India is an agricultural country and rice is the main crop Chanakya says about this agricultural crop, which is unique in satisfying the hunger of the people, "Nahi dhanai-samawarta " That is, the best of all the riches is rice. There is no wealth equal to rice. The poor and the rich, especially the Bengalis, have rice as their main food. The greatest sorrow of Bengali life is ".

Haandir bhaat nahi, niti abeshi," that is, no rice in the pot, fasting every day The rice served at the wedding feast is also the rice we find in the "Naishacharita" at Damayanti's wedding feast It was common practice to mix hot rice with ghee The Prakrit Pangal text also shows that hot ghee cooked in banana leaves, "Ogra bhaata gaikta.

" Also, rice pies made from rice were one of the food items of the social feast of the Barolok. In Indian scriptures, " Brahma-Bharoong" is the source of rice Rice is the best food.

British India produced an average of about 800 million maunds of rice The food of 260 million Indians did not satisfy hunger Yet 64 million maunds of rice satisfied the 40 million Chin people Another 150 million maunds of rice satisfied the 60 million people of Japan There were at least 25 famines in British India, and about 30 million "black men" in the country starved to death.

But surprisingly, there were no reports of a single white man dying in this famine Yet, in 1903, during the Faridpur famine in Bengal, British Royal Employee Mr Jackson wrote in Bengali,.

That is, there are still leaves on the trees and the girls in the area have not yet become courtesans, and therefore there is a famine here, it cannot be said.

If there was no rice cultivation, there would be no famine, and if there was no famine, we would not see such an inhuman face of a royal official Once upon a time, there were many indigenous varieties of rice in this country.

"Harishankar is the hood of the paddy elephant Harakuli Hatinad Hinchi Haldugunda Kelekanu Kelejeera Kaliakartika Kayakacha Kashipul Kapotkanthika Kalindi Kotaki Kusumashali Kanakachuda Dudhraj Durgabhog Pardesi Dhustur Krishnashali Kongrabhog Kongarpurnima Kalmilata Kanaklata Kamodagrima Khezhuthupi Khayarshali Kshemgangajal Gayabali Gopalbhog Gaurikajal Gandhamalati Gayathupi Gunakar Chamardhali Chandan Kailashali Chatrashali Jatashali Jagannathbhog Jamailadu Jalarangi Jibananayanga.

Jhingashali Balaibhog Dhunya Bilakshana Nimui Nandanashali Roopnarayan Patsabhog Payaras Param Sundara Pipirabank Tilsagari Kail Bakashali Dabbali (Bakabuli) Dabho Dabho (Laxmi) Rangachuri Ramakala Rangachuri Rangachuri Rangachuri Ramakam Dhanapriya Rangachariya Rangachari Rangachuri Rangachuri Rangachari.

The "Kanakachud" rice is made of moya from Jayanagar Many other rice varieties have been lost They have been replaced by high-yielding varieties of rice, such as Jaya, Ratna, Taichung, and I-R-36 The taste and smell of rice have changed However, rice is still considered a treasure trove for people.

References: 1) History of Bengali: Nihar Ranjan Roy 2) Desher Dak: Gyananjan Niyogi.