Millet Man of India, Dr. Khadar Vali and his mission to healthify India

Padmashree Dr. Khadar Vali, “Millet Man of India,” who was recently honored by SGT University, Gurugram with Honoris Causa (D.Sc.) at their Annual Convocation Ceremony, was present at the 36th edition of the Surajkund International Crafts Mela. This year’s theme state for the Mela is the North Eastern area, and the partner country is Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The fair is one of the largest craft fairs in the world, a place for highlighting India’s richness in handicrafts, handlooms, and cultural fabric. It has stalls displaying not only Indian art and craft from its various states but also food, apparel, etc from over thirty countries. The Mela starts from 3rd February to 19th February 2023 in Faridabad, Haryana. Dr. Khadar Vali along with Umendra Dutt, founder of Kheti Virasat Mission, put up a food court about millets under the banner Kheti Virasat Mission. The motive was to spread awareness about the human health and the environmental ecosystem benefits of millet. Khadar Vali explained that there are three categories of grains: positive, negative, and neutral. Of these, the positive millets
help the body detox (even beneficial during fever), whereas negative grains like wheat are detrimental to health in the long run. He also stressed the fact that as the body requires detox, so do our farmlands. The practice of burning crop stubble destroys the natural bacterial ecosystem of the land, thus harming the fertility of the land for future production. He called it “farming land cancer.” Kheti Virasat Mission was established as a non-profit civil society organization in 2005. It works in the areas of sustainable agriculture, environmental health, and eco-friendly technologies. KVM has its headquarters in Jaitu and Faridkot in Punjab. Through KVM many people have found employment in rural areas. They also sell food products like cookies made from millet.