Rice: Can India use this “black beauty”?
by K P Prabhakaran Nair on 05 Feb 2016 3 Comments

Rice is the staple diet of South Asia, in particular, the Indian sub-continent. In India, it is the basic ingredient of several south Indian delicacies, such as the ubiquitous idli, dosa, in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and puttu, in Kerala. Like India, China, Japan, The Philippines and other neighbouring South and South East Asian populations also prefer rice to wheat. Indians have, in general, a propensity to like the white colour, whether it is the choice of a bride for the son, or body wear.

 

Have you ever heard of the black rice? Not very long ago black rice (also Orayza sativa) was forbidden in China. Not because it looked poisonous because of its black colour, but because of its nutritional value. So it found place only on the Emperor’s menu. For long, the nutritional value of this wild rice eluded common folk.

 

It is only since very recently that rice researchers have begun to study the sticky varieties of black rice and discovered that it has several medicinal and nutritional properties. It has anti-carcinogenic properties and its bran soothes inflammation due to allergies, asthma and other diseases. Black rice is sold in local markets for as much as Rs 300 a kg.

 

Black rice is indigenous to north-east India and is extensively grown in Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand. It is commonly eaten in Manipur because of its medicinal value. Called chak-hao, meaning rice (chak) which is delicious (ahaoba), black rice is eaten during traditional feasts. Chak-hao kheer is a popular pudding in these regions and the water in which black rice is boiled is used in these parts to wash hair, in the belief that it makes hair strong.   

 

Mystery surrounds its origin. Japanese researchers discovered that its genetic trait arose due to a rearrangement in a gene called Kala4, which activates the production of anthocynin, the coloring pigment, the water soluble vacuolar pigments which might show different colours like red, purple or blue depending on the pH. These researchers concluded that this rearrangement must have originally occurred in the tropical Japonica sub-species of rice (Oryza sativa. var. Japonica) and the black rice trait was then transferred to other varieties, including those found today, by cross breeding. The findings of the origin of black rice help explain the history of domestication of black rice by ancient humans, during which they selected desirable traits, including grain colour.  

 

Medicinal Properties

 

Black rice contains more Vitamins B and E, niacin, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc as compared to white rice. It is rich in fibre and the grains have a nutty taste. The anthocyanins not only act as antioxidants, they also activate detoxifying enzymes. The rice arrests proliferation of cancerous cells, by inducing death of cancerous cells (apoptosis). It has anti-inflammatory properties, have anti-angiogenesic effects (inhibition of the formation of new blood vessels which encourages tumour growth).


In fact, it prevents invasion of cancer cells and induces differentiation – the greater the differentiation in cancerous cells, the less likely they are to spread, and be harmful, as testified by Li-Ping Luo, a celebrated Chinese cancer specialist and his research team. The research, in particular, shows that anthocyanins from black rice specifically arrests growth of breast cancer cells.

 

Agronomic benefits and how India can scale up cultivation

 

A Manipur-based farmer, Potshangbam Devakanta, whose rice germplasm collection is wide, attests to the drought resistance trait of black rice. He received the prestigious “Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Act Award” in 2012 for conserving black rice varieties and promoting its cultivation in north-east India.  

 

The prime constraint against the spread of black rice is that, as of now, it is covering just about 10% of the total cultivated rice area in Manipur. And, the prime reason for this poor spread in acreage is its poor yield. Since black rice suits best to organic farming which consumes much less water than the hybrid ones, but is labour intensive, it suits best to the Madagascar evolved System of Rice Intensification (SRI) which has caught up with rice cultivation in other parts of India where water is the main constraint for rice cultivation.

 

Jhum or slash and burn farming is very popular in north eastern India. The black rice could become a very welcome substitute provided there is concerted effort by the agricultural bureaucracy. In contrast to the situation in Manipur, the situation in Assam is very encouraging. Assam’s agriculture department is going in for massive cultivation of black rice as it brings premium price as an organic product which has great potential in the foreign market.  

 

The way forward to plan for India

             

Other state governments, where rice cultivation is a major enterprise, such as Andhra State, should take to black rice cultivation. A niche market can be established primarily for export purposes. The recent successful venture of the Union Government at Amuguripara in Goalpara district in Assam, where a total of 12 tons of black rice was produced in 13.2 hectares (close to a tonne per hectare), is a brilliant example of how providing infrastructure, market support and financial incentives can make black rice a good bet for Indian rice producers, consumers, as well as foreign consumers.

 

Without further delay, black rice germplasms must be included in the all-India rice research project based in Hyderabad, which will not only show its potential throughout India, but also open the eyes of farmers who are enterprising. There is no time to waste.   

User Comments Post a Comment
Apparently, B S Harishankar is confused.

