Varanasi: An enlightening film on India’s past, present and future Rice and Biryani,” produced by the Department of Neurology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu UniversityIt will be unveiled by Professor UK Mishra, former Head of the Department of Neurology, SGPGIMS, on September 25 at the prestigious IIC, New Delhi.
The event will have the special presence of Professor Debashish Chaudhuri, President, Indian Academy of Neurology, who will preside over the function.
Khesari dal (lathyrus sativus), which is usually Grass peasBanned for sale and storage in any form since 1961.
This thought-provoking film is the result of extensive research carried out by Professor Vijay Nath Mishra, head of the Indian Institute of Science. Department of NeurologyHe has carried out this research work in collaboration with his dedicated team of experts, which includes Professor RN Chaurasia and Professor Abhishek Pathak, all from the same department.
Prof. Mishra said that Khesari dal producers, agricultural researchers, nutritionists, government officials and neurologists will participate in this premiere.
Professor Mishra said, “This thought-provoking documentary directed by renowned filmmaker Ashutosh Pathak not only underlines the importance of khesari dal, a staple food for the underprivileged, but also raises pertinent questions.” He further added that it sheds light on the reasons behind the ban on its cultivation and consumption, the rationale behind labelling it as a dal of the poor, the legality of the ban, the intent of many scientists opposing the ban on khesari dal, the connection between this dal and the Mohammadabad region of Ghazipur district, and its continuation in Uttar Pradesh despite the ban being lifted in other parts of the country.
Mishra’s comprehensive study covered 9,345 participants from Ghazipur’s Mohammadabad block, of which over 97 per cent depended on Lathyrus as their primary source of food.
This ban was imposed based on recommendations made by scientists and epidemiologists, which suggested that consuming Lathyrus in high quantities over a long period of time could lead to lathyrism – a condition that can cause paralysis of the lower limbs Neurotoxins called ODAPFollowing the Centre’s decision, Uttar Pradesh banned its sale and storage within the state.
The BHU team led by Professor Mishra concluded that consumption of beans alone does not necessarily lead to disease. Lathyrism,
In fact, according to him, pulses are not only an economical alternative to other expensive pulses but also provide some important nutrients that are beneficial for health.
Khesari dal contains 31% protein, 41% carbohydrates, 17% total dietary fibre, two percent fat and two percent ash on dry matter basis.
He added, “Apart from being cost-effective, this legume requires less fuel to cook. But the most important aspect is that apart from being non-neurotoxic, Lathyrus actually has some cardioprotective nutrients as well, as suggested by studies published by scientists from the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad. Our study was conducted in 20 districts of UP and Bihar.”
According to Mishra, despite the ban, it is being cultivated in small quantities in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, besides Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, as it is a high-yielding and drought-resistant legume.
Moreover, the crop is easily accessible in the market. Being much cheaper than the popular pulses used in pulses like tur and chana, lathiras is often used to adulterate gram flour and other pulses.
Additionally, since Lathyrus is deceptively similar to tur dal, it is used by restaurants to adulterate more expensive lentil-based food items to increase their profit margins.
It is believed that the only effect of the ban has been to allow traders to intimidate farmers into selling their Lathyrus crop at lower prices.
Lathyrism is a neurological condition, specifically a form of spastic paraparesis, in which sufferers have paralysis in their lower limbs. Currently, the disease is reported to be prevalent in India, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia.
The consumption of khesari was banned in 1961 as it was believed that the neurotoxic amino acid called beta-N-oxalyl-aminoalanine present in the legume was responsible for lathyrism.
However, there is no ban on the sale of Khesari dal in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and West Bengal.
He said that other factors also play an important role in the pathogenesis of lathyrism. It has been found that the incidence of this disease increases during famine and not under normal conditions.
It is possible that during famines, the number of lathyrism cases may increase due to malnutrition, low immunity and some other factors, as exposure to Lathyrus toxin may occur for a longer period of time.
Such factors need to be studied to understand the actual pathogenesis of the disease. The amount of khesari consumed may not be a matter of concern for the development of lathyrism; it is the ODAP content of the Lathyrus variety that actually determines the outcome of the disease.
He said that at present the toxin level in most varieties of Khesari dal is minimal, making this dal edible.
