http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/life/2010/12/17/stories/2010121750180400.htm 

Deadly seeds of starvation 

 Toxic mango kernels and tamarind seeds remain the only source of ‘food security' for a large number of tribals in Orissa.. "Every woman wants to feed her family nutritious food... We have no option but to eat food that sometimes kills us." - PICTURES: WFS Sarada Lahangir

 She speaks to us in the local dialect: “ Maribu boli janichu maa tathapi pet purbo boli aamba takua, tentli manji khauchu (We know that we will die eating these mango kernels and tamarind seeds to satiate our hunger).” Then she goes on to underline a stark reality, “There is no work available, government subsidised rice is distributed once in two or three months, and even then we have no money to buy it. Tell me, do we have a choice but to eat these mango kernels?” This is Chaita Majhi, 55, of Bahadulki village in Orissa's Kashipur block. Her husband had died 10 years ago after complaining of acute stomach pain. It was clear that he had died of food poisoning after consuming toxic mango kernels. Yet, Chaita has little option but to eat them too when she finds herself without food or money. Chaita does have a BPL card entitling her to subsidised rice. But the foodgrain, often not available, is beyond her means even at the subsided rate. Moreover, she has to walk nearly 15 km to fetch the rice from the Siripai panchayat office. The trek passing through a forest and difficult terrain becomes even more challenging during the rainy season. Desperate hunger According to the World Food Programme (WFP), about one billion people in the world are hungry, including over 350 million in India. This tribal region of Orissa is among the worst off, with over 80 per cent of the population living below the poverty line. As Sarasmati Majhi explains, “Here everybody is forced to prepare these mango kernels in unhygienic conditions, especially during the monsoon, and end up dying of diarrhoea, or even cholera. Officials tell us not to eat them as they are harmful. They even distribute rice during these visits. But a few days later, we are faced with the same problem. So we fall back on mango kernels.” In fact, almost every household in these parts has its stock of mango kernels as its only source of food security. Most tribals here are all too aware of the threat the mango kernel poses to them and their children. Seated with her malnourished child on her lap, Geeta Naik in Gadaba village of Rayagada district, confronts me with these angry words, “You are a woman… you may be a mother. But I am sure you feed your children with milk and normal food. Every woman wants to feed her family nutritious food. Unfortunately, we are not lucky people living luxurious lives in the city. We have no option but to eat food that sometimes kills us.” Geeta lost her husband in August this year. Some say he died of cholera, others say it was gastroenteritis. All Geeta knows is that he suffered from acute stomach pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and fever. She could not even take him to the hospital because the local primary health centre is at Bisam Katak, about 30 km away. Living with her four children, she is unable to take up even casual work to earn money as she cannot leave her young children unattended. Hoarding kernels The tribals in the region prepare for the difficult rainy season by collecting mango kernel and tamarind seeds. These are washed, dried, ground and stored. The mango gruel is made by cooking the powder with water. According to Badal Tab, a local resident, “Deaths are very common here during the monsoon because the household stock of foodgrain gets exhausted and people manage with starvation fare like mango kernel, the bark of salap tree, tamarind seeds, jackfruit seeds, and the roots, fruits and shoots of bamboo and mushroom. Due to the shortage of firewood during rains, the people cook in large quantities to last for four to five days.” In humid conditions the food collects fungus and ultimately kills them. As Dr S. Kar, Director of the Regional Medical Science and Research Centre (RMRC), Bhubaneswar, explains, although mango kernel, mushrooms and tamarind seeds are rich in carbohydrates and other nutrients, they can turn fatal when cooked and stored in unhygienic conditions. Poverty in Orissa Orissa's tribal belt has long been an area of concern, and the Government has introduced several welfare measures to address the endemic poverty in the region. So, why do people continue to die after imbibing toxic starvation foods? Rajkishore Mishra, State advisor to Commissioner Supreme Court (Right to Food), says, “Government schemes are designed to fail, and the gap between supply and demand is never filled. Most people here don't have documents that protect their entitlement to government subsidised rations. "And while foodgrain is supplied to the public distribution system, the tribals don't have the purchasing power. "To make matters worse, the adivasis have no rights to either agricultural land or the forests that had once provided them food and shelter in times of distress.” Jagdish Pradhan of the Paschim Orissa Krushijeevi Sangh says government policies and programmes should define people's entitlements and access to local resources, but unfortunately, this does not happen. Even the Central Government's flagship programme, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), has not made much of an impact in Orissa's tribal belt. Ashwini Kumar, Member of the Central Employment Guarantee Council, says the MNREGA here has failed to create awareness among the local people about their right to employment, and even those employed are often paid late and less than their due. The National Advisory Council — convened under Congress President Sonia Gandhi — has recommended food security cover for roughly 80 crore people, beginning in phases from the next financial year. This will soon be written into a food security law. The question is whether the measure will make a meaningful difference to women like Chaita Majhi and Geeta Naik, who have had to live on the edge of starvation all their lives. © Women's Feature Service