Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had said the word Kamalam, which is the new name given to the dragon fruit, is Sanskrit for lotus. However, Kamalam being the name of the BJP's office, the nomenclature has now heated up politics.
BJP, which has not been able to change the name of Ahmedabad to Karnavati, is now changing the name of a fruit. The defenders of the change of nomenclature, on the other hand, point out to the association of the word dragon with China and hence the fruit named after it needed to be changed.
Prime Minister Modi had mentioned dragon fruit in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’
It is a fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his broadcast ‘Mann Ki Baat’ of July 26, 2020, had cited the example of dragon fruit of Kutch to buttress his concept of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India), hailing the farmers of Kutch for higher yield of dragon fruit and suggested them to call the fruit as Kamalam fruit. The farmers of Kutch too had taken a pledge to sell the dragon fruit as Kamalam.
Production of dragon fruit has increased in Gujarat
Farmers of central Gujarat, Kutch and north Gujarat have begun cultivation of dragon fruit. According to the farmers, one need not cultivate the land for 20 years after planting dragon fruit saplings as the plant continues to bear fruit. Moreover, the fruit fetches a good price. That is why more and more farmers have switched over to the cultivation of dragon fruit. It is also said that dragon fruit protects from such terminal illness as cancer and increases immunity. The forest department gives financial aid to farmers for cultivating this fruit.
The fruit increases blood count
The pink coloured fruit is originally from China. One of its speciality is that it increases the blood count. The fruit is used in making Chyavanprash and other medicines. The scientific name of dragon fruit is Hylocereus cactus. The dragon fruit is being cultivated on over 1,000 acres of dry land in Kutch. Close in looks to lotus, it would now be known as ‘Kamalam’. Gujarat would now apply to patent the fruit.
Congress remarked that Kamalam will now be sold from the pavement
Gujarat Congress spokesman Jayrajsinh Parmar, speaking to ETV Bharat said state chief minister changed the name of this Chinese fruit from dragon to Kamalam but the BJP may have to make a ‘U-turn’ on this too as the name of the party office is Kamalam and would be embarrassing for the party workers to find the fruit being hawked by pavement vendors. BJP’s Kamalam office is where the party decides its policy, now the fruit Kamalam would be sold by pavement vendors and the customers would haggle with them over its price.
Instead of giving a befitting reply to China, Vijaybhai has done the opposite
Jayrajsinh further said the Chinese fruit was rightly called dragon fruit at least the BJP would have given a call to its workers to cut the fruit into pieces at mass demonstration events as a symbolic gesture of revenge against the Chinese aggression. But, Vijay Rupani, by changing the name of the fruit from dragon to kamalam, has done the exact opposite. How can the BJP workers now cut to pieces a fruit named as Kamalam, he mockingly wondered.
Farmer says dragon is a foreign name
Shivabhai Mali, a farmer of Deesa of Banaskantha district, cultivates dragon fruit. Speaking to ETV Bharat, he said he has been farming since many years. He started cultivating dragon fruit after knowing through the Internet that it was profitable to grow dragon fruit. It has been two years and the plants have begun giving fruits. The market too has responded favourably. Now that chief minister Vijaybhai Rupani has changed its name to Kamalam, we welcome the move. Dragon fruit sounds foreign, while Kamalam sounds Indian and it would help in increasing its sale.
Dragon fruit is helpful in curing many diseases
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Dr Yogesh Gupta said this is a tropical fruit. One can find many seeds inside the fruit. It looks like the lotus flower and is either pink or red. So, the government might have decided to call it Kamalam. It is a super fruit. It has zero fat and is anti-oxidant and has many vitamins. Because it is anti-oxidant, the fruit is beneficial for patients suffering from cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
The fruit has high fibre content, high vitamin C and therefore helps in increasing immunity. The fruit is also good for the skin and is rich in iron and magnesium. The fruit is probiotic and digestive. Thus, it is beneficial in curing many diseases.
(With inputs from Ronak Shah-Vadodara, Anjali Dave-Ahmedabad and Rohit Thakor- Banaskantha)
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