Sattvik- 2009, the Seventh Traditional Food Festival reaffirmed the growing demand for traditional food items and organic food; coupled with a sustainable lifestyle. Tens of thousands of visitors thronged not only around the food counters, but also shopped for different items and gadgets promoting a healthy life style. With its focus on traditional and organic food, Sattvik-2009 (19th to 21st December, 2009), indicated an incremental trend towards healthy eating habits, as well as a conscious awareness regarding healthy living.

For the populace of Ahmedabad, it was a rare opportunity to be able to appreciate more than 300 different traditional food recipes made out of a diverse range of uncultivated plants and organically grown crop varieties. The central theme was to discover newer ways of consumption to be able to sustain livelihood even in the midst of frugality or tough environmental conditions. The 7th Traditional Food Festival was inaugurated by Thakarsinhbhai Savaliya and a message was given by Prof Anil Gupta: ‘Sab ka aahar sattvik ho, aur sab ke vichaar bhi. Jaisa aahar, waise vichaar.’ (Let us have healthy food and cultivate healthy thoughts).

More than 40000 people visited the festival in three days. It was organized by SRISTI, along with National Innovation Foundation, Grassroots Innovations Augmentation Network (GIAN), Honey Bee Network and IIM-A. There were 80 stalls, a 20 percent rise from Sattvik- 2008. Apart from several districts from Gujarat, one could also see energetic participation from Jammu, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and some other states. As has been pointed out by Honey Bee several times, we need to create a market, with a sustainable demand for lesser known, organically grown crops and their varieties. May be this way, a fair share of income will flow from urban consumers’ pockets to small farmers, who are often ‘compulsively organic’, because of their inability to afford chemical growth promoters or pesticides.

An NGO that supports local healers who make medicines for different ailments by providing marketing support to them found Sattvik to be a profound platform for their cause. They are reportedly the first in Gujarat to make brahmi na khakhra and brahmi soup made from (Coastal Waterhyssop: Bacopa monnieri) which is a good brain tonic. They also sold chavanprash made out of 69 different herbs.

Aadivasi Mahila Sajeev Khet Utpadan Mandal, a group based in Dahod district sold vermicompost manure for small gardens and lawns along with maize flour (Zea mays L.) (gives sweeter taste to chapattis) and chil ni bhaji (reduces constipation problems) and handvo made of seven different grains (saat dhan) namely rice, chikpea (Cicer arietinum L.), maize, jowar (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.Meth ) and others. These energetic women brought along an interesting slogan ‘Swasth aahar, swasth vichaar, swasth samaj.’ Vanthaliben said: “SRISTI, without even waiting for us to seek advice, guided us on how to manage the production and supply chain of 100 percent organic products; also, how to train our women employees for the same.” Nita Mahadev from Vikalp, another organic farming group that sold nagli flour (rich in calcium and iron) said: “There is awareness regarding organic products, but some customer-orientation still needs to be done towards understanding these products.”

‘Are your children fond of harmful chocolates, cold drinks and ice-cream?’ asked the members of Prakruti Mahila Gruhudyog. They had come with natural sweet items like biscuits and ice-cream made only from dry fruits. Other healthy snacks were paties made of different spinach types mixed together, coconut kachori, grain pizzas, soya panipuri made from (Glycine wightii Grah. Ex W.& A.) Verdcourt, vadas, thepla and gota made of maize; organic bakery products like chocolates without cocoa, bread, toasts, pizza base, biscuits and muffins made of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecun L.) were also an attraction. Shilpaben, a primary school teacher, was extremely impressed by this concept. She said: “I always felt there was some need to find a solution for the harmful consumption patterns of modern day children. But if biscuits, pizzas, and ice-creams can be cooked in a healthy way, why worry?” The owner of a famous restaurant in the city who refused to be named said: “I was perplexed at the drastic fall of my revenue this Saturday. Hence I felt compelled to visit Sattvik to know what is lacking in my restaurant. We are now planning to introduce a small menu for traditional dishes and desserts. I thank the Sattvik team for giving me this insight.”

