Erula tribal community members from various hamlets of Pillurnadu region organized a Traditional Seed cum food festival at Sethumadai village in Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu, on 15th December 2018.
Mr. Robert Leo, Deputy director, Keystone Foundation, welcomed the guests and participants for the Program and made a speech on the rationale of organizing traditional food festival and seed festival in the fast chnging social and ecological scenario all around the world. Heads of different villages inaugrated the festival by lighting the traditional lamp. Sub inspector of Police, Pillur police station, in his speech wished all the success for the program. Participants included more than 150 people from different tribal villages like Kodiyur, Sethumadai, Nelli Marathur, Poochamarathur, Thondai, keel Sengallur, Keel Pillur, Mel Pillur, Sithuguni, Kadaman Kombai, Parali Kadu, Neeradi, and Pillur Dam. Four staff members and 4 interns from Keystone foundation also participated in the program. 10 students from Keel Pillur school also attended the program. R. Chandran, UD fellow thanked all the participants and guests of the program.
Seed festival
Traditional Seeds, Greens, Fruits and vegetables exhibited and exchanged
The participants from all the villages exhibited multiple traditional edible Seeds, Greens, Fruits and vegetables in the festival. There were 38 different varieties on display as part of the festival. There were 12 varieties of greens (Munnui Keerai, Thaya Keerai, Pannai Keerai, Yellow Pumpkin Keerai, Musuttai Keerai, Soraga keerai, Vasalai Keerai, Pirandai Keerai, Thandu Keerai, Murungai Keerai, Manathakkali Keerai and Mullu Keerai), 15 varieties of Seeds (Ragi, Samai, Thinai, White corn, Horse gram, Ellu, Thattai Payaru, Kambu, Yellow Pumpkin, Thandu keerai seeds, Peerakkai seeds, White pumpkin seeds, Red chilli and Brinjal seeds), 8 varieites of Fruits and vegetables (Papaya, Seetha fruit, Wild tomato, Sundakkai, Avarakkai, Kalakkai, Puliyangai) and three varities of tubers (Noorai, Riyyan and Chakkara valli).
Food festival
A traditional food festival had also been organized alongside the seed festival. This festival was aimed at reminding the community members of how rich their tradition is and how important it is to include and have the rich traditional diversity of food items in their diets. The nutritional benefits in consuming the traditional foods were also been shared in the festival.
The lunch was served with local varieties of boiled tubers, traditional crops like Ragi, samai, Thenai and locally available greens. Food items included Samai rice, two types of Ragi balls (one is Raw ball and another with mixed rice), boiled tubers of Noorai, Riyyan and Chakkaravalli kilangu and curries and fries with fresh water fishes, Poriyals with greens like Murungai leaves, Pumpkin leaves, Mana thakali leaves and Seergai were on the table for lunch. Payasam with Thenai was the major attraction of the food fest. Several posters and photographs of uncultivated food were also on display for spreading the awareness of traditional food and their significance to the people.
All people gathered for the festival danced to the rhythms of traditional song and dance performed by the community members at the end of the food festival.
