The All Ceylon Buddhist Congress (ACBC) under the direction of Chairman Chandra Nimal Wakishtha who has supported the introductionof a nature based – immunity boosting - indigenous culinary initiative, brought a typical Sinhala village setting to Colombo 7 a fortnight ago.
The endeavour is part of a series of such sustainability focused nature based innovations that the ACBC is introducing as a contribution to redeem Sri Lanka from challenges it is facing and precedes the renewable energy based solutions it will spearhead shortly.
At a time when the nation is preparing to ward off a food crisis, the endeavour is based on the concept of Arjuna Pannilage, a traditional physician in the Sinhala wedakam tradition specialising in environment based food and food production (Parisaragathaahara). He had suggested to the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress management the promoting of local vegetation (Deshiyabeeja), supporting of rural farmers engaged in traditional agricultural practices and creating awareness on environment based food which the masses are often ignorant of. The introduction of the Palawela restaurant is, therefore, dedicated to this cause and is one of its kind in the premises of the ACBC provided by the institution to Arjuna Pannilage at a nominally structured cost which has to be covered by the profits earned.
Educative and entrepreneurial space
The restaurant, a segment of which is constructed in an open air design as found authentically in bygone villages goes beyond offering cooked food. It is created to be an educative and entrepreneurial space for diverse varieties of packed/preserved pure food/herbs/fruits grown by farmers islandwide who cultivate in accordance with the laws of nature and without using poison.
The restaurant and adjacent outlet will sell a range of indigenous health based products developed by food entrepreneurs around the country as well as medicinal and vegetable plants.
This latest step taken by the ACBC is part of an exhaustive research centred around Buddhist heritage, tradition and culture begun in 2018 on nine key areas that included environment, health, farming, natural resources and economy. Among the proposals emerging out of this study had been the setting up of a hub for medicinal plant sale as well as diverse raw indigenous grain varieties produced with non-chemical use by rural farmers as well as developing integrated mechanisms to promote immunity of the masses in health challenging times.
The All Ceylon Buddhist Congress members who have promoted the indigenous medical system of ancient Lanka; Sinhala wedakama (known also as Deshiya Chikitsa) during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, said that it wants the restaurant to be a place bringing together all Sri Lankans within the common cause of promoting human and planet health especially at a time when new viruses such as monkey pox is said to be prevalent globally.
This initiative will empower hundreds of small scale farmers islandwide who are using traditional knowledge of agriculture such as biodynamic farming and will assist in the mission of conserving indigenous seed varieties, especially of plant species which double up as food as well as medicine.
The cooked and non cooked food products are vegetarian and ideal for vegans. The restaurant was launched on August 8.
Traditional food
“We have collected a range of traditional food often thought of as extinct and will be making them available in cooked and preserved form. Some of these foods are herbs that grow wild which people don’t recognise as consumable,” said Arjuna Pannilage who has for long been looking for a location to set up his dream project.
“We will simultaneously start a movement to nurture heritage food cultivation by preserving seeds of traditional herbs, fruit and vegetable varieties and enable the public to become aware that even the few of our indigenous food is facing the threat of becoming extinct. We will also attempt to break the myth that chemicals are needed for the earth to produce and introduce people to our agrarian culture through the food offered at the restaurant and sales outlet,” said ACBC Chairman Chandra Nimal Wakishtha who had left no stone unturned to support the initiative proposed by Arjuna Pannilage and his co-investing partner, Senarath Wijeysinghe.
Wakishta said that the long term aim associated with the project will be to restore all indigenous seeds of Sri Lanka including rice varieties by starting with even one seed and beginning the process with that, restoring unto the nation its food security that the ancient monarchs of the country strove to ensure.
The restaurant and food product outlet is, therefore, part of the sustainable entrepreneurship culture the ACBC wants to bequeath to Sri Lanka.
“We wish to warmly welcome our non- Sinhala brothers and sisters to come and share the vegetarian cuisine that we are serving. We want this initiative to also be a Buddhistic route to peacebuilding in sharing this space with all Sri Lankans,” said the head of the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress, Chandra Nimal Wakishtha.