A dimension within Traditional Food Rights
Reflecting on historical food markets, ancient foods, and traditional eating habits.
148 voices speak to this
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Overall Community Sentiment
AI-synthesised pieces woven from many community voices on this theme. They may contain errors or interpretation — they're a reflection of the stories, not a record of fact.
Our ancestors lived long and healthy lives by cultivating traditional crops without chemicals and consuming nourishing forest roots, a practice many now wish to revive.
Remembering the wisdom of ancestors, we used to nourish ourselves with traditional staples like pakhaḷa, kañji, drumstick leaves, and small fish.
In Sonbhadra, an elder reflects on the community's evolving traditions, from festive celebrations and unique tribal customs to environmental shifts and new livelihoods, holding onto the hope of preser
Farmers in Kandhamal advocate for restoring traditional, organic millet cultivation to improve health and revitalize local food systems.
In ancient times, items like plain water, cooked food, liquor, Kakara, Arisa, Bagara Pitha, Ukahara, jackfruit, and root vegetables were available in the market. Now, these are not found anymore.
— Anirudha Marai
People are no longer eating Kodo, Gulji, Mandia, Gongei, Pithalu, Kandha, Chhuali Kandha, and other such items.
— Anjana Khadia · Sundargarh, Odisha
The situation we are in now is that the food we used to get to eat in the past has gradually disappeared.
— swornalata nayak · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha
Today, when we talk about forest products, things like root vegetables and fruits such as Kendu, Baheda, and Harida, which also had medicinal properties, are no longer available. They have now become extinct or are found in very small quantities.
— Debendra Suna · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha
Earlier, everything used to be found in the jungle, but now it's not. For example, banana greens, chakora greens... no, everything is gone now.
— Rupesh Maravi
In the past, we used to eat various things from the hills, such as Kangu Jona Ganthia, and lived well because of them. Things that grew without fertilizer used to ripen quickly. Now, nothing is ripening from the hills, and they are not cultivating them anymore.
— Prakash ch Pradhani · Karubai, Rayagada, Odisha
People are not eating millet gruel, it is gradually disappearing.
— upendra sunani · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha
Old, traditional foods are not available. As a result, the forest was also destroyed. The food that should be available is not available.
— Keshab Majhi · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha
In our area, in very old times, there were Sama, Kodo, Meijri (types of millets) for eating. Diseases were not caused by this. Today, whatever is being eaten as hybrid, all this is on the verge of causing diseases.
— ANIL KUMAR · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
Our traditional seeds are exhausted, the old seeds are no longer available.
— Kachala Choudhary
My name is Jogeshwar Nayak. In our area, Ghuruji farming was common, and people used to eat it. Now that farming has completely disappeared, and its seeds are not even found anymore.
— upendra sunani
Yes, earlier, we used to eat various kinds of wild fruits and food from the forests. But now, nothing like that remains. The government some.
— Rakesh kumar Kumar
The various types of fruits that used to be found in the forest are no longer available.
— KARUKAR MURMU · SKIP NO LOCATION
Our ancestors used to eat sunusunia greens, but these greens have become extinct today.
— upendra sunani
Earlier, a lot of edible items were found in the forests that could be eaten and added to midday meals, but now, due to damage to the forests, many things have become extinct.
— Kekti Tekam · Dindori, Madhya Pradesh
In the past, people used to buy calorie milk, make and fry laddus from it, and eat them. That is now lost, it's not available, and it is greatly missed.
— Priti Majhi
Yes, damage has definitely occurred. Previously, people used to obtain two traditional food items by cutting trees from the forest. Now, these are not available. Furthermore, there has been extensive damage to medicinal plants, and those are also not available.
— gobardhan pangi
Now, honey, resin, Aainla (Indian gooseberry), Harada (chebulic myrobalan), and Baahada (beleric myrobalan) are no longer found in our forest.
— Upendra Kumar Mahananda
In our ST community, everything has changed for the people of this district. Before, we used to bring tamarind, mahua, and all kinds of forest products to eat and drink.
— Puspanjali Nag
Nutritious food is not available from farming as before; all food available is cultivated with fertilizers. Various root-based foods are also not available in the forest.
— KAPAL MARNDI · Bissamcuttack, Rayagada, Odisha
Earlier, we used to eat gethi kanda, nekuwa kanda, sarai mahua lata, and all the mahua lata.
— Sunita Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
The mahul (flower/fruit) found in the forest, in the old days they used to make ladoos from it, fry them, and eat them. That has now disappeared, it is not found, and it is greatly missed.
— Priti Majhi
Previously, tribal people used to make various types of traditional cakes during different festivals, but they are not made now.
— KARUKAR MURMU · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha
What our ancestors used to obtain, now 90% of the forest has been destroyed. With the destruction of forests, the hills have also been destroyed. Whatever materials we used to find, especially food items, are no longer available.
— jitendra khila · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha
Nowadays, people from the tribal community do not prefer to eat tribal food, as a result of which tribal traditions are being lost.
— Arati Khandapatra
Our ancestors used to cultivate without fertilizer, and that was delicious and healthy. But now, that taste is not available.
— Upendra Kumar Mahananda
Our ancestors used to consume grains like Kuri, Kudra, Humli, and other similar produce. Those grains are now gone. If the government conducts a survey/preservation effort for them, it would be very beneficial for our people in the future, meaning there would be no illnesses or similar problems.
— Mohan AHARI · Udaipur, Rajasthan
Nowadays, we are unable to preserve traditional seeds because these traditional seeds have become extinct.
— NAGRIK VIKASH SANGATHAN · Ampani, Kalahandi, Odisha
Now, old farming is not practiced.
— Kachala Choudhary
Producing through traditional agriculture, farming without fertilizer. Various types of fruits, medicinal plants and creepers etc. found in forests are no longer available.
— KAPAL MARNDI · Bissamcuttack, Rayagada, Odisha
Today, resources are wasted just on eating. If good paddy and everything like corn were abundant before and we kept eating, that time cannot be recaptured today.
— Babulal Ayam · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
Pit yams are currently not found in the forest.
— jitendra khila · Bissamcuttack, Rayagada, Odisha
Marna is Sanjaya Suna. Earlier, our ancestors used to eat Ghurji rice, but now that Ghurji rice is not available.
— upendra sunani · Bissamcuttack, Rayagada, Odisha
Fruit trees and vegetable plants have disappeared from our forests.
— Kachala Choudhary
Ramesh 🙏, we are currently experiencing a shortage of the Kodo, Foxtail, and Finger millets that we previously had.
— Manu Digal · Kandhamal, Odisha
In the past, various types of forest products, fruits, and roots were available, but now it requires effort.
— Padmalochan Majhi · Ratachua, Rayagada, Odisha
In the tribal area, in earlier times, there were many herbs and their culture. But today, due to deforestation, many birds could not even disperse, and traditional food practices could also not be preserved, leading to their extinction.
— Mohan AHARI · Sarera, Udaipur, Rajasthan
In earlier times, medicinal fruits were found in the forest, but now those things are becoming extinct day by day.
— Amar Lal Dhurwey · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
We are the people of earlier times who used to eat mahua from the forest, eat chakad shak, eat millet bread, eat corn bread. Now people eat good food, and because they eat good food, they catch so many diseases.
— Sunita Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
What is not found in our forest. Sarbaria mushrooms used to be found in our forest before. Now they are not. Then, Bausi mushrooms, they are also not abundant. The Bausi (bamboo) plants also died out. And where are our old Kendu branches to speak of now?
— jitendra khila · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha
