As the monsoon clouds float above the quaint, paddy hamlets of Maharashtra & Gujarat, the farmers of OOO Farms are in the thick of the paddy season. Sowing, singing, and saving native seeds that have fed generations.
While they are out in the fields, ankle-deep in water, hands in the mud, tending to varieties the world has forgotten, some of us are in Mumbai, preparing a different kind of field... one that carries the promise of rekindling our memories of rice.
OOO Farms Rice Conservation Archive - Tribal Farmers Sowing Paddy in Western Ghats, Maharashtra
On July 19th, we invite you to step into Akshat - a two-hour immersive gathering at Food Square Bandra, where you can discover forgotten native rice, experience its indigenous origins, and learn about the resilience that these grains hold within.
This is not a food pop-up. It’s not a chef showcase.
Akshat is a memory keeper. A dialogue table. A living archive you can walk into & tune into.
With over 50 varieties of native rice on display - white, black, red, green, aromatic, medicinal, ritual-bound - and a tasting of 5 unique dishes cooked with these grains, we hope to open a door between the urban and the indigenous, between climate anxiety and soil-rooted hope.
Because every rice we bring to Akshat has a story: of a woman farmer who preserved it through drought, of a tribal elder who still plants it according to the lunar cycle, of a grain that stood resilient when chemicals and monocrops failed.
And while the city eats Basmati and forgets, the village remembers.
So if you’ve ever wanted to understand why rice matters — not just on your plate, but for the planet — Akshat is the place to start.
OOO Farms Native Rice Diversity Archive - Sahyadri Black Rice
What to Expect at Akshat
At Akshat, you’ll walk into a curated space where rice is not just labelled and displayed, but introduced to you as a living being, with a name, a story, a smell, and a soil it once called home.
You’ll meet 50+ varieties of native rice from OOO Farms’ conservation work, each hand-grown and seed-saved across seasons, some rare enough to only exist in the memory of one village or the wisdom of one grandmother. You’ll be able to see them, smell them, touch them, and understand their cultural role: from medicinal use to sacred rituals, from fasting foods to everyday meals.
A series of short talks and informal dialogues will invite you to ask questions about what we grow, why it disappeared, and how we might eat differently tomorrow. You’ll hear from OOO’s team, from rice experts, and from those who have grown or cooked with these grains.
And finally, you’ll get to taste this memory. Five dishes, each made from a different rice, each cooked to highlight what makes that variety unique in texture, fragrance, or flavor, will be served. This isn’t a full meal. It’s an edible introduction to a lost world.
OOO Farms Native Rice Diversity Archive - A Rice in Conservation Field
Who is it for?
Akshat is for anyone who:
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Has ever stood in a rice aisle wondering what the difference is between them all
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Has felt the need to eat local but doesn’t know where to begin
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Loves food not just for how it tastes, but what it tells us
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Works in sustainability, design, farming, wellness, or culture, and wants to reconnect with indigenous ideas of abundance
Whether you’re a chef or a climate researcher, a parent or a policy student, a wellness seeker or just plain curious, this table is for you.
How to Register
Tickets are ₹1000 per person and include entry to the dialogue, access to the full rice showcase, and the tasting of 5 native rice dishes.
Date: Saturday, July 19th, 2025
Time: 4 PM to 6 PM
Venue: Food Square, Bandra, Mumbai
Seats are limited. We encourage early booking to ensure your spot.
OOO Farms Native Rice Diversity Archive - 8 feet tall native paddy variety grown by OOO Farms Farmer in Narmada Basin
Why it matters...
In a world racing toward uniformity, Akshat is a pause — a moment to remember that our landscapes were once filled with biodiversity, our meals with intention, and our farming with cultural memory.
Your presence at Akshat helps OOO Farms continue its work with tribal farmers. We conserve seeds, our indigenous farming methods regenerate soil, and we gather & document ancestral food & farming wisdom that hasn’t yet been swallowed by modernity.
Come, take a seat. One native rice at a time, let us remember who we are.
