Safe Food Mela, chennai at Semmozhi Poonga!

A unique Safe Food Mela is awaiting Chennai citizens this Sunday afternoon (3 to 7 PM, June 24^th 2012), at Semmozhi Poonga. Organised by the Safe Food Alliance to create awareness about toxic agricultural inputs and exhorting urban consumers to shift towards organic food consumption, this mela will see several non-governmental organizations and organic enterprises in the city joining hands. The Mayor of Chennai city and some personalities from the film world, musicians, writers and intellectuals are expected to participate too.

The Safe Food Mela is part of a nation-wide campaign called INDIA FOR SAFE FOOD, which seeks to promote ecological farming as a win-win solution for farmers and consumers when it comes to toxic technologies like synthetic pesticides and GMOs in our food production.  India continues to use many pesticides that have been banned in other countries and many of these are known to be carcinogenic, endocrine-disrupting or reproductive-toxicants. Many studies including in the public sector laboratories, show our food, water and soil are contaminated with pesticides.

On the other hand, there is also much evidence to show that farming is indeed viable and possible without the use of chemical pesticides. Millions of organic farmers and farmers who have adopted Non-pesticidal management of crops are showcasing this. It is in this context that India For Safe Food is demanding a policy shift away from chemical-intensive farming.

The Mela in Semmozhi Poonga will have organic outlets like reStore, Dhanyam, Organic Pasumaiyakam and 60 Degrees Fahrenheit setting up their stalls with various kinds of products (mangoes, fresh greens, millets and other cereals, honey, snacks etc.). In addition tasty organic foods will be sold by Organica. CIKS will have a special display on traditional rices and dishes made of them, while Greenpeace will set up a awareness stall. There will be an urban gardening stall, with tools and seeds for sale and display. The highlight could well be the poster exhibition of ills of pesticides.

Come, this Sunday afternoon, do something to change the way you consume food. After all, as the saying goes, You Are What You Eat! Appreciate and enjoy the world of organic by taking part in the Safe Food Mela and joining the India For Safe Food Movement. You can endorse the cause by giving a missed call on 022-3301 0031 and log on to www.indiaforsafefood.in for more information.

While you visit this Indiaforsafefood.in website, kindly sign the online petition too!

Kindly spread the message far and wide and bring more to the mela and make it merrier..

Bus, JC Kumarappa, Kid and facebook!

I was in a Bus in Blore and happily reading a J C Kumarrappa reader (collection of all his works!)..that particular page was his comments on the (then released) budget –of 1929..where he had criticized the brits using up some 50-60% on defence! Yes in 1920s – our money for their defence!

Anyway so this young boy asks me if I was preparing for Civil service exams..I was stunned…so asked him what made him think so..and he said the pages I was reading were so ‘administrative’ and ‘governmentish’ he thought so..and the fact that both his parents were IAS officers was also another reason he said..

Then I went on to explain him about JCK and suddenly talks went on to ecology, ‘development’ activism, food etc..
and then his stop came and he told me he wanted to know more on many of the things we discussed and asked me for my facebook id (or what ever about face book that is exchanged!) and booh..i was not to have that! And his looks..

Hmm..so its not just about that kid, but many times Iam  told the power of this networking site and also the usefulness..

I always dreaded the fact that I don’t have time to update even my blogs which is more or less my own ready reckoner and personal diary! But still decided to dust the old facebook page that a friend opened on my behalf long back in 2008 or 09!

So I have a face and a book guys.. see here!

Note: JCK is an amazing person, was the points man for Gandhi esp in rural economy and livelihoods, and so completely ignored by India, the then Indian Govt, history and by all till today! If only the Govts then and people had listened to him, India wud have gained so much! He was such a great person with such foresight and complete holistic views..(more on him later)