers stopped cultivation. Kattiyanamn, a rice variety, has a history that dates back to 400 BC. This rice variety is used for temple offerings in Thanjavur.
A few people from Gujarat and Delhi also enquired about the courier services.
The rice varieties were collected predominantly from different parts of the country, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
Two non-desi varieties have also been included as the demand for those varieties are really high, which are Jyothi and Uma.
“I heard a few people saying that their children only wish to eat noodles, I would say that it is because they did not get an opportunity to taste desi rice varieties. Nowadays, we can see a trend in people asking for traditional rice varieties. We are also planning for an exhibition in Ernakulam too which will display more than 300 varieties of rice,” said Jayakumar C, the executive director of thanal trust and director.
The festival will conclude on Monday.