Several health drinks also caught the attention of visitors kashmiri tea ‘kehwa’ (good for general health of children), khati bhindi nu sharbat made from (Abelmoschus moschatus Medic.) (cures urination problems, controls blood pressure and cholestoral), cocum syrup (cures skin and hair related ailments), Ashtamrut soup made of tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), ginger, lemon and bilipatra and Panchratna sharbat (both are reportedly good for curing tonsils, bad cough and increase metabolism), suran nu soup made from (Amorphophallus campanulatus (Roxb.) H.ex Decne.) (controls fat), herbal coffee, caffeine free tea, organic tea from Darjeeling and others. Kajalben Soni, who sold saragva nu soup made from (Moringa oleifera Lam.) said: “I knew that this soup reduces cholesterol and is good for joints, but I learnt from some visitors that it also helps cure breast cancer.” Lateral learning, the genesis of every activity of Honey Bee Network was visible here too. This indicates that business houses should set up portals for C2B (customer-to-business) Learning to generate authentic ideas and feedback loop.

Dr Surabhi from Kudrati Upchar Kendra of Gujarat Vidhyapeeth was very happy by the overwhelming demand for her bavta ni sukhadi, made from (Eleusine coracana). She said: “Bavta is a calcium-rich grain and since children are very fond of chocolates, we have made the look of our sukhadi similar to a chocolate. I am content by the experience as people not only enjoyed consuming our items, but also took interest in knowing the recipes and benefits.” Jigna Joshi, who runs a cooking class in Ahmedabad said: “I was thrilled to know that kang no shiro is useful to pregnant mothers, children, is easily digestible and cures urination problems. I will surely teach its recipe to my customers.” Kiritbhai, another visitor felt that there can be stall with medicines based on the knowledge of tribal communities for old-age problems and ailments.

An interesting stall was Gruh Udhyog: Dadima nu Vasam by Sanjay Joshi, which is reportedly the first of its kind in India to produce 14 different items from amla (Indian gooseberry: Emblica officinalis Gaertn.)at one single place. Sanjaybhai happily said: “Sachi and sari vastuo ni loko kimmat kare che (people have started valuing genuine products). This increases our zeal by leaps and bounds to continue producing these items.” Some students of IIM-A initiated an interesting discussion in a CINE class (Understanding Creativity, Innovation, Knowledge Networks and Entrepreneurship) that followed the Food Festival. The central idea was that they noticed a sharp demand-supply gap for genuine traditional Indian food items in some of the western countries. It seemed an interesting idea to start a business venture to sustainably meet this growing demand.

National Innovation Foundation set up a platform for various children’s activities. Ratilal Mandli, a primary school teacher and SRISTI Sanman winner in the year 2006, engaged children in innovative games designed by him like ‘Vocab Chess’, ‘Vocab Carom’ and ‘Ganitik Hathi’, a game by which a six year old child can write figures till six billion and others. He also displayed a wooden board with nails affixed on it to teach geometrical shapes and angles to children using rubber bands. A trio of teachers Harshadbhai, Kaushikbhai and Rameshbhai from Arch Trust made geometrical shapes out of straws for children and a balancing game (based on the principle of lever) for addition of numbers. Volunteers of NIF organized creative competitions for children like painting, clay modeling, GK quizzes and more. More than 300 children participated and made models like robots, aircrafts, eco-friendly houses and others. Some visitors suggested that there should have been some cultural shows as well.

