When Kerala can ban maida, I don't see why we shouldn't? asks Aari

Organic farming expert, Nammalvar had once said “farming is not a business, it is a way of living.“ Following this path is actor Aari, who besides acting in films, has also been engaging in food awareness programmes, organic farming and terrace gardening. So, what really inspired Aari to get into this? “When farming turned into a business, the human race began encountering several problems.Every little thing we consume these days has an ingredient that equates to slow poison. We seem to have become an unhealthy generation. I am a food lover and I haven't been able to find good quality food, which is why I am eager to bring more awareness about food consumption. Simple things disturb me. For instance, how is it that an apple, which is kept outside for over three days, still looks fresh and has no signs of decomposition? It is because of the use of pesticides. Everything that is manufactured these days comes with some kind of defect. These pesticides kill the pests, and in turn, are also not good for humans. All sorts of steroids are used to enhance the colour and alter the weight of fruits and vegetables these days and none of this is healthy .“
TWIST IN TERRACE GARDENING
The actor had recently set-up a terrace garden at an old-age home in Pallikaranai. But what's new about this terrace garden, which has been around for several years? Well, Aari makes sure he uses only country seeds for this garden. “You only find genetically modified seeds or hybrid seeds these days. Farmers also use only that for farming. If this is how farming is going to be done, then we will lose our native seeds one day. The upcoming generations will have no clue about naatu vidhaigal, which is one of the reasons why I want to promote native seeds. So, all the plants we have are from naatu vidhaigal. Besides old-age homes, I am also going to start doing this at orphanages. I have a few corporate guys helping me out with the process. I am ready to help anyone, who wants native seeds and help set a terrace garden at their homes. The idea is to spread awareness on terrace gardening,“ says Aari, who gardening,“ says Aari, who currently has a farm in Tiruvannamalai.
FIGHT AGAINST PLASTIC
Carcinogenic is a word that is thrown around quite carelessly .But Aari says plastic is one of the main reasons why the number of cancer patients have increased over the years “Plastic is used at all events -be it for packing food or at events or office spaces where teacoffee is being served in plastic cups. When you pour a hot drink in a plastic cup, the chemicals will mix with the drink, eventually turning bad for your health. How many people know about food-grade plastic? There is no regu latory board for plastics in India. Bureau of Indian Standard is an organisation that is primarily a licensing body . It gives out li censes to manufacturers covering practi cally every industrial discipline -starting from agriculture, textiles to even electron ics. But there is no system that tells us what kind of plastic can be used for what pur pose. A plastic cover of low quality is used to pack sambar or chutney. This is one of the main reasons that cause cancer,“ ex plains Aari, who gets most of his research work certified by a friend who is a scientist.
The actor also spoke about replacing nor mal cakes with millet cakes. But what is wrong with normal cream cakes? Well, Aari has a long explanation for that. He says, “Cake is an integral part of all kinds of celebrations, but cakes nds of celebrations, but cakes only have maida, white sug ar and artificial colours, which might be car cinogenic. When Ker ala can ban maida, I don't see why we shouldn't? All this is not meant to scare you. Instead, why can't we try navadhanayam cake, with jaggery , millets or wheat? It is all about living healthy after all.“