Vanishing Futures – Loss of the diverse seed heritage of the Himalay
I spent my childhood in the village of Farsali in Uttarakhand, where we grew and met our year round food needs through traditional farming. Today we are becoming increasingly dependent for our food and nutrition on the market, and are abandoning the cultivation of the diverse grains, pulses, and oilseeds that once thrived in the Himalaya. There is also a shift away from our agrarian way of life. I am sharing this story to spotlight the vanishing legacy of Himalayan seeds and grain, and want to remind ourselves that our food sovereignty, security, and futures are intertwined with this heritage and knowledge.
Storyteller- Beena Nitwal,
Fellow Himal Prakriti
Village Sarmoli, Munsiari, District Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand
Read this story in Hindi
My childhood was spent in Farsali village which falls in Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand. Farming was both our way of life and our source of livelihood. At that time, we did not depend on the market for food, rather we used to grow food for the whole year from our agricultural fields. We bought soap, sugar and tea and few basic necessities from the market and grew all our food grains. I remember, when it was planting season, like in the month of July with paddy, or through the year, whether it was hot or it poured rain, there was always a lot of work in the fields throughout the year. I remember, too, that my mother used to say-
“Farmers need to have a head of iron and feet of wood- only then they can do farming.”
I used to go to the fields with my mother and work through the day with her. While working, often the sound of melodious songs would drift across the distance, as women working in the fields would sing to keep their spirits up. And on days when everyone was sowing the next crop, the air would become festive, with some ploughing, spreading manure, while others sowed seeds. In the corners of the fields, where the plow could not reach, people would wield their spades to turn the earth and soften it. Bells tied to the neck of the bullocks would chime with the plowman’s voice, sometimes calm and cajoling and otherwise scolding, barking out commands. As children, we too did our share. All of us in our village were happy to be there, both playing and working. I share some of those memories in this story and also wonder- how is it that we got to where we are today.
In the days when maize was cultivated in our village, us children used to go to steal maize cobs in the evening, especially when it was raining and the mist obscured our presence. We would plan in advance as to whose field we would be raiding that day. When we would pluck the corn cobs off the stalk, the sound would resonate through the mist-
“Kachrrr.. Kachrrr..”
People knew that someone was stealing corn in their field. But by the time they came out to check, we would have hidden and then run away with our booty. A fire was always kept burning in the yard where the cow and buffaloes were tied to keep it smoky to ward off biting insects. We would roast the corn in this fire and feast on it. As the smell of roasted corn wafted across the courtyard, the family members knew what tricks we were up to. It was a lot of fun and I remember those days with great fondness.
In many parts of the Himalaya, several types of maduwa or millets is grown by hill farmers. Earlier everyone in the village used to grow Cheena or the Foxtail millet. Now only a few people grow it and that too in remote villages that are far from the bazaars. It is sown in April-May and harvested in October-November. Earlier, Cheena seeds were used to prepare bhaat or a kind of broth. It was also used to make a snack called khaja (cooked and then dried). Cheena is not offered during pujas to the deities in local shrines and celebrations. The popular belief is that after Hariyali (the day in the month of July considered auspicious for planting), when standing crops begin to ripen, the young seeds are supposed to start filling up with the milk and ghee from cow’s milk. But in the case of Cheena seeds, it is said to fill with dog’s milk and hence it is not considered to be pure.
Similarly, Kauni, another kind of Foxtail millet was also cultivated a lot on our mountain slopes. At that time, we used to prepare and eat it as a kind of present-day rice substitute. We would also sweeten it and eat it like a kheer. In those days, little paddy was grown in our village. As paddy cultivation gradually started increasing, people reduced the sowing of Kauni. Now growing Kauni has become almost extinct. Those who still grow a little Kauni is because it is considered auspicious and is offered during pujas in temples.
