Paryushan, a celebration of pulses -
Paryushan, 8 days of spirituality that Jains across the globe celebrate, has just started.
The focus is on overcoming attachments, greed and fear but Paryushan comes with its own dietary menu. No onions, garlic of course but also no greens.
In a world obsessed with its green smoothies, this may seem out of tune but scratch the surface and it’s a whole new lesson in diversity and harmony.
While no green vegetables are allowed during these days, eating of pulses is strongly recommended. In fact, special preps that involve a variety of pulses are cooked in Jain homes. Khichri, wadis, papads, you name it.
It allows for a diverse variety of pulses to not just become a part of one’s diet but also ensures a steady market demand for them, every year, and encourages farmers to continue planting native, forgotten pulses.
Pulses are so important for soil health that UN had declared 2015 as the year of pulses to promote their farming. Pulses are so rich in amino acids (building blocks of protein), vitamins, minerals and fibre, that the latest Canada food guide of 2019, identifies it as both a vegetable and a protein source.
Essentially, we as Indians, are living in interesting times. All our native practices are getting scientific validation from the West. But we must remember that the fine balance between man and nature doesn’t come out of policies or recognition but intertwining of food and culture.
Time and again, we must pause and reflect on our culture-crop-climate resilient way of life. And not trade it for short lived trends or short term gains.
Jai Jinendra 🙏 #Paryushan #Pulses
Paryushan, 8 days of spirituality that Jains across the globe celebrate, has just started.
The focus is on overcoming attachments, greed and fear but Paryushan comes with its own dietary menu. No onions, garlic of course but also no greens.
In a world obsessed with its green smoothies, this may seem out of tune but scratch the surface and it’s a whole new lesson in diversity and harmony.
While no green vegetables are allowed during these days, eating of pulses is strongly recommended. In fact, special preps that involve a variety of pulses are cooked in Jain homes. Khichri, wadis, papads, you name it.
It allows for a diverse variety of pulses to not just become a part of one’s diet but also ensures a steady market demand for them, every year, and encourages farmers to continue planting native, forgotten pulses.
Pulses are so important for soil health that UN had declared 2015 as the year of pulses to promote their farming. Pulses are so rich in amino acids (building blocks of protein), vitamins, minerals and fibre, that the latest Canada food guide of 2019, identifies it as both a vegetable and a protein source.
Essentially, we as Indians, are living in interesting times. All our native practices are getting scientific validation from the West. But we must remember that the fine balance between man and nature doesn’t come out of policies or recognition but intertwining of food and culture.
Time and again, we must pause and reflect on our culture-crop-climate resilient way of life. And not trade it for short lived trends or short term gains.
Jai Jinendra 🙏 #Paryushan #Pulses
