Here at Bio Basics we are celebrating a Pongal of Diversity this year, and hopefully every year.
Pongal, the word, signifies the rising and overflowing of something good. In the traditional celebration, as those from down South will know, the celebration of the festival of Pongal is typically marked by the overflowing of the pot of the Pongal, the dish (made of rice and dal). It is allowed to overflow on the fire and the celebrations continue after this central moment. Kinda akin to the overflowing of milk during house-warming (Gruha-pravesham) ceremonies.
But at Bio Basics, being in Tamil Nadu, we not only celebrate Pongal, the most popular and traditional of celebrations here. But as the most diverse granary of organic heritage grains, Bio Basics is thrilled to showcase the diversity of grains and other crops that most of us have forgotten about and some have not even experienced in the first place.
This year we took three Heritage rices (Kerala Chemba, Illupaipoo Samba from Tamil Nadu, and Loktimachi from Chattisgarh) and three different sugars (Raw Cane Sugar, coconut sugar and Palm jaggery), combined with organic moong dal to make three Sweet Pongals!
They look slightly different, but taste much more different. Some like one, and some others the other. Likes may vary but Pongal need not be limited to just one Ponni or Kolam Rice and white sugar.
This way, we can enjoy different flavours, make our festivals more fun, and most meaningfully, it encourages our farmers to continue to grow the diverse crops, so this diversity can continue in the farms.
That is the true Pongal - the overflowing of the cup of Diversity and our alignment with Nature.
Happy Pongal! Pongal Nalvazhthugal!!
