Aparna Pallavi worked as a journalist writing on green issues for a Delhi-based magazine, until the dichotomy of her own life began to bother her. So she quit her job and set up a blog about the importance of wild food. Not fully satisfied, she set about planning a food trail that would take her across ten states, staying with farmers and tribal communities to learn more about their Tree of Life, the ‘Mahua’ (Madhuca longifolia). Tribal folklore from Madhya Pradesh to Tamil Nadu is filled with tales of the Mahua, each part of which finds its way into food, medicine, and even alcohol. Scientists are only now waking up to the medical benefits of this tropical deciduous tree.

Aparna is keen to take her work beyond just travels and to offer urban people the option of wild food that is tasty and healthy. She gives me the example of Nagpur where she lives; wild greens like tarota (Cassia tora) are available during the monsoon. But the awareness regarding these foods is low, and only a narrow spectrum of foods is available. Aparna is keen to equip urban populations with more creative strategies through which they can access these varied, nutritious, and tasty foods. Already ,thanks to her travels , she can identify at least 10 to 12 wild vegetables growing along the roadside in any city. Aparna hopes to empower communities to create spaces where these wild foods can be nurtured and harvested in a sustainable manner so that they remain available year after year.

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