“Rice represents the earth’s endless generosity,” said a wise soul. Thousands of years ago, our ancestors discovered rice stalks growing wild alongside rivers and in foothills. They learnt to grow rice, enjoy it, and benefit from it for hundreds of years. However, the glory began to fade when these tiny white grains emerged polished post the Green Revolution in India. In recent years, rice has received bad press for empty calories, that it’s low in nutrition, and practically poisonous to a healthy lifestyle. But like a phoenix, it rises, our enduring rice, gaining its place back at the healthy-meals table.
In the last decade, farm-to-table rice and rice products have begun to pick up momentum. Urban and rural folks alike now understand the benefits of rice and its various avatars. Among the entrepreneurs who work to conscientiously bring back traditional rice is ‘Mannvasanai’ Menaka, as she is fondly known in her circles and to her customers. Mannvasanai is a no-branches store with a multi-pronged purpose. And a veritable fount of ‘rice-y’ knowledge, Menaka is more than just an entrepreneur. She is a traditional rice evangelist and is constantly innovating to bring new rice-based products into the market.
“I was an assistant manager at a company called Polaris. I had a busy schedule and was always eating out—I hardly made anything at home, no time or inclination. The only time we were exposed to healthy cooking was when we visited my grandmother in our village. My husband and I were a middle-class couple, and until our first child was born, we had no concept of choosing healthy, organic or natural foods,” begins Menaka.
Not wanting to give their children processed foods, they began to look for natural ingredients for wholesome homemade meals. That soon opened a silo of knowledge about rice and its benefits. Tilak, Menaka’s late husband, was convinced that this was the only way to go for a healthy life. And he wanted it not just for their family, but friends and neighbours too. He quit his job at Polaris to start an organic store. Menaka, who initially resisted, saw his passion and commitment and soon joined forces with him. They pooled all their savings and started Mannvasanai (the smell of earth).
The couple was deeply inspired by two giants in Tamil Nadu’s agriculture sector—Thiru G. Nammalwar and Thiru Nel Jayaraman, who showed them the way forward. Mannvasanai began to offer a variety of traditional rice and rice products, including dosa and idli batter, as well as healthy, wholesome powdered food supplements for babies and children. Their main goal, however, was first to educate people and create awareness about the incredible number of traditional rice varieties. “We were the first to hold a mega event called Mannvasanai Grama Thiruvizha in 2017. It was a traditional rice festival in the heart of bustling Chennai. We displayed 100 varieties of traditional grains, and people were simply amazed at the range of rice. We have held it every year since then, but for our first one, we spent all our savings. It drew a large number of visitors, but essentially no return on investment,” recalls Menaka.
They did, however, wow the visitors, who discovered several startling facts about the much-maligned, ubiquitous rice. There are upwards of 700 varieties of traditional rice in Tamil Nadu and thousands more varieties across India. It was an eye-opener that there are actually colored rice grains, not just the simple white rice we cook every day: pink, brown, black, and even green colored rice is cultivated in our very own Tamil Nadu. And most importantly, rice is in fact a panacea for numerous illnesses that plague the modern-day human body.
Mannvasanai’s Dosa Mixes
“Did you know there’s a variety of rice that can help cure diabetes? There’s one that helps boost postnatal health, and one that supports the baby’s health in the mother’s womb! Name an issue, and there’s a variety of rice that can help solve it. Even mental health,” explains Menaka enthusiastically. “The Green Revolution began as an answer to feed the growing population in the urban areas. So, needing a quick fix, farmers were forced to grow grains in half the time and compromise on the quality. Thus, the original form, taste, and benefits were all sacrificed,” laments Menaka. “But there’s a rice revival now. People are more and more aware of what goes into their bodies and are very conscious of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. And that includes a clean, healthy diet with good ingredients.”
