Based on inputs from UD fellow Heeralal Sarote
On the 20th of December 2020 the primary school children of Baiga village of Khamera were taken to the forest of Chuhi Dongar and Chuti dongar. Bajari Baiga, Dharam Singh Baiga and four Baiga women – Vesreen Bai, Bajrin Bai, Tihari Bai, and Somvari Bai accompanied the children and facilitated identification of different wild and uncultivated foods.
The children were shown and informed about the benefits of several different wild foods which included several leafy vegetables, fruits, flowers and tubers like tendu phal, char phal, bhelwa phal, seroli bhagi, girhul phul, lamer bhaji, dobe bhaji, peepar, pakri bhaji, ravi kanda, lorrgi kanda, kaniha kanda, karugeeth kanda, karonda phal, ghui phal, menhar phal, sihar phal, dode phal, kujhri bhaji.
Bajari Baiga told the children about the benefits and importance of the different wild foods and shared that because of wild foods and their nutrition and other benefits his father never used to fall ill. He highlighted that they have traditionally collected and eaten lots of different wild tubers, leafy vegetables, fruits, flowers, and seeds from their forests.
The children were then allowed to bathe in Saniyari Nadi after which they made a small exhibit of the different wild foods they had identified and collected, on the banks of the Saniyari river where the Van Kaleva picnic was celebrated.
The picnic meal comprised of Kutki (little millet), kheer and the wild tubers that had been collected. All participants also came together to sing a variety of traditional Baiga songs. The children were given pens and exercise books as gifts.