Firstly, few Israelis or other Ashkenazim have any genetic link to the ancient Israelites. Their origins are the Khazar Empire; whose Emperor made his people Jews by royal decree in the 8th century. That is their only link to the Semite people.

When Kublai Khan drove the Khazars westwards in the 13th century, they fled to Russia or Germany, eventually creating a hybrid language of Khazar and German... Yiddish.

If Christians were not so ignorant, they would not believe the myth of return to the homeland.Most certainly, the Mahatmar Mohandas Gandhi did not. As he said about the proposed state of Israel, nobody has the right to invade another nation for religious reasons.

What Hindus should be doing is joining the global boycott against Israel until it returns the West Bank and Golan Heights to the Palestinians, ceases the genocide of civilians, ceases to attack aid flotillas, and establishes a genuine democratic state with Palestinians.

Modi will go down in Indian History as the leader who supported Israeli apartheid and genocide of Palestinians, an action which brought shame on all Indians
Tony Ryan
July 14, 2018
Report Abuse
Although increasing cultural contacts between Indians and Jews of all nations is a legitimate and positive initiative, care should be taken not to make this a politically partisan move which risks creating further divisions between Indians of various persuasions and religions on top of the already divisive 'Muslim question'.

Keep in mind that there is a rift within the Jewish community itself, between Israel Supremacists who broadly follow Netanyahu and far-right Zionist parties and the cosmopolitans Jews all over the world who are often much less favourable to Israel-first policies and often more supportive of the legitimate claims of Palestinians to their own land and property.

The last thing India needs is to be dragged like the USA and other western powers into the Israeli-Arab-Iranian conflict which is forcing the USA for one to make its foreign policy hostage to the interests of the hardline faction of the Israeli political system to the point of threatening a war with Iran simply to make israel 'feel secure'.

The same factor was behind the catastrophic wars in Iraq and Syria, which could have been avoided if the Jewish state had not put heavy pressure to overthrow those governments that it saw as inimical to its interests.

The Jewish religion and culture should not be conflated with Israeli power politics and financial interests but unfortunately it is now hard to distinguish between them.
Anon
July 14, 2018
Report Abuse
Very refreshing to read here an article sympathetic to Jews and Israel!
Bharati
July 14, 2018
Report Abuse
Many Indians are attracted sentimentally to Israel but I find that most Israelis are much more focused on the business opportunities and are especially interested in selling highly priced military hardware. The problem begins when they use their influence to drive a wedge between India and Iran which is, strategically and in terms of resources and geographical position and clout, more important than Israel for India.
Anon
July 14, 2018
Report Abuse
Kudos and thumbs up to Dr B.S.Harisankar's article "neccesity of indo - judaic studies in Indian universities". He has beautifully brought out the healthy Hindhu - Jewish relationship history of 1200 years as well as exposed the sinister designs of Christian - Marxist nexus, who are trying to erase the memorable hindhu Jewish history in kerala. He has also exposed the Congress govt of not only neglecting the study of Israeli history in India but also the hostile attitude towards Israel and the Jews, who have not harmed anyone in the world. In fact the Jews were the victims of persecutions by Christians, Muslims and Hitler of Germany. Bharat is the only country in the world to give refuge to the persecuted Jews who had to flee from their original homeland Israel and from Germany and Poland. The Jews reciprocated to the Indian generosity and merged their identity with Indian culture and contributed to the devt of India. It was the Jews of Israel that helped India during the 1971 indo - Pakistan war and kargil war in July 1999. Late Lt Gen. J.F.R.JACOB, was a jew who brought victory to India in the 1971 indo pak war. Although he was called to settle in Israel, he refused saying that India is my mother land and wished to die in India. While the indo Jewish relationship was very cordial for centuries, this is not the case with Christianity and Islam which spread terror and blood wherever they went. In India too, the Jews along with hindhus were tortured by Christian fanatics in kerala and Goa by the Portuguese. Hence Tony Ryan's comment that Modiji supports Israeli apartheid is downright baseless nonsense. Neither PM Modi nor Israel practices apartheid. In fact apartheid exists among Muslims and Christians all over the world like protestant don't go to Catholic churches and sunni and Shia Muslims having separate mosques,and all of them fighting against one another in various countries. The contention of Tony Ryan that India must join the global boycott against Israel in absurd and untenable. There is no cogent reason for any country to boycott Israel that is fighting for their homeland. PM Modi has been visiting many Christian and Muslim countries to build healthy diplomatic ties and has won accolades from many countries of the world. He stands tall as the third most popular political figure in the world scenario. By visiting Israel, he does not become anti Muslim or anti Christian. It is a false propaganda let loose by leftists that he is anti Muslim and so on. Only Pakistan and China are afraid of growing indo Israel ties and only God knows why. It may do well for all and particularly Tony Ryan to remember, that Congress govt was forced to ask help from Israel army during the 1971 indo pak war. Indira gandhi who was having more sympathy to the Muslim world and was anti Israel had no option but to listen to the wisdom of the Indian army General and Lt gen Jacob (an Indian jew), who said that Israeli army can help India in many ways. Despite Israel's help to India, the Congress govt never ever thought of thanking Israel and continued to show a hostile, ungrateful attitude towards Israel. It was PM Modi who made a historic visit to Israel to set right diplomatic ties. Thus it is Modiji who put an end to the long period of hostility between India and Israel, a hostility created by the Congress govt of the past. To sum up, in the light of Dr Harishankar's exposing left - Christian conspiracy in attempting to destroy the long cordial indo - Jewish relationship and Modiji efforts to build good relationships with Israel and others countries, the necessity of "global boycott" of Israel stands redundant and meaningless. Once again let me thank Dr Harishankar for his remarkable insight into indo - judaic bonds of friendship since ancient times. Unni pune.
Panikkath Krishnan Unni
July 14, 2018
Report Abuse
About 2000 years ago, a ship with 14 Jewish oil traders headed towards Gujrat. However, their ship wrecked at the Konkan coast. Those 14 families then settled in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. They were called Shanivarche teli (Marathi: ???????? ????), i.e. Saturday-oil merchants by the locals because they did not work on Saturdays on the account of Shabbat. Those Jews called themselves Bene-Israel (sons of Israel)

