Food is the most important thing for living beings after air and water to provide energy to maintain life growth. It is also one of the basic needs before clothes and shelter. It plays an important role in the promotion of mental, physical health and disease prevention by providing nutrition such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, fats etc. Food includes cereals, pulses, millets, meat, fish, eggs, milk, vegetables and fruit. 

India is known for extensive range of foods which are proved scientifically good for the overall development of a body and the Indian dishes are famous worldwide. Among the famous dishes, the dishes made using millets have been gaining more importance in the world. 

On Friday, 25 October 2019, the Foundation Centre II organised a festival on the importance of Millets and the various dishes that can be made of millets. The main objective of the festival was to attract students towards eating healthy food and say no to the dangerous fast foods. 

The venue i.e. the school quadrangle was decorated beautifully with a screen on which the nine varieties of millets were displayed in colourful plates. The idol of Goddess Saraswathi was decorated with the flowers brought by the students. The program began by lighting the lamp and a bhajan sung by a group of students. The programme included power point presentations that explained about each millet, its nutritional values, benefits of consuming them in the required quantities and the recipes of delicious dishes that can be made using them.   

The skits performed by the students briefed about the significance of good food. They educated their friends that one should consume good food in order to live a healthy life. Food is not just a substance which quenches the hunger. The food which we take should provide the required nutrients to our body. Unfortunately people opt for readymade foods or fast foods which are very attractive for the eyes, taste good to the tongue and lack essential nutrients though they are aware of the requirement of the good food to their body. 

The dance performances heightened the role of a farmer in providing food for his fellow beings of the country and its prosperity. They depicted the sowing of seeds, watering, harvesting of crops and their celebration after a good harvest.

An exhibition was arranged in the exhibition room. The posters of the nine millets were displayed. Each poster gave brief information about each millet, nutritional values in every 100g of consumption and the benefits of eating it. On one side of the exhibition hall the setting of cut outs depicted the comparison of the life styles of our ancestors who consumed good healthy food and worked hard for different purposes and lived a healthy and happy life. The other side depicted the lifestyles of youth who are facilitated with modern technology and machines which made them obese, lazy and victims of hazardous diseases. The students viewed the tender plants of millets and guessed their names.

Through this festival the students learnt that millets are a powerhouse of nutrition. The regular consumption of millets helps them build a fit and strong body. This attempt of ours was successful in motivating the students for opting healthy food and say no to junk.