A call to go desi all the way at Swadeshi festival

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Jackfruit seems to be the jack of all tastes at the ongoing Swadeshi festival at Gandhi Bhavan, Thycaud.
A wide array of products has been churned out from the rotund prickly fruit in sweet, spicy and even sour flavours.
Besides the usual syrup, jam, jelly and pickle, indigenous mixes like chakkakkuru thoran parippu, puttupodi, avalosu podi and sambar parippu are now on offer.The jackfruit peda too seemed to be hogging much limelight, with even health minister V S Sivakumar seen relishing one.
Jackfruit's natural ability to prevent cancer and control cholesterol has made it popular among visitors, said organizers. Also, up for demonstration are various methods of producing jackfruit dishes.
The 14-day festival organized by the Gandhi Centre for Rural Development (GRCD) aims to promote cottage industry products. Over 300 swadeshi items including natural soap, cleaning lotion, detergent, hand wash and cholesterol controller tonic are up for sale at the exhibition.
Anila M V, a stall owner selling soaps describes her items as 100% natural and completely non-allergic. Her soaps mainly consist of coconut oil and are available in fragrances that range from lemongrass and tulsi to sandal. Trained at GRCD, Anila earns a good income from the sales, fetching about Rs 5,000 during every expo. Like her, many are trained by GRCD.
"It is an alternative to globalization, adopting the 'desi' way," said Jayakumari K, a training staff at GRCD. She says the Swadeshi festival is a great initiative to empower rural people.
The seminars and exhibitions held as part of the fest spread awareness about the importance and value of swadeshi goods. Training is also imparted in jewellery-making, umbrella-making, paperbag-making and the like.
The festival is open from 7 am to 5 pm and will conclude on May 16.