Suvarna stood up in front of the gathering of 100-odd women and displayed her set of dishes prepared from rann bhaji (wild vegetables). She named the vegetable used in each dish, where it was found and its nutritive value, as also the recipe for the dish.

The enterprising woman was part of the 20 self-help groups (SHGs) that participated in the Rann Bhaji Utsav organised recently by the ML Dhavale Trust (MLDT) at Bhopoli in Vikramgad Taluka, Palghar district, Maharashtra.

According to Ujwala Pendse, Trustee of MLDT, the idea is to revive the use of forgotten wild vegetables in this poor, predominantly adivasi district. Available free in the wild, these veggies can help reduce daily food costs, says Pendse. Organised for the first time in this taluka, the utsav drew such enthusiastic response that another is planned for the winter months.

Each SHG was asked to find local wild vegetables and prepare dishes of its choice to be presented to a jury. The winner would be decided based on the taste, variety, nutritive value and presentation of the dish. Dr Sujata Goda, a jury member, said there were so many different dishes that she found it difficult to declare the winner. “This kind of event must be held in all pockets to identify local vegetables, which can then be reintroduced into the local diet, thus solving a range of nutritional issues,” she says.

Besides improving health, the effort will boost the self-confidence of local women and enhance awareness on the wild vegetables available. “It will help in conserving the biodiversity and preserving the wild-growing varieties,” she adds.

Kalpana Dhangade, who leads one of the collectives, says some women were so enthused about the utsav that they spent a whole day in the jungles looking for the right shoot or mushroom or leaf to prepare their dish for presentation.

The spread featured plants like kurdu (silver cockscomb), kartoli (spine gourd), khurasin (niger), tetu (Indian trumpet flower), shevga (drumstick), wild mushrooms and even yam leaves (elephant footplant). All the vegetables were found growing wild in or around their villages. “They just grow naturally every year and are available free to us during the season,” explains Dhangade.

While it was a tough decision, the jury finally gave the best group award to Gauri Mata Mahila Bachat gat of Shil village. Suvarna collected the prize for her group and declared that after getting back to their village they would stop buying biscuits for their children and instead feed them rann bhaji . After a round of thundering applause, more women got up and asserted that they too would request the local grocer to stop stocking biscuits.

All of them promised to return in winter for another round of Rann Bhaji Utsav, armed with a sample of the raw leaf or vegetable used in their dishes. Apart from the first three prizes, all the participating women were each presented with a blouse piece as a token of appreciation.

In neighbouring Jawahar taluka, the utsav is in its third year. Organised by the Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation (BAIF), the utsav encourages women in 5-6 villages to identify wild vegetables, which are then documented in detail. 

With growing urbanisation, pockets of rural India are losing touch with their natural surroundings.  Rann Bhaji Utsav promises not only to revive old traditions but also raise nutrition levels in rural areas. 

The writer is an organic farmer based in Dahanu, Maharashtra

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