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"Ballia and Ghazipur districts, Uttar Pradesh June 20 – 26, 2023, 49th Shodhyatra | Part I
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Setting out for the 49th Shodhyatra, 33 travellers from across India walked beside the placid waters of river Ganges. It was difficult to imagine that in merely a month’s time, farmers would be coping with devastating floods that engulf the region every year. The local community embodies the indomitable spirit of “Revolutionary Ballia”, showing resilience to natural disaster, the blistering heat, market shocks, apathy from the administration, and socioeconomic challenges. At times, they are even up against the soil, fondly called ‘premi mitti’ for its vacillation between extremes across seasons. Walking 68 km through 25 villages from Mubarakpur, Ballia to Joga Musahiba, Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, yatris met with communities intrigued by the possibility of adopting innovation more concretely in their everyday lives. It was a special treat to interact with the 10 yatris from Swatantra Talim, a Lucknow-based education and innovation-focused organisation (more info: www.swatantratalim.org). With the assistance of Rajesh Yadav, Dr. Ram Kumar Rai, Mrityunjaibhai, Jitendra Rai and Dibakar Rai, the yatra was organized by the Honey Bee Network (HBN) anchored by SRISTI, and supported by GIAN and other volunteers of HBN. |
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"Col. Akshay Yadav, a HBN volunteer from Bihar who had joined a previous Shodhyatra, was enjoying his cup of coffee on a wintry morning at Prague, Czech Republic. As he thanked the barista while paying, his eye was caught by a display of health products, among which were packets of flax seeds. He examined one and was pleasantly surprised to find a “Made in India” mark. He noticed the QR code of an FPO. Intrigued, he called the number at the back and spoke with Dr. Ram Kumar Rai, a farmer-entrepreneur from Ghazipur. The Shivansh farmers-producers organization (FPO) formed by Dr. Rai was carving its niche in European markets through flax-export. After Col. Yadav connected him with HBN, Chetan Patel of SRISTI paid a visit to his farm. With the discovery of more innovators in the area, it was settled - the next Shodhyatra would be hosted here, with Dr. Rai’s assistance.
When we arrived, we found bhuaa (corn silk) all along the roadsides of Ballia and Ghazipur. The Honey Bee philosophy of enriching communities through abundant and abandoned bioresources applied quite aptly. The yatris shared knowledge of the many health benefits of corn silk tea, in exchange for the community’s wisdom. At Kathauli, farmers recommended their traditional antioxidant-rich tender bamboo leaf tea; the learning journey had begun. An elderly farmer, Kabindranath Yadav, examined the golden bhuaa with fresh eyes saying, “Unknowingly, we’ve been throwing away something so valuable!” This sentiment was echoed by others when hearing stories of farmers who had used Ipomoea carnea weeds1, common in Ballia and Ghazipur, to repel pests. Only Pappu Yadav at Dhanetha and Ravindra Prajapati at Basaniya had managed pests by spreading cuttings of the weed in their field’s drainage channels. However, neither had shared this knowledge with others.
Theirs are not isolated cases. During the fifth Shodhyatra through Banaswara district, Rajasthan in 2000, we inquired why a local knowledge-rich teacher had not shared solutions to stem termite attacks in orchard crops with others. His response was, “because there is no context.” (see HB 11(3):19-20, 2000).
Over twenty years later, this remains relevant as individuals like Pappubhai and Ravindrabhai still lack proper context, channels, or motivation to share their valuable knowledge within their communities. Often, innovators are met with skepticism or ridicule. Interestingly, Ipomoea carnea is known in the districts as “behaya” translating to “shameless”, in deference to its ability to proliferate with even very little moisture. Could we perhaps encourage knowledge holders to be a little befikre (worryless) when it comes to dissemination? Could the rest of us be even more so when it comes to testing out an innovative practice?
(Honey Bee first published on the pest management potential of Ipomoea carnea subsp. fistulosa in HB 3(1):13, 1992. HBN & SRISTI have compiled further uses from farmers all around the country. HB 24(4):17-18, 2013; 28(2&3):29-30, 2017; Eds.)