EmpowHer Award for 2024
Menaka was ready to give up everything and go back to a 9-5 job when she lost her husband, who was also her best friend, to an accident in 2017. With two children to take care of, however, she did not spend much time blaming fate. She decided to continue the work her husband had begun. Even if it had to be done alone. She established strong relationships with traditional rice farmers in Theni, Vilipuram, and Madurai. She recruited a team of women and expanded her manufacturing unit in Choolaimedu. And she began to work in earnest to spread the awareness of the benefits of traditional rice.
“I am a guest lecturer at Anna University, where I regularly lecture on the health benefits of millets. I have lectured at Siddha Central Research Institute on the same topic. We continue to hold the traditional rice thiruvizha every year, so people can enjoy the simple joys of rural Tamil Nadu. We have food stalls, we have farmers who bring their produce, we have folk singers and dancers, and plenty of sports and games for children and adults alike, all inspired by the simple, wholesome life in our villages. I want people to understand the benefits that rice can bring to our table. I want them to learn that traditional rice easily combines taste and nutrition that processed foods can never give,” explains Menaka.
Menaka understands the challenges that single mothers, divorced, widowed, whatever the case may be, face once their partner leaves them. She remembers her own struggles and is determined to help other women overcome a similar plight. She regularly trains women not just in the food business, but to be entrepreneurs in their own right, with whatever their skillset. To date, she’s helped more than 150 women on their path to financial independence.
Menaka’s Mannvasanai has garnered loyal customers across Tamil Nadu, and even those from as far as Uttarakhand in the North. She credits her success and reach to the changing perception of a healthy lifestyle and easier access to healthy food. She remembers, “Earlier, to sell 1 kg of rice, we’d take a month. People didn’t know what to do with it, how to cook it. Traditional rice varieties require presoaking and a bit more time to cook. At today’s speed of life, few people have that kind of time and patience in the kitchen, but they are more well-informed when it comes to eating healthy. Mannvasanai offers the same health benefits, but shorter cook times with our wide range of traditional rice-based products. Our best sellers are dosa and idli powders, millet-based masalas, and ready mixes, all of which are simple to use and very nutritious. I am constantly bringing new products in response to my customer feedback and also from regular group discussions and surveys,” says Menaka. “We make tasty snacks, diwali sweets and savouries, we even have karuppu Kavuni rice ice cream, of course it’s seasonal, and people love it!” she beams. Apart from the two stores in Rangarajapuram, Mannvasanai also supplies to cloud kitchens, restaurants, and homes directly. The manufacturing unit is always buzzing with activity.
Mannvasanai’s record in the Asia Book of Records
Mannvasanai Menaka and her untiring efforts to bring back traditional rice varieties have not gone unnoticed. She is the recipient of a host of awards and accolades, including making it to the World Records Union, Asia Book of Records, India Book of Records and the Empower Her Award for 2024. Menaka continues to forge ahead, her goal clear. More and more people should know, understand and benefit from the wonder grain that is native to our country. The incredible value that traditional rice presents cannot and should not be sidelined by myths and false notions. Menaka is a woman on a mission, and is ploughing a path to good health for all.
Menaka at the National Level Rice Festival
Rice is the primary sustenance—from birth to death.
-Old Tamil saying
Here are some of the traditional rice varieties and their benefits that Mannvasanai Menaka outlined:
Kaatuyaanam rice: So called because it is a variety that grows so tall, even elephants can hide in it!
Boosts immunity, helps control diabetes
Kavuni rice: Traced back to the days of the Chola dynasty and popular with the Chettinad community
Rich in fibre, it helps fight cancer and increases insulin secretion
Mappilai samba rice: (as per folklore, it was given to bridegrooms so they could lift boulders and impress in-laws and the bride)
Helps increase brain power, fights cancer, strengthens the immune system, and prevents ulcers
Mannvasanai offers a range of traditional rice varieties and value-added rice and millet products at its retail outlet. For bulk orders, it’s best to pre-order.
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