They almost completely adopted the Maharashtrian culture. Even today, old Jewish women in the Konkan wear saris even at home. Almost all of them speak Marathi as their mother-tongue. Many Jewish kids still learn in Marathi-medium schools. Some Jews are also said to have converted to Hinduism and live as brahmins in Maharashtra.

Before the second world war, the Jewish population in Konkan was about 500,000. However, after WW II, most of them migrated to Israel, to help build a strong Jewish nation. Today, Maharashtra has only 5,000 Bene-Israel Jews left.

The Bene-Israels in Israel still speak Marathi. There are 2 towns in Israel, Dimona and Beersheba, where those Bene-Israel Jews are a majority. Marathi is commonly spoken there.
Krishna Hari C
July 15, 2018
Report Abuse
Why are the jews hated through out the world? What made the christians and muslims persecute jews?
srinivasan
July 15, 2018
Report Abuse
There are strong and multifaceted ties between India and Israel as recorded in the Hebrew Bible that is at least 1200 BCE (i.e over 3000 years old).

King Solomon (first millennium BCE) is reported to have gone to India and to have married Indian women who were allowed to keep practicing Hinduism. That created a scandal back in Israel and was blamed in some quarters for the Assyrian destruction of the First Temple (built by Solomon).

The evolution of Yahveh from the war god of Moses ("you shall have no other gods before me") to the One God of the Pentateuch occurred when Ptolemy II (mid-3rd century BCE) convened a council of 70 or 72 Jewish scholars (6 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel to translate the Torah into Greek. The change was made on the basis of a declaration by the Council that it had found a writing of Solomon about the One God. Most probably, that reflected a teaching of the Upanishads about Brahman (the universal abstraction from which Creation springs).

Links continued throughout history, with the Essene settlement near Jerusalem reflecting strong Hindu influences during the First Temple period, and two great Jewish diasporas to India after the destruction of both the First and Second Temples.
.
As to the question why Jews came to be the object of Christian discrimination and oppression, we can lay the blame squarely on the Roman plot to hijack the Church of the Disciples to Rome and thus deprive the Jewish resistance in Palestine of a messianic leader, all the more powerful after being martyred.
Bhaskar Menon
July 16, 2018
Report Abuse
There is no reference in the Hebrew Bible to Solomon marrying women from India, only non-Hebrew 'idolatrous' women from neighbouring regions. There may be folk traditions about his Hindu wives but nothing in recorded history.
The struggle between monotheists and henotheists (who regard one God- Sabaoth, Elohim or Yahveh - as ranking above all others) is old and and was quite bitter among Israelites. The split between Israel and Judah during the reign of Solomon's son was partly political and partly reflected the divergence between strict Judaic monotheists and more diverse citizens of Israel (the ten other tribes).
The trial and execution of Jesus was motivated by the conservative Pharisaic Roman-friendly faction of the Jewish religious leadership in alliance with the power of Rome. The Jewish resistance to Rome did not involve Christians or Nazarenes as they were called then, because the latter were quietist or mystical and did not seek political power, according to Jesus who said that that belonged to Caesar should be given to Caesar and who shunned the idea of a violent revolt. The opposition between Christians and Jews developed as a rivalry for power and was not directly connected to Roman repression of the Zealot rebellious Jews. Paul of Tarsus advocated converting non-Jews to Christianity on an equal footing which Jews resented as a threat to their community's survival and privileges.
Finally current news indicate that Israel is moving in a direction similar to South Africa under the Apartheid regime. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/15/israel-turmoil-bill-allowing-jews-arabs-segregated
anon
July 16, 2018
Report Abuse
Excellent article. Do ignore the bigoted comments of 'Anon' and 'Tony Ryan' which are not in keeping with Hindu civilizational values of pluralism, diversity, compassion and harmony between faiths and ethnicities! The two are evidently not Hindu by religious persuasion.