We plant Maduwa or the finger millet crop in March- April and harvest it in the months of October-November. Its roti or unleavened bread is dark in color and very tasty to eat and is considered in our tradition to be a heat inducing food. There is a saying here that goes-
“Munna ball chayte-chayte on, Dhaan ball nuri nuri on.” (Those who have everything spread like Munna or the cobs of Maduwa, while those who are wise, bow down and talk to everyone like paddy)
There is another saying related to the manner in which Maduwa grows-
“Munna gyoro oolt khut” (When Madue falls, it rolls backwards. It’s like when you call someone, and they stubbornly turn around and go elsewhere)
When I married and came to live in Sarmoli in Pithoragarh district, wheat was cultivated in and around Munsiari. But ever since wheat became available from the control shops (government ration shops under the Public Distribution System), our village people stopped its cultivation. Wheat is sown in October-November and harvested next year in the months of April-May. Wheat flour rotis or bread is softer than that of maduwa. But nowadays the wheat flour we buy from the market to make rotis is chewy and leathery and hard to eat.
Apart from this, we also used to grow many types of Barley – like the Black, Blue and Green Barley. Now just one of these diverse types of barley is grown and that too as animal fodder. There was a time when the Black Barley was considered to possess medicinal properties. When someone got fever from working too many hours in the sun, people used to say-
“Dokh aya hai.” (The fever had gone to the head)
In such a situation, Black Barley was ground and its watery solution was poured onto the head to bring the fever down.
The Chuwa or Amaranth crop is sown in April-May and is harvested in the months of October-November. Although it is not a grain, its flour is eaten by many people during religious fasting. Chuwa is considered auspicious and is offered as faral (prasad) during worship. There is also a saying in our village that describes what happens when we put Chuwa in a hot pan and roast it, and how it splutters with a sound that goes-
“Charar charar charar.”
That is why when someone speaks in anger, they compared to roasting Chuwa and as the expression goes-
“What a noise you make, just like the Chuwa!”
Many types of pulses were once grown in our Himalayan villages. I remember that during winter, when it rained, as children we could not play outside. We would then light a woodfire and along the children of the neighborhood and family members, we would sit together and roast the Bhatt seeds on a hot tawa or pan with some ash. When the Bhattwas roasted, it was shared around and eaten along with jaggery. Today too, Churkani and Dubka (a type of preparations with these mountain pulses) made from Bhatt are a popular part of Himalayan mountain cuisine. However Nepali Bhattis no longer cultivated in my marital village of Sarmoli. Some 15 to 16 years ago, I had grown three different types of Bhatt here which included white, black and Nepali Bhatt. But I too have stopped their cultivation. In those days, we had enough agricultural fields. But as more and more houses got built in those fields, there was less land available for cultivation. It has also become difficult to protect crops from predation by wild animals when grown in distant fields.
Another variety of pulses that we used to grow is called Guraas. This pulse is considered to possess medicinal properties. When someone would contract Chhoti Mata (chicken pox), which is also called ‘dodor’ (boils) in the village, they were fed Guraas dal because it was believed that by eating it, boils go away and get cured quickly.
Among all the pulses that grow in Munsiari, Rajma is the most famous. White Rajma or kidney bean is grown extensively in Sarmoli village (2330 meters above sea level), as it is in many other villages in the Gori valley. Recently in 2021, the white Rajma of Munsiari was given a Geographical Indicator Tag (GI Tag) and Intellectual Property Recognition for the state of Uttarakhand. The specialty of Munsiari Rajma is that it is very tasty and cooks quickly.
Apart from the White Rajma beans, the Red, Chitra, Bhaisku and Bhi Rajma kidney beans are also grown in Munsiari. The size of Red Rajma bean is smaller than White Rajma bean. It also cooks quickly and is delicious to eat. It is said that the Red Rajma is easier to digest and does not make the stomach heavy. Chitra Rajma was once extensively in the villages around Munsiari, but has witnessed a reduction in its cultivation. This Rajma too is delicious to eat and cooks quickly. But as it is the Red Rajma that has greater demand in the marketplace, farmers here started growing more of it.
The beans of Bhaisaku Rajma are the largest and the most colourful. Another distinctive feature of this type of Rajma is that once it is sown, it grows on its own, season after season for three years. This Rajma is prepared as a dry dish and eaten for breakfast.
The Bhi Rajma is sown after the 15th July. The climber vine of Rajma plant normally requires the support of thangra (a ringaal bamboo or a branch of a tree for support) to climb onto as it grows. Due to the small size of the Bhi Rajma plant, this type of kidney bean does not need to be supported and is therefore easier to cultivate. But as there is no demand for these two types of kidney beans in the market, farmers now tend not to grow them except occasionally for their own consumption.