The Food Festival became a challenging platform for several NGOs, women groups and other social institutions to display their produce and make a difference. Sales-women from RUDI (Rural and Urban Development Initiative), a company initiated by SEWA, called themselves ‘Rudis’ with pride and sold agro-products like spices, pulses, cereals along with items like ‘agarbattis’. Women from Aadhar Mahila Seva Trust, a group of people infected and affected by HIV, sold khichadi made of several grains, soyabean culets and amla nu sharbat. They are involved in several seasonal businesses and work on the principle of providing employment to HIV infected people, at the same time, utilizing revenues generated for the betterment of such people. The women were very much encouraged by the response they got but suggested that the Food Festival be organized on 2nd or 4th Saturday of the month or around Christmas when maximum people can visit it. Mahendrabhai Patel, a stall dharak brought more quantity of a particular variety of stamped rice (chur mamra) which was more popular amongst customers in last year’s food festival. This variety is sweeter, with better grain quality and the entire lot got sold out this year also.
Jatang Vohra from Organic India Pvt. Ltd, a Lucknow based company set up a stall and zestfully explained the benefits of his caffeine free green tea and tulsi-ginger tea to visitors. He suggested: “Organic products involve a higher investment. Hence, we must have a separate pandal for organic items so that we can benefit more from the consumer segment that understands these products. Also, since we don’t allow the usage of polythene, we can distribute paper bags bearing the name of SRISTI to visitors.” Mr and Mrs Rao, who visit the Food Festival almost every year said: “We like to consume these items, but for two people, we feel lazy to cook. Hence this was a refreshing change for us. We learnt that kheer, chikki and mukhwas made of alasi (Linum usitatissimum) control cholesterol, blood pressure, certain cancers and also strengthen the retina. We suggest there should be some facility to sit and eat for old people like us.” Alasi reportedly is a good vegetarian substitute for fish as it replenishes omega 3 and 6 oils in the body. Mayank Bajra, a visitor said: “Swipe machines can be installed to prevent the rush at cash counters, leaving visitors with more time to explore.”

Apart from a myriad of organic food items, a lot of items and gadgets that promoted a healthy and sustainable lifestyle were introduced in the Food Festival. Skincare and haircare products like dharamrut hair oil, gaumutra ark (useful to cure almost 148 different diseases), kesh shrinagar herbal hair oil and herbal skin ointments were in great demand all three days. Hygiene and sanitation products like neem floor cleaner, domestic herbal insect repellant, neem dish washer and herbal air freshner also created a significant awareness regarding their environment friendly compositions. The herbal air freshner reportedly does not contain CFC gas which is injurious to ozone layer. On being asked about the customer response, Suluben said: “We often do not realize that the phenyl that we use for our homes contains carcinogenic agents. We wanted to create awareness regarding herbal hygiene products. Our purpose is served.” Solar energy gadgets like solar lanterns, home-lighting system, fence guard, water heaters and others were also in great demand. Samikshaben Trivedi, a Home Science faculty in a college said: “The eco-friendly domestic gadgets and items have added an interesting angle to the Food Festival. Such an event should be organized every six months.” Mansukhbhai Jagani (innovator), who has been participating from last two years in Food Festival, once again could sell Mitticool (clay refrigerator) units more than double of what he expected. He said: “I will plough back my profit in my production unit and increase capacity to help more and more people earn a living.” Ashaben, a homemaker, said: “My mother-in-law is averse to using refrigerator. I have a found a good substitute in Mitticool for preserving food items in a natural way for her.” Another innovator Arvind Patel marketed his eco-friendly natural fridge, auto-sprayer for farms and innovative tong. He suggested: “People are more curious about these gadgets now compared to yesteryears. More facilities can be given in innovators’ stalls and they have greater storage requirements.”

The student community also showed enthusiastic and creative participation in the Food Festival. Some students of NID made healthy sandwiches with interesting customized fillings. Students of the Botany department of Gujarat University sold a tempting sweet dish made out of beet. They had named their group ‘We for Nature’. They also made book marks and greeting cards out of useless plants, weeds and grasses. The girls said in unity: “We want to revive the trend of greeting cards in the era of e-cards.”