Bhaskar Menon exemplifies Hindu values and fundamentals. Congratulations to a super Op Ed.
Reader
July 17, 2018
Report Abuse
Oops, I meant Harishanker, not Bhaskar Menon (who is ok - nothing personal against him)
Reader
July 17, 2018
Report Abuse
@ Mr. Tony Ryan: says/quotes “nobody has the right to invade another nation for religious reasons.”

Is any other reason, reason enough then? Political, strategic, economic, social, etc. etc.? Mr. Ryan, if you are sincere you would first take a look at the white, Christian west, and deliver your first lecture to these folk who eradicated ancient civilizations and peoples of 5 continents of the world, and ridiculous as they are, eradicated THEIR OWN MEMORY OF WHAT THEY WERE, WHERE THEY CAME FROM, WHO THEIR OWN ANCESTORS WERE.

As an Indian, I feel only pride and relief at setting things right at long last, when Sri Modi recognized and supported Israel. If we went along with what you say that only those who have an ancient and historical ties of blood to a land can call it home, then every christian, Muslim, and others of India, must either revert to Sanaathana Dharma or must migrate to the Holy Land.

Judaism has returned to its place of origin. Even if it is right that modern Jews are not descendants of the original Jews, still they ARE Jews. Forget the people. That place around Jerusalem is the home of Judaism. Then came Christianity and then Islam, each one of them
claiming for itself a home that already belonged to another. At least they should have had the grace of requesting and accepting the hospitality of the original home owner. But they had to be churlish, greedy and dishonest and appropriate to themselves the homes they were allowed to share! But then, this has always been the story of Christianity and Islam. To maul and chew off the fingers that feed them! Do not we “Hindus” know that 2000 years old trick?

So why should we Indians, Hindus, have friendly feelings with the Jews? But why not? The Jews did not get our children to convert and ideologically send our ancestors to “hell"! They did not torture, murder, harass my ancestors, so that they had to leave their ancient homes in the north and wander in poverty and destitution for centuries before they found another home in the Deep South!

To the Hindu it does not matter whether the “Other” thinks that the creator is an independent all powerful being separate from “His” Creation. It does not matter even if the “Other” was to think that the creator is a purple goat with twisted horns. What matters is that my people and my children are not inveigled by lies, threats, bribes, etc. to convert! What matters is that we are not forced to trash our antiquity and heritage. What matters is that we are not forced to be them. And very important that every person on earth has the same right as the Christian and Muslim, to be himself/herself.


Chandra Ravikumar
July 19, 2018
Report Abuse
Excellent article by B.S. Harishankar. I have suggested that Indus Script is used on three pure tingots found in a shipwreck in Haifa, israel. My monograph on this conclusion has been published in Journal of Indo-Judaic Studies, Vol. 1, Number 11 (2010), pp.47-74 — The Bronze Age Writing System of Sarasvati Hieroglyphics as Evidenced by Two “Rosetta Stones” By S. Kalyanaraman (Editor of JIJS: Prof. Nathan Katz) http://www.indojudaic.com/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=1&Itemid=8

The author Michal Artzy showed these four signs on the four tin ingots to E. Masson who is the author of Cypro-Minoan Syllabary. Masson’s views are recorded: “E. Masson, who was shown all four ingots for the first time by the author, has suggested privately that the sign ‘d’ looks Cypro-Minoan, but not the other three signs.”

If all the signs are NOT Cypro-Minoan Syllabary, what did these four signs, together, incised on the tin ingots signify? If the tin ingots contained Indus Script signifying the nature of the cargo with specific expressions: ranku dhatu muha 'tin mineral ingot' using hieroglyphs of similar sounding Ancient Indian words: ranku 'liquid measure/antelope', X daatu, 'cross' and human face (mukha).

Every serious student of civilization studies has to keep an open mind and study the contacts of ancient times between India and Israel.
S. Kalyanaraman
July 20, 2018
Report Abuse