Gahad is a type of pulse which is sown in April-May and it is harvested in the months of October-November. Locally, the preparation made with this pulse is known as Gahad ki Thattani (a type of dal). People prepare and eat Thattani in winter because it keeps the body warm. In our mountain villages, it is believed that drinking the water in which the Gahad has been soaked, can cure kidney stones and alleviate the pain caused by them. Over the years, this pulse too seems to have disappeared from out fields.
Riyas is a pulse which was widely grown here in the past. It tastes as if a lot of ghee has been added to urad dal (Horse gram), and when people eat it, they exclaim-
“Gheewain (ghee flavored) dal hua hai!”
Kalon dal is often sown along with wheat in October-November and harvested in the months of April-May. People will boil Kalon like dry gram and then fry it for breakfast. I have a particular soft spot for this lentil. But now people are neither growing wheat nor Kalon.
Black Masoor is sown in October-November and harvested next spring in April-May. There was a time in our village when we used to make rotis from this dal (lentil) and eat it. Now no one cultivates it and we are buying this common pulse from the market for our everyday consumption.
Sarsoon (Yellow Mustard and Black Mustard) is cultivated extensively for our edible oil needs. We also cook a saag or vegetable dish with its green leaves. After extracting mustard oil from the seeds, the oil cake residue is fed to our cows and buffaloes. Sarsoon seeds are also used in pujas and offerings for worship. When sweet edible oil was not available like it is in today’s markets, we used to prepare all our food, including sweet halwa, in home grown mustard oil. At that time, fried dishes were rarely eaten, and too only during festivals.
The reality is that quite a few people who live in Sarmoli and other villages around the Munsiari bazaar have now all but given up farming. We have become more dependent on the market for our food needs. Even those who do some farming have reduced it due to losses caused by wild animals. Village people tend to choose to do manual wage labour as at least there is an assured income at the end of the day. The traditional connection between food, nutrition and medicine has also been broken. Today, by living in this manner, we have neither remained like a village nor has it become urbanized like a city. I also feel that our children are now progressively moving away from farming and the lifestyle associated with it. We live in our villages, but seem to be getting alienated from village life.
Right now, in 2023, there is an ongoing push by the state administration to convert the five villages around the Munsiari bazaar, including our village of Sarmoli, into a Nagar Panchayat or Municipal body (as opposed to the village panchayats). The residents of the Munsiari bazaar are in favour of the Nagar Panchayat and are of the opinion that its formation will beget us city like facilities. But I want our village remain a village. To be provided with basic civic amenities, it is not necessary to make the villages into a peri-urban settlement or Nagar Panchayats. As citizens of the state, are villagers not entitled to basic facilities? We all need a good hospital, school with staff and good roads. If this is assured, we as mountain people should continue with our agrarian tradition, with the active support of our governments, and keep these seeds and crops from disappearing.
The key to our food sovereignty, security and future of the Himalaya is to keep this wisdom from vanishing from our lives.
Meet the storyteller
Voices of Rural India
Voices of Rural India is a not-for-profit digital initiative that took birth during the pandemic lockdown of 2020 to host curated stories by rural storytellers, in their own voices. With nearly 80 stories from 11 states of India, this platform facilitates storytellers to leverage digital technology and relate their stories through the written word, photo and video stories.
ग्रामीण भारत की आवाज़ें एक नॉट-फ़ॉर-प्रॉफ़िट डिजिटल प्लैटफ़ॉर्म है जो 2020 के महामारी लॉकडाउन के दौरान शुरू हुई थी, जिसका उद्देश्य ग्रामीण कहानीकारों द्वारा उनकी अपनी आवाज़ में कहानियों को प्रस्तुत करना है। भारत के 11 राज्यों की लगभग 80 कहानियों के साथ, यह मंच कहानीकारों को डिजिटल तकनीक का प्रयोग कर और लिखित शब्द, फ़ोटो और वीडियो कहानियों के माध्यम से अपनी कहानियाँ बताने में सक्रीय रूप से सहयोग देता है।
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