What rajma in the hills tastes like

Apples are found growing almost everywhere in the region. The fruits are harvested during July and August

It all began with apples, tonnes of them. At Tons Valley, a remote Himalayan stretch in the far northwestern region of Uttarakhand, this fruit is found growing on trees outside every home all through July and August. At any other point in time, locals would have packed their produce - and those of their neighbours as well - in boxes, and travelled nearly 175 km to the local mandis in Dehradun, a few hours drive away. The income was never great, but just about enough for the self-sustained agricultural households. During the lockdown, everything came to a grinding halt.

A home in the valley

In a first, families were staring at an agricultural crisis. Social entrepreneur Anand Sankar, who has been working in the valley for nearly seven years, was aware of the plight of the local farmers. His wife, writer-filmmaker and food researcher Shubhra Chatterji, who otherwise shuttles between Mumbai, Dehradun and Tons Valley, and was home-bound in the north, remembers how distraught the villagers were. "The only two means of livelihood [for the locals] is tourism, or selling whatever little they are growing," she says. While the former had taken a big hit due to the lockdown the villagers could no longer travel down to the market either, because they would risk exposing themselves to the virus.

Anand Sankar and Shubhra Chatterji launched Tons Valley Shop in October 2020

"How could we help them?" That's the question, which kept gnawing at the couple. By May, when the situation started getting worse, Sankar, on a whim, posted about the "deliciously, sweet apples from Tons Valley" on Facebook. "We asked friends if they were willing to book and pay for the apple boxes immediately and promised to deliver the fruits during the harvest season, a few months later, in July. It was just an experiment, and we didn't really put any thought into it," recalls Chatterji. But, when the harvest season arrived, and the apples were delivered, the initiative just blew up. "Those who had received the apples raved about it on social media, or went and told their friends. So, the orders just kept coming in." By the end of it, they had sold nearly 25,500 kg of the fruit. "Anand and two locals sourced the apples, packed them, and transported them to Dehradun, from where they'd be couriered across the country."

The success of that initiative led the couple to start the Tons Valley Shop, a platform that aggregates and finds a fair market for products produced by local communities. It's actually the locals, who inspired the decision, says Chatterji. "[After success with the apples sale], a lot of villagers reached out to us, asking if we could find a market for their produce. We realised that we were in the perfect position to be an in-between for the for the villagers and customers across the country."

The long white harshil is considered the tastiest by the local community

Until 2019, Internet was still alien in Tons Valley. Even today, once you enter the area, phone networks go down. It's here, back in 2013 that Sankar launched the Kalap Trust, named after one of the villages in the Upper Tons Valley. "The non-profit was started as an ‘after-school' that equipped children with English language, and basic life skills," says Chatterji.

Sankar even opened a tiny hospital to serve the 37 villages in the region, as the nearest healthcare centre was as far as Dehradun. In order to boost revenue, Kalap Trust started a tourism company, Tons Trails, and villagers were trained as guides, and also encouraged to open their homes to be used as homestays. The new online food shop, says Chatterji, is yet another attempt to help the locals. However, the shop is a seasonal enterprise. "Whenever it is harvesting season, and the locals have something extra to sell, they reach out to us," says Chatterji, who runs the popular Instagram handle @historwali. "That's why our stock doesn't last through the year."

To buy: https://tonsvalley.shop/

In October, when they launched, the couple started by selling organic walnuts (Rs 475 a kg), including the wild variety that you find in jungles. The valley has nearly a hundred walnut trees, many of which are endemic, and some planted.

The rajma, of which there are over seven varieties - long red capsule, long red chitra, long white harshil and small red capsule, to name a few - and which is staple food grain of the valley, has also been a big hit. The website comprises details of each variety - you can buy them separately, or as a mixed combo pack. Of these, the long white harshil (R587 for 2 kg) is considered the tastiest by the local community, because it's easy to cook, and forms a delicious gravy. "I am learning so much in the process [of running the shop]. I never knew that there were so many varieties of rajma alone. What's interesting is that this grain is grown by women, who are basically subsistence farmers. After growing enough to last the family a year, they usually have about 20 to 40 kg to spare. This is the produce that is now available on the shop."

Tons Valley boasts of seven varieties of rajma

The locals, says Chatterji, use little or no fertilisers. "Just because of where they live [in the hills], it is impossible for them to procure any pesticides or fertilisers. They mostly rely on cow dung or mulching technique to farm."

The shop recently got an FSSAI licence, encouraging the couple to explore, diversify and include more interesting produce from the region. They have started selling the Himalayan shepherd rajma seasoning (Rs 263 for 250 gm), locally known as chora - the go-to ingredient for shepherds in the summer. This is the season, when shepherds take their flock of sheep and goats to the high-altitude Himalayan pastures. In that harsh environment, rajma is a favourite, because it is dense and rich in proteins. Since it is impossible to carry too many ingredients to make the rajma, they use a simple recipe - two spoons of mustard oil, garlic, red chillies, salt, chora, and rajma. The rajma is usually left to slow-cook all-day, and the soupy dish is enjoyed with either roti or rice.

The Himalayan shepherd rajma seasoning, locally known as chora is the go-to ingredient for shepherds to prepare rajma gravy in the summer

With the rhododendron harvesting season approaching, the couple is planning to sell the juice and squash made from the flower, next month. "By April, we also plan to sell pahadi onion and garlic salts," says Chatterji.

The duo recently moved into a home in Tons Valley, and though Chatterji continues to spend a significant time in Mumbai, where she helms food shows, she says the new store is keeping her busy. "Having a website has made our lives easier. I remember, when we were selling the apple boxes, it had become chaotic, because we were doing everything over WhatsApp. Sometimes, we'd get texts in the middle of night," she says, adding that the challenge now is to master logistics. "There is nothing around Tons Valley. Even the packaging has to be procured from the Dehradun markets. Once that's done, the orders have to be again brought down to the city and couriered from there.

Recently, there was a snow storm, and everything got delayed. So yes, it does take us a while to process the orders. It's not easy and can sometimes be exhausting. But, our customers have been very understanding."

25K
Volume in kilos that the couple sold of their first lot of apples to urban consumers during lockdown