Waiting in the Wings
Dr. Ram Kumar Rai would speak with farmers about natural farming practices, including the use of local flora. We sought farmers’ knowledge on the uses of available plants for medicine, crop management, craft, and of any other traditional or organic practice. Madar (Calotropis gigantea (L.) R.Br.)13 was known to remedy wounds and joint pain, with some claiming that its latex could treat skin pierced by the thorn of a plant. Madar cotton could also be stuffed in pillows to provide relief from migraines. While communities knew traditional uses, few put them into practice. Many had not heard of madar’s ability to repel pests, with an exception again being Pappubhai who had soaked pieces of it in irrigation water for chilli crops.
Dithori (Millettia pinnata L.)14 and kanela (Thevetia peruviana (Pers.) K. Schum.)15 were similarly under-utilised. Many knew of dithori as a ‘datun’ (teeth cleaner) and for healing wounds, and kanela for curing fevers and constipation. They were surprised to learn of their use in farming. An exception was Anand Rai of Amaon who sprayed a solution made by boiling dithori and neem leaves to prevent pests in eggplants. Farmers at Pipara Kalan brought cuttings of an unnamed plant whose leaf juice is consumed to control blood sugar. SRISTI is trying to get its scientific name identified, and has grafted eight saplings for testing.
The soil, as well, is believed to have restorative properties. Karail, the black soil of the region becomes more clayey as one moves north of the Ganga, and is used as a hair cleanser and softener.16 Many farmers regard the earth as divine. During the first three days of the Ardra Nakshatra beginning around the 22nd of June, and the first three of Chitra Nakshatra around the 15th of October, they believe that Mother Earth is menstruating. The soil remains untouched for these six days every year, and cropping begins immediately after. Through such rituals, soil is given some time to rest and regain its vitality. Women and workers may get some rest too
Besides asking about local plants, we also asked whether anyone in the village was an innovator. The crowd would almost invariably say no. The meeting in Ajorpur taught us an important lesson about how to frame this question. Instead, we asked if anyone in the village was “ulti-khopdi wala (an oddball)?” The crowd at Ajorpur enthusiastically responded, “Shivji Rai!” He had used week-long fermented buttermilk to treat leaf curl in green chilli crops, and despite skepticism from his neighbours, successfully applied it to okra and ridged gourd as well. By the end of the meeting, a few farmers were considering such alternative methods to reduce reliance on commercial inputs. Some farmers at Pipara Kalan sprayed buttermilk on their compost. This not only repelled pests but also revived the earthworm population, making the soil more fertile.
Residents of Panderpura Amrupur recognized the role of aatchi (Morinda citrifolia L.) leaf juice in treating inflammation and aches. However, people at other villages knew aatchi only for its soft yellow wood that was used to make cricket bats. Yatris shared research from the web enumerating the health benefits of its ripe fruit juice, particularly for the prostate and kidney. One hopes that with this new information, the community will use the fruit for their wellness, and perhaps even create a local processing industry.
Seeking Entrepreneurs
The very first evening, yatris met with 32 young women studying the beautician’s course at a NSDC-affiliated skill centre. They shared sumptuous flavours of the region, including baati-chokha, mango chutney, urad jalebi, and pyaaz pakodi. With great interest, they learnt about various Honey Bee initiatives that have enabled young innovators to grow their ideas. We discussed organizing training workshops to make innovative bio-products, such as bamboo charcoal soap.
Women from 12 SHGs of Narohi, led by Ms. Pravin Rai, gave yatris a taste of local delicacies including thekua, a specialty of the Chatt festival, aloo kachori, and sooji halwa. They brought product samples, such as sattu, besan dosa batter, and pickles of jackfruit and yam. With husbands posted outstation, the women were often home alone, and decided to buck the trend by becoming entrepreneurs. They are ready to diversify their business with more novel and interesting ingredients and preparations, such as mango kernel and pickles of unusual vegetables. A suggestion was made that the 12 SHGs should cooperate, each creating their own niche, and focusing on non-competing products and markets.
Urmila Devi Enterprises, run by a FPO based in Godi Khas, produces a premium mustard oil under the brand Shree Pran. The eponymous Urmila Devi and her team brought out fresh puas and puris made of mahua flowers. They soaked dried mahua flowers overnight, made a paste which was kneaded into a wheat dough. For puris, they roll the dough out thick, and fry till golden brown. A wetter dough with less flour is used to make puas.
Despite encountering two women-led enterprises, women were markedly absent from most meetings. Thus, we were delighted to find a group of 15 women joining us at Pandepur Amrupur to share nuggets of traditional wisdom. Their curiosity was evident in the keenness with which they read about innovation, displayed on posters. A young Honey Bee innovator offered to host a workshop to teach them how to create enterprises around eco-friendly products like incense sticks from temple waste, and cow dung rakhis and idols. With cautious optimism, the women smiled their assent (this workshop is yet to take place).
