Resurrecting tilak chandan: the fall and future rise of local rice varieties in North India

Khichdi is a simple dish prepared in the north Indian city of Rampur in the Rohilkhand region of Uttar Pradesh by cooking rice with urad dal and spices. With historical and cultural significance, it remains staple to the winter diet of all social strata. Since the 1980s, however, the rice variety previously used, tilak chandan, has experienced near-extinction in the face of growing dependence on hybrid varieties. The disappearance of this local rice reflects broader trends in agro-biodiversity associated with the Green Revolution compounded by global climate change. This paper explores these eco-cultural tensions by charting the efforts of an interdisciplinary and international collaboration bringing together historians, plant scientists and farmers to resurrect tilak chandan and other traditional varieties in the Rampur rice belt. Field trials at Benazir Farm in Rampur (2020-22) revealed the challenges of cultivating local heritage varieties, including: (i) recovery of seeds; (ii) longer growing cycles, meaning higher exposure to pests and fungal infections; (iii) height and uneven growth, making plants prone to lodging when hit by weather vagaries compounded by climate change; (iv) very low outputs resulting in high prices. Still, there remains high demand for tilak chandan and other traditional varieties due to their distinct sensory attributes of taste, texture and aroma linked to cultural and gastronomic heritage. To make these landraces more available and reliable in India’s current soil and climate conditions, we suggest incorporating their preferential characteristics into a form that is also high-yielding, drought tolerant and pest resistant.