Social Reserch Foundation

ISSN: 2456–4397	RNI No. UPBIL/2016/68067	VOL.- VII , ISSUE- IX December - 2022
	Anthology The Research

Ethnobotanical Study of The Plants of Sawai Madhopur Used During Famine

Paper Id : 16956 Submission Date : 2022-12-09 Acceptance Date : 2022-12-15 Publication Date : 2022-12-25
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Meenakshi Baghel
Associate Professor
Botany Department
Government College
Niwai, Tonk,Rajasthan, India

Abstract

According to the Minas falling under the age group of 70 to 100 years who were interviewed with reference to the famine food, a famine occurred during Vikram Samvat 1996 of the Indian calendar. The only answer received from all of them was 'chhinn ki sall mein kaal padyo'. The running year according to Indian calendar is samvat 2057. Hence the entire state, approximately 61 years back was engulped by the famine continuously for two years. another famine faced by the people of the state occurred much earlier in Vikram Samvat 1956, ie. approximately 100 years back, which was most destructive and was called as Chapanakal in which 10 lakhs people of the state died but its details about the famine food and the prevailingconditions could not be obtained in the absence of the survivors. The famine of Vikram Samvat 1996 severely hit each and every tribal and the villagers. Most of them were forced to leave villages. The only source of water supply was from wells which too were half dried. Most of the villagers and tribals of the tehsil Sawai Madhopur, in the absence of work joined the construction site of a dam called Bilaisagar in Khandar tehsil as labourers. They got gains in return of labour done from the contractor. The feudal lords (Jamindar) and bankers (Sahukar), however, had the stored grains of Sorghum bicolor, Zea mays, Pennisetum americanum and Hordeum vulgare.

Keywords

Famine, Vikram Samvat, Kaal Padyo, Destructive.

Introduction

Farming being the main occupation of Minas, they raise a variety of agricultural crops. They also grow edible species under complete protection along their huts, dwellings in the courtyard or in the large area protected by a fencing to keep cattle and known as baada. The tribe consume a large variety of wild edible plants which become the only source to thrive during famine. Many of these plants supply food to the large section of human beings in considerable amount. Minas rarely eat the forest food in the raw state, rather they consume it after cooking employed with frying, seasoning and adding of spices and sugar depicting their advanced nature over other tribes of the state. Since the granaries were not in custom in those days, the grains were stored in numerous moats (khaayian) build inside the earth which often decayed the stored grains in absence of light and air. Some amount of Sorghum Bicolor was also brought from Madhya Pradesh by feudal lords which was good in condition and was sold at the rate of 8 to 10 kg. per rupee. the decayed grains were sold at the rate of 12 to 13 kg. per rupee by the feudal lords which were washed in hot water, dried and grounded to flour. Before preparing bread out of it the flour was augmented with powder of numerous wild plant products so as to increase the quantity.

Objective of study

Rajasthan is the state that has tased many famine during past years Tribah of rajasthan uses many plant products which survives the Scarcity of water and helps to satiate the hunger. The aim to Conduct this survey is to provide the knowledge of such plant which remain alive even in extreme hot condities conditions and absence of water.

Review of Literature

Arora and his accociates (1980, 1984, 1987) have done pioneer work in India and shown infinite opportunities on food plants. Minas also provide ample information on wild edible species. the study reveals gathering of numerous wild fruits, leaves, flowers, tubers and seeds many of which are also reported by other Indian ethnobotanists.
Many of these plants consumed in the manner of Minas are also reported by Bajpayee and Dixit (1996), Bhargava (1997) and Vartak (1997).

Main Text

The famine foods used in the past and also consumed in present time during emergency and time of scarcity.

