Desi Dal Mela on April 5 and 6 in Mysuru

The Desi Dal Mela will be held in Mysuru on April 5 and 6.
| Photo Credit: M.A. SRIRAM

A “Desi Dal Mela” will be held in Mysuru on April 5 and 6 to showcase the diversity of the leguminous crops, some of which are tottering towards extinction due to the introduction of high-bred varieties.

The Dal mela is being held for the first time in the city, conducted by Sahaja Samrudha, an organisation promoting crop diversity, and Vishwa Agro Tech and Bio Tech, at Nanjanraja Bahadur Choultry.

The Dal mela will be inaugurated by actress Akshata Pandavapura and will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Krishnaprasad of Sahaja Samrudha said that pulses have been the backbone of Indian cuisine, shaping its rich and vibrant culinary traditions, and were part of the millet-based crop diversity in Karnataka, also called the “Akkadi” system. But with increasing mechanisation of farms and the shift to high-bred varieties and monoculture, the Akkadi system was also going out of vogue, and the leguminous crops have fallen victim to the emerging trends.

He said the diversity of dal is immense, though only a handful are popular and used in cuisine. The Dal mela will showcase nearly 100 varieties from different parts of the country. Besides, there will be information on culinary delights that can be dished out of these split beans or pulses, whose diversity is mindboggling, he added.

The mela will also celebrate the dal diversity which encapsules colourful beans of the Himalayas, field beans of Tamil Nadu, moth beans of north Karnataka, lentils of West Bengal, cowpeas of Odisha, toor of Maharasthra, horse gram of Andhra Pradesh, Moong of Madhya Pradesh, urad of Uttar Pradesh, to name a few, he said.

Apart from shaping the culinary traditions of India, pulses – being leguminous crops – enrich soil fertility and make it sustainable for agriculture, Mr. Krishnaprasad said.

Among the 100 traditional pulse varieties that will be showcased at the mela are winged beans, lima beans, black and green chickpeas, rice beans, Himalayan beans, and Vietnamese cowpeas. “Notably, the Gulbarga Toor Dal, which holds a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, along with North Karnataka’s Jawari Toor Dal, will be on display and available for sale,” Mr. Krishnaprasad said.

Farmers and seed savers from across India will bring their unique produce, and Shankara Lunguti, a well-known seed saver from Belagavi, will present a rare green chickpea variety and a black chickpea, which, the Sahaja Samrudha said, was renowned for its medicinal properties.

Devdanya Farmers Producer Company from Dharwad will showcase black horse gram and other local dals, while a women’s group from Haveri will exhibit 18 varieties of groundnut.

The organisers said visitors can also learn about chemical-free pulse storage techniques from GrainPro. Additionally, more than 25 stalls will feature organic produce, millets, seeds, and value-added products.