What we do know about vadan samba with greater certainty are a handful of farmers’ growing insights. So, out that goes, too, unless proven otherwise. And whether that old வாலன் became the rice we know today as வாலான், or whether it’s in fact the old word for the present வாடன் is difficult to determine from this source alone. But it’s only வாலன் listed (lines 133-138), at least in this version of the Pattayam that I managed to find, thanks to Raghu of East Gaterr blog.
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This inscription apparently tells of a meeting of Chera, the Chola, and Pandiya representatives discussing cultivation techniques, water management, harvesting methods, and the construction of a common place for free food supply (CIKS 2019). Namma Nellu/CIKS mentions somewhat tantalizingly in passing that this rice has the distinction of apparently having been named among 100-odd sen-nel or unique rice varieties in the Pazhani Cheppu Pattayam (Pazhani Copper Inscriptions) from 1528, published by the Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department in 1995, lines 133-151. Vadan Samba has no such wondrous tales of community and significance, nor really any particularly noteworthy mention in historical records (as of this writing). So the rice was served by brides’ parents to their would-be sons-in-law, who had to prove themselves in sports like jalikattu or the lifting of an enormous rock called the “ ilavatta kal.” Feeding a bridegroom mapillai samba, usually on the second day of Saiva Pillai/Vellalar weddings, was a way of both acknowledging and ensuring his continued strength. But there were always those who had not forgotten-the farmer, for one, and those agrarian communities that still understood this as a rice specially suited to male health, imparting the sort of strength, energy and basis for forbearance that young men particularly need as they ready themselves for marriage and life’s long travails. Story goes, maapillai samba was a near forgotten rice some decades ago when a farmer who had some seed slowly it revived as our penchant for so-called “red rices” as healthier alternatives to white grew. It hasn’t the lore and promise of maapillai samba, for example. The farmers who send their produce to The Shandy are people who have been working with us on this mission for the past 15 to 20yrs.I’ll confess right off, vadan samba isn’t the most exciting rice to work with. All the farms that we source from are inspected on a regular basis by our team. It has been developed like a forest and the verdant surroundings play host to various species of birds and small animals.Īt The Shandy, there are rigorous standards in place to ensure that all the products are natural and of high quality. Today, it is a model farm for many organic farmers across India. The entire farm is pesticide and chemical free, which has a telling effect on the produce. It also has fruit trees & other cash crops including sapota, coconut, banana, paddy, chillies, groundnuts and some vegetables. The farm, started 24 years ago by the duo, has over 6000 mango trees. The Shandy’s flagship product, is their award winning Organic Mangoes (PGS certified) cultivated at their Orchard, at Punnamai Village, Cheyyur Taluk, Tamil Nadu. The Shandy continues to be a whole sale supplier of Organic produce to many institutions and stores across the country. Over the years, the store has earned a formidable reputation as a preferred supplier of farm-fresh organic produce to even the most reputed retailers, owing to the quality and high level of safety, of their produce. The products include fruits, vegetables, grains, cereals, spices, fresh milk, fresh paneer, freshly ground flours, dry fruits, and much more. Today, The Shandy is a bustling marketplace that sells a range of organic produce sourced from farmers and artisans, from all over India, making them available for customers and retail outlets on a daily basis. This was initially a weekly market for fresh organic produce brought directly by the farmers. The need for authentic organic produce to reach the market directly from the farmers, and their experience of working closely with farmers, motivated them to start Sunday Shandy in 1998.
The Shandy, is the first Organic Store in Chennai, founded by Organic Farmers, Hari Sethuraman and P.B.Murali.