Should we stop eating paddy rice and wheat?

Should we stop eating paddy rice and wheat? Nutritionally whole grain paddy rice (not the polished ones), or whole wheat (not the refined/all purpose) have something to offer. So do oats, barley, the many millets and many other cereal grains and pseudo cereals. The polished white paddy or the refined/all purpose flour have very little … Continue reading Should we stop eating paddy rice and wheat?

​Why eat millets?

Why eat millets? It is a very simple question. The world we live in and are leaving our children cannot sustain the food systems that we grew up with and have practiced so far. Climate change, water demand, nutrient shortfalls, there are many reasons for us to start rethinking our food critically. Paddy requires about … Continue reading ​Why eat millets?

Were millets really the staple grains of our ancestors?

This question comes up very often when taking about millets - were millets really staple grains in our ancestors' diets? For the sake of being informed about our history, let us dive into the Q of whether our ancestors ate millets as a staple. That paddy needs more water, fertile soil and protection from pests … Continue reading Were millets really the staple grains of our ancestors?

The amazing brown top millet !

Sahaja Samrudha (Bengaluru) & Dhanya (Tumkur) have published a book on brown top millet recently (Adbhuta siridhanya korale, Kannada, second edition, 2016, Rs. 60/-). Written by the prolific and ever green Mallikarjun Hosapalya, the first thing that stood out about this book were the many and colorful photographs. Brown top millet (btm) is even lesser … Continue reading The amazing brown top millet !

A teaser for the Sat., 12/3/16 workshop with Aikyam

If you are in BLR and looking to do something in the first part of this Sat. (MAR 12th, 2016), head over to Koramangala and seek out Aatta Galatta for the first event of the Earth Friendly Choices - Stories of Sustainable Living series organized by Aikyam. Here's a teaser of what I will be … Continue reading A teaser for the Sat., 12/3/16 workshop with Aikyam

Down but not out – fallen millet plants rise up to the sky

A few weeks ago, we visited some millet farmers in the Sitapur Dt. of Uttar Pradesh. We came across a barnyard millet (साँव़ा) field in Aanth (आँट) where the plants had fallen due to a combination of too much water and wind. Strong vegetative growth of these plants to more than 7' had raised the … Continue reading Down but not out – fallen millet plants rise up to the sky

Each node is a collar in waiting

The portion of a plant that connects the shoot to the root is commonly referred to as the collar region. An amazing thing can be noticed in most millets. As the plant grows, the younger tillers push the older tillers further and further away from the central axis of the plant. At each node in … Continue reading Each node is a collar in waiting