The Food Festival was home to a lot of other interesting activities. Manubhai Goel from Ganatar, a neo-Gandhian organization in Patadi, Surendranagar district involved children in traditional games like ‘lakhoti’, ‘gilli dando’ and ‘saatolio’ that are being forgotten. ‘Visartu balpan, visarti ramato’ (Diminishing childhood, forgotten games) was their slogan. They distributed a questionnaire that posed questions like ‘What is an ideal house for a child?’, ‘What is an ideal environment for a child?’, ‘What should an ideal school be like?, to get constructive ideas from people who loved children. Manubhai said: “We seek no revenue out of this stall. We are just happy to see even parents playing traditional games along with children, remembering their forgotten childhood.” Sulekha Ali, who set up and runs Aarzoo, an NGO working with riot affected Hindu and Muslim children, has been participating in the Food Festival for last two years. Sulekha and her colleagues set up a stall displaying hand-made paper cards, diaries, pen-stands, carry bags and other stationery items. She said: “We could sell much more than last year. I shall use the money for children’s activities in my school.” An Ahmedabad based NGO ‘People for Animals’ which works for the fundamental rights of animals and birds set up a stall to sell their literature and spread awareness about their cause. Mahendra Shrimali from the same group said: “We are ready to collaborate with SRISTI on projects of common interest.” Pitara Gujarat, an organization involved in primary education in Madhya Pradesh for 30 years exhibited books related to children. They also undertook teaching of Science and Maths at Sattvik by way of low-cost books and instruments. Their ARCH (Action Research in Community Health) group publishes health related literature in Gujarati. They also undertake students and teachers training in tribal areas of Gujarat. Rashmi Kapadia from the group said: “There can be a reading corner on this ground where children can sit and read while their mothers learn interesting recipes. We can also have visual display screens to increase the attractiveness of the ambience.”

Khedut Haat
Located centrally, a feature that drew significant attention of the crowd was the Khedut Haat, which was a platform for farmers to sell their products directly to city customers, without any intermediaries in between. It was a rare occasion for small farmers to retain the entire profit to themselves. More than 40 farmers from atleast 30 different villages displayed their organic products at the Food Festival. The Khedut Haat looked flooded with fresh organically grown fruits like amla, lemon, guava, findla fal (Opuntia elatior Mill.Gard.) and others; food grains like wheat, basmati rice, pankhari rice (Oryza sativa L.), jowar; spices like lili haldhar, jeeru (Cuminum cyminum L.), lilu lasan (Alliun sativum L.), lila dhana (Coriandrum sativum L.), lilo fudino and snacks like paunva. Items that attracted a lot of attention were organic face pack, amla chavanprash, buttermilk masala, tulsi powder, henna powder, stavia (Stevia eupatoria )powder, Aloe vera (aloe vera (L.) Webb. & Berth.) juice and others. Children thronged around counters of healthy drinks and food items like findla sharbat, amla candy, buttermilk made purely out of cow’s milk, guava sharbat, natural rose sharbat, tulsi sudha sharbat made out of eight elements and many more. Kevin, a class 7th student said: “My Science teacher regularly advises us to eat healthy food. That’s why I brought my mother here. Now I expect some of these food items in my tiffin box everyday.” Homemakers were happy to carry home packages of different types of flours for cooking food items like rotla, handvo, idli, dosa, dhokla and others. Farmer members of Gram Bharati said: “We are happy with the sales and the experience, yet we feel that the layout of the Food Festival needs to be modified to make Khedut Haat a bigger attraction.” Another farmer Labhshankar expressed his concern: “It was slightly disappointing to see some urban consumers not having adequate knowledge about organic products and therefore wondered why our prices were higher than the market outside?” Vamsi Krishna, a management student stated his opinion thus: “I closely observed farmers in the Khedut Haat. Their products are excellent but we can train them to develop the required selling skills in order to boost their sales.”

