Pitha, Paddy and Kharai

Dear Reader,

Most of the traditional Indian sweets are associated with festivals. If modaks are synonymous with the eleven-day Ganpati festival, gujhia reminds one of Holi and seviyan of Eid. India’s food repertoire is so rich and vast that it is beyond the scope of culinary books. 

To me, the best way to keep a culinary heritage alive is to continue making traditional recipes and pass on the knowledge to the next generation. Another way is to package and brand authentic traditional foods for people who enjoy them but don’t have the time to prepare them.

Friends Soumya Pradhan and Aurobinda Nayak quit their jobs and started Mo Pitha in Bhubaneswar in 2021 with this objective. Pitha are Odia festive sweets and part of the Mahaprasada prepared daily at the Jagannatha Temple, Puri. Now, one can order them through Mo Pitha at any time.

My colleague Niroj wrote that the startup clocked Rs45 lakh annual turnover last fiscal and is now expanding to Bengaluru. Mo Pitha works with women, who have always been the custodians of traditional recipes across cultures. These women home chefs earn Rs500 to Rs600 per day while spreading sweetness. 

My colleague Chandhini spoke to Shije Varghese, who began oyster mushroom farming on her balcony as a pastime. Today, her brand Coonfresh sells 1.8 lakh kg of mushrooms and other value-added products annually, clocking Rs50 lakh. She has also trained 15,000 people in mushroom cultivation and helped many entrepreneurs. 

From Odisha, my colleague Niroj also wrote about Sudam Sahu, an organic farmer, native seed conservator and consultant all rolled into one. He did not take up a government job to pursue his passion for native seed conservation and organic farming. 

Over the last 23 years, the award-winning farmer has conserved 1200 indigenous paddy varieties at his Anubhav Seed Bank in Bargarh, the rice bowl of Odisha. His seed bank conserves biodiversity and reduces farmers’ dependence on harmful chemicals. 

Remembering all those who fought for India’s independence, my colleague Anu put together a piece on lesser-known Parsi freedom fighters. 

Our Sunday story is about two tribes from Kutch conserving the endangered Kharai swimming camels. Riya writes that the nomadic Rabari and Fakirani Jat tribes of Gujarat have maintained the genetic purity of Kharai camels and bred them for over 400 years despite the shrinking mangroves for grazing and their reduced economic value due to new methods of transport.

In the Money section, my colleague Karan has written about how to choose between renting and buying a house as the Union Budget 2024 has abolished the indexation benefit on real estate investments. So if you are sitting on the fence, this one is for you.

Happy Reading!

Warmly,

Rashmi