Week 3 pt 2: “Cradling Mother, Cradling Woman”

If you haven’t already been introduced to the rich, folk-like melodies of Fleet Foxes, then I encourage you to give them a listen.

This was the song that was stuck in my head as I made my way out to a tiny village in Nuh, Haryana.

“I'll run down

Lay my weight where it lies

I'll come round

Out in sheltering sky”

The song depicts a maternal relationship with music. It feels like a gentle hand pushing you forward towards adventure.

The drive as we left the city was calm. The view out of the window began to look more and more familiar as I entered a calmer world compared to the bustling city of Gurugram.

At this point in my journey, I was starting to feel a little homesick. I desperately missed ranch. Although the food I had each day was nourishing and palatable, I was starting to miss the familiar taste of chicken pot pie and mashed potatoes.

I was all set to conduct my nutrition activity in the field, despite being quite nervous.

We arrived at the village, and I was immediately enchanted by the murals depicting technology, nutrition, and food portions on the walls.

I love it when science and health are communicated in simplistic and colorful ways. The information was shown in a precise manner that was easy to interpret and follow.

I had never seen such informative and clear visuals in a learning environment before. It was so easy to see, even if I were to take off my glasses, and it brightened up the whole space.

I then met with the community workers and was introduced alongside my fellow interns who came with me to converse with farmers and discuss the current status of things.

I cannot reveal too much about the activity I conducted due to regulations around sharing methodology, but I can say it was a transformative and incredible experience.

the women said they loved the activity, we had so much fun learning together and sharing our favorite foods :)

The women were very engaged and excited to share with me all they know about nutrition and food preparation. I also received many suggestions on recipes to try and traditional practices to cure the common cold.

Here are some nutrition tips I learned from them

• Khichdi - made from rice and dal, it is typically the first solid food given to kids and it helps them with tummy aches. An equivalent for me would probably be porridge.

• Egg yolk for colds - when children have the cold, they sometimes give them the yolk of an egg. They know it has many good nutrients like proteins and fats for kids to grow strong.

We had so much fun together conducting this activity and sharing knowledge and stories. I felt like I was hanging out with my aunties at Thanksgiving, and it helped me relieve that bit of homesickness I had felt prior.

After the activity had concluded, I was invited into one of the women’s homes to have a home-cooked meal straight from her farm and her buffalo!

As we walked to her house, we talked about our favorite foods and berries to forage and what fruits and vegetables they they grow and eat in their gardens.

My friends and I tried a meal like no other. The roti was crafted from a mix full of millet, soy, beans, chickpeas, wheat, and jau. It was essentially real-life lembas bread. It would have surely sustained me from Bag End to Mordor.

yum!

I also made many animal friends during my stay at the farm. The buffalo, of course, I was very fond of. She had kind brown eyes and was very content basking in the afternoon sun. I also met a turtle that the family had stumbled upon. He was sitting in a bucket of water, splashing around in the summer heat.

new friend

The homestead felt so integrated with the nature surrounding it. Every bit of the meal that I had was cultivated from the plants and animals that were nurtured by the family. In a world that is so automated and industrial, this meal holds a special place in my heart.

The familiar tune of Fleet Foxes continued in my head as we drove through the countryside.

“Passing rain, blue white heat

Agony, not to me, it's not defeat”

We then made our way to a pond that was used to produce shrimp. It served as an income source for the community, and the sales made would directly support the infrastructure necessary to create a space for families to come together and connect.

Seeing the effects of years of dedicated efforts between scientists, community members, and researchers to nourish a community was healing. I can’t even imagine the patience it takes to watch a project unfold after 5 years. With this village, I am observing two years of hard work as my first impression of the village's state, but my fellow researchers have witnessed the project's progression since it began. Next week, I will be visiting a control village to see just how far these community members have come thanks to the foundation's consistent support.

I found that change doesn’t happen all at once, and truly effective change may feel monotonous and gradual. But it is the enthusiasm and excitement of the women that I met that made me feel the joy from that consistent change. Their voices have been empowered, their kitchens have been made a place for creativity and craft, and their ability to nourish their children has been bolstered through education and support.