Have you ever wondered about the subtle differences in almost every grain of rice you consume? Over the years, both farmers and scientists have managed to create hundreds of varieties of grains that we now relish in various forms.
Some of those varieties of food grains were on display at the Government Museum as part of special exhibition inaugurated on Wednesday. According to M N Pushpa, Curator of the Botany section of the Museum, the grains have been sourced from various districts of Tamil Nadu between 2002 and 2003 and given by the Agriculture Department. This includes 65 varieties of paddy alone, apart from corn, maize, ground nuts and variants of millets.
She said that in order the preserve the grains for display for a longer time, they have been chemically treated with spirits and saturated with mercury chloride. “Apart from the ones displayed here, the museum also has about 35 varieties of grains that are at least a 100 years old,” said Pushpa.
The idea behind the exhibition is to create awareness among the students and visitors on the importance of food security and also the vital contribution of agriculture to the economy. “We have also created a model to put forth this view,” Pushpa said.
The exhibits will be open to public till August 14 on all working days.
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