Naresh Biswas
Kodo (Kodo millet) and Kutki (Little millet) are the major crops and staple food items of the Baiga indigenous people of the Baigachak area of Dindori district, MP. In addition to Kodo and Kutki the Baiga Adivasis of the area also cultivate Mandia (finger milliet), Salhar, Sawa, Kangni (Foxtail millet), Jowar (Sorghum), Makka (Maize) and Sikiya. The Baiga use these grains to make Pench, bhat and roti and consume them in traditional ways. However, the Baiga children no longer like to consume these traditional food items.
In order to facilitate a change in the traditional taste of the traditional crops of the Baiga Nirman (UD partner organisation) organised a Millet recipe Training program on 27th and 28th February 2020 at Gaurakanhari village. Through this training village women from Gaurakanhari, Dhaba, Ajgar and Kewadh learnt how to use millets to prepare a variety of food items other than the traditional preparations of pench, bhat and roti. In the evening of the final day of the training program, the village children got to eat all the different food items that had been prepared during the 2 days of training.
The training was jointly provided by Surshi Shabnam an event manager associated with the Odhisa Millet Mission and Muniya Marshkole from Nirman. During this two day training the Baiga women learnt to make a variety of tasty preparations that included delicious laddus from Kodo, mandia, salhar, jowar and makka; Pulao from Kangni; Sikiya kheer; Kukki kheer; Kodo Khichdi; Sev and Gathiya using Mandia; Wada made by mixing Mandia and Urad; Bhajiyas made by mixing Makka and Mandia. The women also made Lata from traditional mahua and jagni; and Thotdha using Mahua and Salhar.
The training program was attended by Phatton Bai, Jaimati Bai, Bhadli Bai, Sumitra Bai, Phuljharia and Adhin Bai from Gaura village; Sukhmata Bai, Parvati Bai, Gitrahin Bai from Dhaba village; Tikri Bai, Bhagbaniya Bai from Ajgar village; Samrin Bai, Tiharo Bai, Phagni Bai, Jayma Bai from Kewadh village. At the end of the training all the women decided that once in a week or once in a month along with traditional millet preparations they would also prepare these kinds of tasty preparations using Kodo and Kutki and feed their children. The objective of this would be to introduce the children to new kinds of tastes of Kodo, Kutki and other millets so that they continue the habit of consuming Kodo, Kutki and other millets.
