Re-imagining Lakmi

Abstract

Staple cereals like paddy, finger millet, and little millet are central to the lives of the Parenga Poraja Adivasis of Koraput, Odisha, India. These three crops are collectively referred to as Lakmi (Lakshmi), symbolizing not just wealth but overall well-being. Paddy is linked to women’s fertility, finger millet to the solidity and strength of men, and little millet is used in rituals to predict the forthcoming yield. Daily life involves various interactions and associations with these crops, with their significance particularly heightened during rituals, festivals, and different stages of cultivation. Recent policies, such as the Odisha Millet Mission, promote millets as a “savior crop,” overlooking the socio-cultural dimensions of crop production. This paper aims to explore the effects of changes in the engagement with staple crops: how these crops influence people, and how people shape the crops. It further examines whether the concept of Lakmi evolves with recent agricultural changes among the Parenga Poraja. Based on 16 months of ethnographic field research, this paper provides an overview of how one community views, feels, and engages with these crops, while also considering how emerging changes in the crop assemblage might shape a future that could unintentionally carry the darker implications of the Green Revolution in India.