Recipe Contest (18th December, 2009)

A Recipe Contest was held on 18th December at IIM-A New Campus. It is an activity encompassed by the Sattvik Food Festival every year. People from all over the state were invited to participate and submit their recipes and bring a sample a day before the Traditional Food Festival. The entries were judged by Shri Raju Patel, Professor, Nardipur Mahila Gram Vidyapeeth, Sushilaben Patel, Mehsana Municipal Arts and Science College and Shri M S Patel, teacher, Unja Mahila Higher Secondary College; all Food and Nutrition experts. The competition venue became a perfect symbol representing culinary diversity, when 40 participants displayed more than 120 different traditional dishes. Most of the recipes had some form of uniqueness either in terms of ingredients or in the way of cooking. The underlying purpose was to create awareness regarding the nutritional value of minor millets and uncultivated plants. It was interesting to note that the items were attractive in terms of taste as well as nutritional value. Some items are reported to have healing qualities against specific lifestyle and other ailments. Items like vegetable fala cake, rotlo made of fenugreek, bitter gourd and ragi (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.), sabji made from fenugreek seeds, chapati made of nagli (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn. Fruct.) and other items control diabetes. Sangitaben Soni, a participant said: “Doctors advise diabetic patients to eat crushed fenugreek dana powder, but sabji prepared out of the same is tasty and therefore one is more likely to eat it regularly. Additionally, people who are allergic to mango juice can consume it along with this sabji to get rid of the allergy.” Chayanikaben, winner of Recipe contest of 2008 prepared ‘halwa made of coconut, ‘khajur drakshavadi’ and ‘bhaji-mogra ni dhokli’; all items are iron-rich, solve acidity problems, increase memory power and should especially be consumed by women nearing menopause. Chayanikaben, an ardent advocate of traditional food said: “My children pluck leaves of dodi bhaji and eat them raw, so I am confident that they will never have to wear spectacles. I don’t have far-sightedness even at 50 years of age.” She also said that fruit of bilipatra (Aegle marmelos) gives relief during stomach or intestine cancer. Many other items like ‘alachi na ladu’ made from (Elettaria cardamomum) (good for waist pain, increases lactation in mothers without extra fats), ‘ragi ni sukhadi’, ‘saat dhan ni khichadi’ (made of seven different grains), ‘nimani na marcha’ (Capsicum annuum L ) and rotla’ (cures acidity), raita made of grapes (complements allergy due to curd), ‘aloe vera roti’ (strengthens digestive system), wood apple jam were prepared and displayed. Dimple Shah, a participant who prepared ‘kodri-baat no karbo’, a dish made of Kodo Millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum) said: “The best part of having traditional food is that it can arrest the causes of diabetes and cholesterol. There is an added advantage if such food is cooked in clay tawas and handis. My mother-in-law has diabetes and she always eats rotis made on clay tawas to control it.” Renukaben said: “A chain of stores or restaurants should be opened to imbibe knowledge regarding traditional food items in young generation.” It was interesting to see that some daughters-in-law had taken a leave from their work and flown from places like Delhi and Mumbai to accompany their mothers-in-law who participated in the recipe contest.

The Prize Distribution Ceremony was held on 19th December, 2009 on the Sattvik ground just after the inauguration of the Food Festival and the prizes were given away by Dr O P Agrawal, emeritus scientist, CSIR and honorary senior advisor, NIF; and his wife Dr. Usha Agrawal. The recipe contestants were exhorted to share the aim of Honey Bee Network to preserve traditional knowledge by holding small meetings and discussions amongst themselves. SRISTI may co-ordinate such activities of lateral learning. Urvashi Parek won the First Prize for her ‘fangaveli kalathi nu salad’, ‘jav nu soup’ and ‘bathua ni bhaji’ (Chenopodium album L.) The first runner-up was Nirjaben Pradhan who prepared ‘ragi ni sukhadi’, ‘chil ni bhaji’, ‘luni muthia’ and ‘muthia of nagarvel leaves’. Vasantben Pandya became the second runner-up for her ‘kang na ladu’, a sweet dish made of Setaria italica. The audience were asked if they knew the benefit of ‘asopalav makai na lot na patra’ prepared from (Polyalthia longifolia (Sonn.)Thw.) by Renukaben, an appreciation prize winner. Since nobody knew the answer, it was revealed that the food item provided relief to asthmatic persons. That’s when Hemaben of SRISTI gave the message: “Cooking on one’s own is certainly an enjoyable activity. But it is also important to learn traditional recipes from others and supplement it with your own knowledge. Let us always remember this aim of the Sattvik movement that we have initiated.”