We often discussed how to encourage more women to participate in meetings, especially in such regions where it was unorthodox for men and women to share a public platform. One suggestion was to mobilize women participants before beginning the yatra, and perhaps hold parallel meetings for women.
Mreetyunjaibhai, who has organized padyatras (journeys on-foot) for the Ekta Parishad movement, cautioned us against expecting to upturn centuries-old norms in a day. He invited us to stay with his family at Kanuan where we met his wife, Archana Devi. She spoke of the gradual change from being unable to step out alone to eventually joining Mreetyunjaibhai on a padyatra. The fruits of their efforts are evident in the next generation; their teenaged daughter and son eagerly joined us to discuss their ideas on progress, discovery and innovation. Indeed, it was our youngest yatri, Kabir, who opened our eyes to a fresh perspective, teaching us to draw joy and insights from scenes of everyday life. He has shared his own report of the yatra in the next few pages.
Endnotes:
1 Behaya is an underexplored larvicide, and can be effective in controlling malaria, filariasis, and other vector-borne disease. (Al-Husseini et al., 2022)
2 Babool has been used in Western African ethnomedicine to treat tuberculosis (roots), smallpox (bark), ulcers (leaves), and indurations of liver and spleen (bark and gum). Powdered pods were used by Nubians in South Egypt to regulate blood glucose. (Rather, Islam & Mohammad, 2015)
3 Arjun tree bark has lipid lowering effects, and can reverse smoking-induced endothelial dysfunction, wherein arteries contract despite there being no blockage. (Maulik & Katiyar, 2010)
4 Sinduvara helps treat sores (oil), ulcer discharge and neutralize snake venom (leaves), reduce fevers (flowers and roots), and stimulate menstruation (fruits). (Fauziya Basri et al., 2014)
5 Bhatwas or bhant is antimicrobial, antihelminthic, hepatoprotective, and has significant antioxidants. Certain tribes of Eastern India use it to treat colic and scorpion bites. (Debayan Bhattacharjee et al., 2011)
6 Snail meat is a rich source of calcium, zinc, and iron. Freshwater snails are consumed in Philippines, Taiwan, Mexico, Mediterranean countries, as well as Bangladesh and parts of Northeast India. Caution and proper processing of snails are important as snail may contain nematodes. (Ghosh, Jung & Meyer-Rochow, 2016)
7 Sehund is anti-psychotic, radio-protective, and an anaesthetic. (Priya Chaudhary et al., 2023). Tribes in Southern Rajasthan spread its dendrons in fish habitats to immobilize their catch. (Prabhakar Joshi, 1986)
8 Doob grass roots are distilled into a coffee in Uzbekistan, and in Bulgarian folk medicine, the rhizome features as diuretic, laxative and expectorant. (Gafurova & Rustamov, 2024)
9 The leaves of goom help treat rheumatism, snake bites, psoriasis, and some chronic skin conditions. The flowers and leaves can both be used as in bio-insecticides. (Enjamoori V. Kumar et al., 2019)
10 The sweet fruits of nagfani have been studied for their cancer-inhibiting activity. It is also used in diabetes management and to improve liver health. (Kaur, Kaur & Sharma, 2012)
11 Saptaparni has been used as a galactagogue, and to alleviate post-pregnancy fever. (Khyade, Kasote & Vaikos, 2014)
12 Chirchiri has shown anti-parasitic activity in ruminants, effective against cattle tick and Paramphistomum cervi in sheep. (Saurabh Srivastav et al., 2011)
13 Besides wound healing, madar has antimicrobial, analgesic, anti-pyretic, and insecticidal properties. It may also prove useful for cancer treatments (Kumar, Karthik and Bhaskara Rao, 2011).
14 Dithori seeds not only show nootropic activity, but also help counter anaemia, bronchitis, rheumatic arthritis, and haemorrhoids. (Akshay G. Fugare et al., 2021)
15 Kanela seed oil has strong anti-termite properties, and the plant’s toxins show efficacy against rodents, insects, fungus, and various microbial disease. (Theurkar S. Vasant et al., 2014)
16 SRISTI has collected samples of the black soil, and analysis is ongoing.
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Honey Bee, 34(4)5-9, 2023 |
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