Traditional foods help improve health, says VC
The Hindu
Workshop on food practices held at Yuvaraja’s College
On the occasion of 6th Ayurveda Day (Sri Dhanvantri Jayanti), the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Yuvaraja’s College, and other associations in association with the Department of AYUSH, Government of Karnataka, organised a workshop on traditional food practices here on Thursday. The event marked the department’s 25th anniversary.
Congratulating the department on its silver jubilee and also inaugurating the workshop, University of Mysore Vice-Chancellor G. Hemantha Kumar spoke about various traditional foods that are commonly consumed in the country having health benefits.These foods could help prevent some serious ailments.
The VC cited the examples of ambali, a finger millet-based fermented semi-liquid food preparation consumed by the people in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and is considered a geriatric food because of the presence of high calcium and low-resistant starch in finger millet. It consists of sufficient amount of calcium and is a healthy drink for elderly persons.
Hampi, the UNESCO-recognised historical site, was the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565. Foreign travellers from Persia, Europe and other parts of the world have chronicled the wealth of the place and the unique cultural mores of this kingdom built on the banks of the Tungabhadra river. There are fine descriptions to be found of its temples, farms, markets and trading links, remnants of which one can see in the ruins now. The Literature, architecture of this era continue inspire awe.
Unfurling the zine handed to us at the start of the walk, we use brightly-coloured markers to draw squiggly cables across the page, starting from a sepia-toned vintage photograph of the telegraph office. Iz, who goes by the pronouns they/them, explains, “This building is still standing, though it shut down in 2013,” they say, pointing out that telegraphy, which started in Bengaluru in 1854, was an instrument of colonial power and control. “The British colonised lands via telegraph cables, something known as the All Red Line.”
The festival in Bengaluru is happening at various locations, including ATREE in Jakkur, Bangalore Creative Circus in Yeshwantpur, Courtyard Koota in Kengeri, and Medai the Stage in Koramangala. The festival will also take place in various cities across Karnataka including Tumakuru, Ramanagara, Mandya, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Hassan, Chitradurga, Davangere, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru.