Meri Poushtik Rasoi Recipe Contest For A More Nutritious Lifestyle

Hello, my lovely SHEroes!!!

The scorching summers are a distant memory, and the winter chill is bringing a little magic to our lives. My son’s winter holidays have commenced and that means an extra hour of sleep for mommy, followed by a wholesome breakfast of protein-rich Besan Chillas accompanied with Mini Marshmallow laden Hot Chocolate! Sounds like a dream won’t you agree?

After carefully placing our breakfast table at an ideal spot that allows for sunbathing, my son and I were eagerly gorging on our sumptuous breakfast. I carefully plan each meal to ensure my son is getting the right nutrition needed in his growing years. With a sense of relief in my heart, I was having my breakfast and reading the newspaper and there I read about ‘Mala’. Mala had shared her experience of the same winter as mine. Just like me, she has a son who she deeply loves and cares for. In the news article, Mala shared her story; she told the tale of a monotonous diet that has left her son undernourished, too short for his age and anemic.

I instantly recalled a famous quote by India’s first Prime Minister Shri Jawaharlal Nehru, he said “The children of today will make the India of tomorrow. The way we bring them up will determine the future of the country”. But, looking back at Mala’s story and the story of millions of people who suffer the same fate as hers, I am highly concerned about our country’s future.

The grave issue of malnutrition has India’s overall economic growth at stake. I was enraged, I felt there was a lack of action and initiative, I am sure you feel the same way. Who’s to blame, perhaps action from ‘Rural Development’ or ‘Health and Family Welfare’ department may have helped to tackle malnutrition. In the days that followed, I cursed the ministries and authorities who weren’t doing enough for the deprived communities.

Days passed and one fine Sunday afternoon I was looking for a ‘Poushtik’ recipe that would also appeal to my 7-year-old. While digging through the internet for some wholesome recipes I landed on a webpage that caught my interest in ‘Let Food Be Thy Medicine.’

The webpage had an announcement for participation in a Recipe Contest called #MeriPoushtikRasoi. I was still hooked on Mala’s story and #MeriPoushtikRasoi seemed like a great initiative to contribute towards the cause.

I was instantly reminded of a famous line from a Bollywood blockbuster "Kisi cheez ko agar dil se chaho, to poori kaynat use tum se milane me lag jati hai" meaning "When you really desire something from the heart and soul, the entire universe conspires you to achieve it."

What’s #MeriPoushtikRasoi

Supported by Idobro Impact Solutions, a social enterprise and conducted by Glenmark, #MeriPoushtikRasoi is a nationwide recipe contest that strives to fight malnutrition. The contest is an important step towards encouraging the use of everyday local recipes by professional chefs, home cooks, nutritionists, students from nutrition, hospitality colleges, food bloggers and more to come together, rediscover our roots and create a repository of indigenous food knowledge that can ward off malnutrition.

I look back and wonder why I had been blaming the ministries and authorities for not doing enough, while I wasn’t any different. I had felt Mala’s pain, I had a concern in my heart but I didn’t know where to start. But all that changed with a click of a button. I see great hope in this recipe contest that promotes the fact that “Food can truly heal and we can use it to fight malnutrition in India!”

Who can participate and how?

Let’s see, who can participate… I can, my aunt can, my son’s teacher, her mother, her grandmother, the nurse at the hospital, the cab driver, the headmistress, my dietician, her maid just about ANYONE can participate.

How do you apply?

All you need to do is to fill out this Google form and submit your recipe! It's really that simple!

If online forms are not your thing, you can simply type your recipe, get a print out and post it to Glenmark at this address -

Meri Poushtik Rasoi

Idobro Impact Solutions

121, East West Industrial Centre,

Safed Pool, Andheri Kurla Road,

Saki Naka, Andheri East,

Mumbai 400072

To make things easier for the participants, Glenmark also invites recipes in your local language. So if you have some grandma's nutritious heirloom recipes in her mother tongue, don’t think twice, participate in this noble cause. Who knows, you could be the one who gets to help Mala and countless women like her in putting together a nutritious meal for their children.

You could be anywhere in the country, your recipe could be in any language, you can submit any kind of recipe - appetizers, desserts, main course, snacks. It just needs to be HEALTHY!

Deadline: February 7th, 2019.

More perks? Of course!

Not only does #MeriPoushtikRasoi contest allows you a chance to serve the collective good it also allows you a chance to win cash prizes up to 2,00,000 INR. Winners will receive a Cash Award of Rs.25000/- each. All finalists will receive a Certificate and gift hamper.

Didn’t I tell you - A recipe can win you money and save lives!

As a final point:

Food is my passion and nutrition is a prime concern when I design each meal for my family. Yet for millions of people across the globe the matter of food has turned into a matter of SURVIVAL. A contest like ‘Meri Poushtik Rasoi’ by Glenmark Foundation urges us to look beyond our dinner table and into the lives of more than 2.5 million children who are fighting for their lives as a result of malnutrition.

The mothers lack basic knowledge of proper nourishment of their young ones and are often undernourished themselves. Their weak body fails to provide proper nutrition to the child and so the vicious cycle of malnutrition persists.

I am glad that an initiative like #MeriPoushtikRasoi contest is pushing the envelope to bring due attention towards this grave issue. This crisis is solvable, and SHEroes like you and I can become leaders of change by sharing healthy recipes that ensure the wellbeing of women like Mala the children of her community.

From amateur cooks to gourmet chefs every one stands a chance to win cash prizes up to 2,00,000 INR! With nutritious recipes, you can prepare healthy meals and pass down your Poushtik recipes to children in need. A lasting change may come forth and the generations to come will learn how to eat healthy.

“Bache Na Rahe Kuposhit Jab Khana Bane Poshtik” – My dear fellow SHEroes, let us become a part of the solution to end malnutrition. I have submitted my healthy recipe to do my part, have you shared yours?