S. No.	Botanical Name	Part Used	Mode of Consumption
1.	Acacia catechu	Bark	Powdered and used in augmenting other flour to increase the quantity before baking into bread
2.	Acacia leucophloea	Bark and seeds	Both powdered and used like Acacia catechu. In acute scarcity the bark powder is mixed in water with salt and taken as a drink
3.	Acacia nilotica	Bark	Same like Acacia catechu
4.	Achyranthes aspera	Seeds	Powdered and mixed in other flour to make bread. It forms a heavy diet
5.	Aegle marmelos	Fruits	Supplements the diet
6.	Aerva javanica	Seeds	Grinded and mixed in flour of Hordeum vulgare and prepared into bread. Coarse grinding of bothe the grains is also done to form porride (dalia)
7.	Bauhinia racemosa	Pods Bark Seeds	Pulp is added in the flour after removing the seeds and made into breads Powdered and used in augmenting the flour Powdered with grains of Sorghum bicolor and made into bread
8.	Butea monosperma	Soft leaves	Consumed raw
9.	Ceropegia bulbosa	Roots and Leaves	Tuberous roots and leaves consumed after boiling in water
10.	Citrullus lanatus	Fruits	It is produced in large amount in absence of water, hence largely consumed
11.	Commelina erecta	Roots	Fleshy roots are consumed after boiling
12.	Cordia gharaf	Bark	Powdered and used in augmenting the flour
13.	Cynodon dactylon	Leaves and culms	Leaves and top tender culms are consumed as vegetables
14.	Cyperus rotundus	Grains Roots	Powdered and used in augmenting the flour Dried roots of Cyperus rotundus and Cyperus esculentus are grinded together to make bread
15.	Digera muricate	Whole plant	Consumed as vegetable after boiling
16.	Diospyros melanoxylon	Fruits	Powdered after drying and made into bread. The dried fruits are also stored in large quantity in storage bins and consumed after boiling
17.	Echinochloa frumentacea	Grains	Powder is mixed with seed powder of Achyranthes aspera and baked into breads
18.	Eleusine indica	Grains	Powdered and augmented with other flour
19.	Eragrostis cilianensis	Grains	Powdered and baked into bread
20.	Eragrostis ciliaris	Grains	Powdered and baked into bread
21.	Eragrostis gangetica	Grains	Powdered and baked into bread
22.	Eragrostis tremula	Grains	Powdered and baked into bread
23.	Euphorbia hirta	Tender shoot	Consumed as vegetable
24.	Ficus benghalensis	Fruits	Fresh or dry receptacles mixed with flour of wheat or maize and made into breads
25.	Ficus hispida	Fruits	Like Ficus benghalensis
26.	Ficus racemosa	Fruits Stem bark	Like Ficus benghalensis Powder is augmented with flour
27.	Ficus religiosa	Fruits Leaf buds	Like Ficus benghalensis Consumed raw
28.	Ganaphalium luteo-album	Leaves	Consumed as vegetable
29.	Hygrophila auriculata	Seeds	Used as cereals
30.	Imperata cylindrica	Rhizomes	Consumed after cooking
31.	Indigofera cordifolia	Seeds	Powdered and mixed in flour of pearl millet and made into breads
32.	Indigofera linifolia	Seeds	Like Indigfera cordifolia
33.	Lannea coromandelica	Fruits	Ripe fruits are eaten rawn
34.	Leucas aspera	Leaves	Consumed as vegetable
35.	Madhuca longifolia	Flowers and fruits Bark	Stored in large amount in bins and boiled and cooked when required Boiled and made into thick broth which is consumed
36.	Momordica balsamina	Young shoot and leaves	Cooked as vegetable
37.	Mucuna pruriens	Seeds	Roasted and consumed like groundnut
38.	Najas graminea	Whole plant	Cooked as vegetable
39.	Oryza rufipogon	Grains	Powdered to bake into breads
40.	Ottelia alismoides	Leaves	Consumed as vegetable
41.	Pedalium murex	Leaves	Cooked as vegetable
42.	Pergularia daemia	Leaves and flowers	Cooked as vegetable
43.	Pjyla nodiflora	Leaves	Cooked as vegetable
44.	Polygonum plebeium	Leaves	Cooked as vegetable
45.	Portulaca quadrifida	Young plant	Consumed as vegetable
46.	Prosopis cineraria	Leaves Seeds Bark	Dried, powdered and mixed in flour of pearl millet or maize to bake into breads. Sometimes also mixed with coarsely grinded Sorghum bicolor and prepared into porridge (dalia) Roasted and eaten or consumed after boiling Powder is augmented with other flour
47.	Sagittaria sagittifolia	Young leaves and corms	Boiled and cooked as vegetable
48.	Salvadora oleiodes	Fruits	Their production was enormous during the famine, hence consumed in large scale
49.	Salvadora persica	Fruits	Consumed raw
50.	Sesbania sesban	Seeds	Used as substitute for pulses
51.	Setaria glauca	Seeds	Powder is used to augment the llour
52.	Sonchus oleraceus	Young shoot and leaves	consumed as vegetable
53.	Sorghum bicolor	Grains	Powdered and mixed in water and boiled with salt. It is used as curry
54.	Terminalia bellirica	Seeds	Starchy protein of the seed is consumed after removing the seed coat
55.	Tribulus terrestris	Seeds	Powdered and augmented with flour
56.	Wrightia tinctoria	Tender leaves and pods	Cooked as vegetable
57.	Wrightia towentosa	Tender leaves	Consumed as vegetable
58.	Ziziphus nummularia	Fruits Seeds	Consumed raw Powdered and made into ketchup (chutney) after adding salt and chilly and eaten with bread

Conclusion

This article presents and account of 58 plant species of Sawai Madhopur Tehsil which were used in past and also consumed in present time as famine food by the tribals. Of these species bark of seven species, seeds of 14 species, fruits of 11 species, pods of two species, soft leaves of 15 species, roots of three species, grain of nine species, whole plant of six species, rhizome of one specie and flower of two species were variously used as famine foods. Today under the continuous and rapid impact of increasing population, India is facing the severe problem of food. The situation has been made worse by the continuous blow of famine in the state of Rajasthan. In such a situation there is a ray of hope from the wild food of the state which has been continuously used by the tribals and local inhabitants since time immemorial. So far no harmful effects have been reported due to the wild food consumed by them rather it has acquainted the tribals with extraordinary vigour and stamina to sustain the hardships of life in extreme harsh and inhospitable environment. They are well aware of what to eat and how to distinguish the poisonous wild species.

References

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