Modi, Millets, Khadi and Yoga!

The other day a Leftist friend of mine poked in my ribs asking “why is your PM (“he is not our Prime Minister”) bent on taking this back thousands of years, bringing back an ancient cereal, the millet?”He is my Prime Minister, and I must defend his every word and dead! My friend raised this issue in a WhatsApp message after reading an article in The Hindu which was, astonishingly. not very critical So I wrote to his as follows:

You may remember it was indeed Narendra Modi government that recommended to the United Nations in 2019 to promote internationally resulting in the declaration of 2023 as the “International Year of Millets” by the world body! Even as as India was getting ready to mark 2023 as the International Year of Millets, the Prime Minister, along with other leaders attended a  sumptuous lunch on 20th December 2022, a whe a variety of millet dishes were served to Parliamentarians  across party lines!

Millets also known as Mota Anaj have been an essential part of the traditional Indian cuisine and with the recent efforts by the Mdi Government to raise awareness and promote the inclusion of millets in the day-to-day diet, it is believed that Indians will gradually move to healthier food choices. The term ‘millet’ is used to describe small-grained cereals like jowar (sorghum), ragi (finger millet), bajra (pearl millet), kodo (kodo millet), kutki (little millet), kakun (foxtail millet), sanwa (barnyard millet), cheena (proso millet), kuttu (buckwheat) and chaulai (amaranth), among others. The consumption of millets in our sub-continent dates back to 3,300 to 1300 BCE during the Indus-Sarasvati civilisation. According to media reports, millets are grown in 130 countries and are part of the traditional diet of more than half a billion people in Asia and Africa. Interestingly, Millets are rich in soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, which makes these grains great for a healthy digestive system and a better gut health. High in protein, gluten-free and low in glycemic index, millets are rich in vitamin A, B and minerals like phosphorus, potassium, niacin, calcium, iron and ample antioxidants, which make these cereals a powerhouse of nutrition and helps in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, strokes, diabetes and high blood pressure. 

PM Modi’s special millet lunch affair with lawmakers mentioned above included everything made with a bevy of millets. As per a news agency report, the millet lunch began with a hearty Bajra soup, Ragi dosa and roti, Foxtail millet Bisibelebath and Joladha roti to name a few. Apart from that the dessert platter had some unique sweet preparations like Ragi halwa, Jowar halwa and Bajra kheer all made with millets. Other than culinary diversity involved, there serious reasons for the Indian government tin promoting millets. The policy highlights the importance of coarse grains or millets as a means of sustainable cultivation with the potential of increasing incomes of small farmers in arid regions, besides providing food and nutritional security at the global level. It also points to the growing awareness of the health (two extremes of malnourishment and obesity plague large portions of the world w) and environmental benefits (low water requirements and contribution to soil restoration) of millets, as well as efforts to revive traditional agricultural practices and supporting them. certain’There appears to have a ‘Midas touch’ in Narendra Modi’s certain policy initiatives. For example look at the sale of Khadi products across the country growing  tremendously since 2014, thanks to the repeated appeals of  Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to promote Khadi! The KVIC went on prodigious growth rate year after year, as a result of the government’s push to promote village industries and use of khadi products, the low-profile segment notching up sales of over Rs 1.5lakh crore  fin 2023-24, besides creating 10lakh additional jobs! Khadi fabric sales alone shot up by 500% in 9 years! Likewise our Prime Minister in his address during the opening of the 69th the the General Assembly, on the 14th of 2014, appealed for the universal recognition of Yoga, an ancient Indian tradition that embodies unity of mind and body, thought and action, more than physical exercise.  United Nations proclaimed June 21 as the International Day of Yoga by resolution 69/131. The draft resolution establishing the International Day of Yoga was proposed by India and endorsed by a record 175 member states. 

Remember, our first Prime Minister was a yoga enthusiast. His daughter,Prime Minister Indira Gandhi too practiced Yoga. But it was Prime Minister Modi who transformed Yoga into a hugely potent tool for public diplomacy. Modi spotted its potential to become a vehicle of India's soft power!