organised by the M. R. Morarka – GDC Rural Research Foundation.

The eSvasa team was invited to experience an organic lunch in Jaipur. Once inside the beautiful lawns of the Ashok Club, it was wonderful to see the crowd swell to over a thousand people. Politicians, corporate bigwigs, farmers with their families and other ordinary citizens from different cities fraternized over a traditional organic rajasthani banquet.

The menu, which included dal baati, gatta curry, kair sangri, sarsoon saag, mooli pata sabzi, bajre ki khichdi, meethe chawal and amazing desserts like badaam halwa, gajak, ghever, rabri, kulfi,choormas gajar pak and more, was specially designed by internationally renowned Chef Sameer Gupta. The food was an eclectic mix of traditional, local and organic ingredients, and was a treat for the palate. Even the pickles, condiments & salads (including a fabulous haldi adrak bhujia) were organic and everything was made the old fashioned slow cooked way.

Chef Sameer Gupta was kind enough to give us some insights into how modern ways of cooking destroy the balance of our food. For example, commercially sold salt does more harm to our body than good; it’s better to use Sendha namak or rock salt as it has several minerals which are important for us. Similarly, cooking in a pressure cooker keeps the toxins in our food even after cooking. In the past, pulses were cooked in a pan and the white frothy layer on top that contained the unhealthy components was just discarded. We hope to interact with Chef Gupta again soon so that he can share more knowledge and practical advice with our readers.

We also managed to meet Mr. Kamal Morarka, Chairman of the Morarka Group. He was so charismatic and kind to us, wishing us well in our venture to promote organic food and healthy cooking practices, that we were overwhelmed! We also managed to meet up with Mr. Mukesh Gupta, Executive Director of the Morarka Group, a doyen in the field of organic farming and a
powerhouse of knowledge on the subject.

While this lunch was an extensive public relations exercise (no commercial activity at all), specialists from various fields were present to explain the nuances of the organic range to us. We saw the newly launched organic linen range, and the textile team explained how organic cottons like linen, socks, thermals and innerwear are especially beneficial for people with skin or respiratory allergies, or young children whose immune system is not so developed. The marketing team also updated us on the interesting new products available now.

We came back overwhelmed by the hospitality of our Rajasthani hosts, and deeply impressed with the passion that people working in the organic sector have. We hope that something like this can be organized in Delhi NCR, so that people can see for themselves how the intrinsic quality of food and good cooking techniques make even simple traditional dishes taste so much more wholesome and delicious.