The National Botanical Research Institute's initiative to preserve and produce Murraya and Davana flowers is a significant step in maintaining the cultural and botanical heritage associated with the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha.

Davana (Family: Asteraceae)

• Description: Davana is an aromatic herb known for its delicate fragrance. The essential oil extracted from Davana is a brown, viscous liquid with a rich, fruity odor. This oil is highly valued in international trade, particularly in the USA and Japan, for its use in flavoring products like cakes, pastries, tobacco, and beverages.
• Uses: Besides its use in flavoring, Davana is commonly utilized in garlands, bouquets, and religious offerings due to its pleasant fragrance.
• Habitat: It grows wild in the temperate regions of the Himalayas, particularly in the Kashmir Valley, Shimla Hills, and Nainital Hills.

Murraya (also known as Orange Jasmine, Orange Jessamine, China Box, or Mock Orange)

• Description: Murraya is known for its ornamental beauty, fragrance, and medicinal properties. It can grow up to 6 meters tall with a trunk diameter of up to 40 centimeters. It is also used as a living hedge in various regions.
• Uses: The plant is valued for its fragrance and is used in traditional medicine. The leaves, roots, and bark are believed to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anti-diabetic properties.
• Habitat: Murraya is native to India, Sri Lanka, southern China, Thailand, and extends through the Malesian region to northeastern Australia and New Caledonia.

The preservation and production of these plants not only support the rituals and traditions associated with the Shree Jagannath Temple but also contribute to the conservation of their unique botanical and cultural heritage.

• Initiation: Project PARI (Public Art of India) was launched by the Ministry of Culture in conjunction with the 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee Meeting in New Delhi.
• Executing Bodies: The project is being executed by the Lalit Kala Akademi and the National Gallery of Modern Art.
• Objective: The project aims to highlight public art that combines millennia of artistic heritage (lok kala/lok sanskriti) with contemporary themes and techniques.

Goals

• Cultural and Aesthetic Upliftment: Project PARI seeks to enhance the cultural and aesthetic outlook of Delhi, integrating contemporary public art into the city’s rich historical legacy.
• Artistic Diversity: It aims to showcase a variety of traditional art forms from across India, reinterpreted with modern sensibilities.

Artistic Contributions

• Artists Involved: Over 150 visual artists from various regions of India have contributed to the project.
• Art Forms and Styles: The artworks include wall paintings, murals, sculptures, and installations, inspired by diverse traditional art forms such as:
• Phad Paintings (Rajasthan)
• Thangka Painting (Sikkim/Ladakh)
• Miniature Painting (Himachal Pradesh)
• Gond Art (Madhya Pradesh)
• Tanjore Paintings (Tamil Nadu)
• Kalamkari (Andhra Pradesh)
• Alpona Art (West Bengal)
• Cheriyal Painting (Telangana)
• Pichhwai Painting (Rajasthan)
• Lanjia Saura (Odisha)
• Pattachitra (West Bengal)
• Bani Thani Painting (Rajasthan)
• Warli (Maharashtra)
• Pithora Art (Gujarat)
• Aipan (Uttarakhand)
• Kerala Murals (Kerala)
• Alpana Art (Tripura)

Impact

• Public Engagement: Project PARI aims to engage the public with art that reflects both traditional and modern influences, enriching Delhi’s urban landscape.
• Cultural Preservation: By integrating traditional art forms into public spaces, the project contributes to the preservation and appreciation of India's diverse artistic heritage.
• Urban Enhancement: The initiative will beautify the city while adding to its cultural and historical narrative, fostering a greater appreciation of India’s rich artistic traditions.

Conclusion

Project PARI represents a significant effort to blend India's traditional artistic heritage with contemporary public art practices, enhancing the cultural fabric of Delhi and preserving diverse art forms for future generations.

• Prepared By: FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO.
• Theme: The report focuses on financing strategies to end hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition in all its forms.

Need for a New Definition:

• Challenges with Existing Definitions:
• Lack of Coherent Picture: There is no unified understanding of how financial resources are allocated to food security and nutrition.
• Multiple Definitions: The use of various definitions complicates tracking progress, accountability of institutions, and addressing underfinanced areas.
• Proposed New Definition:
• Financing for Food Security and Nutrition: Refers to both public and private financial resources, whether domestic or foreign, aimed at:
• Eradicating Hunger: Ensuring no one goes hungry.
• Addressing Food Insecurity: Guaranteeing consistent access to sufficient food.
• Combating All Forms of Malnutrition: Including undernutrition, overnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies.
• Key Objectives:
• Availability: Ensuring a steady supply of nutritious food.
• Access: Making food accessible to all.
• Utilization: Ensuring proper use and consumption of food.
• Stability: Maintaining food security over time.
• Resilience: Strengthening agrifood systems to withstand shocks.

Current Gaps in Financing:

• Low Public Spending: Public investment in agriculture per capita remains very low and does not show consistent growth in low-income countries (LICs) and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs).
• Insufficient Development Assistance: Food security and nutrition receive less than a quarter of official development assistance (ODA) and other official financial flows. This indicates that these areas are not a major priority for many donors.

Key Points and Recommendations:

• Increased Public Spending:
• Investment in Agriculture: LICs and LMICs need increased and consistent public spending in agriculture to support food security and nutrition efforts.
• Priority for Funding: More focus and financial resources should be directed toward food security and nutrition in development assistance.
• Enhanced Financial Tracking:
• Unified Definitions: Adopting the new definition can help create a clearer picture of financial resources allocated to food security and nutrition.
• Improved Accountability: Establishing standardized metrics can improve accountability and tracking of progress in this sector.
• Strengthening Agrifood Systems:
• Resilience Building: Invest in systems that can withstand economic, environmental, and social shocks to ensure long-term stability in food availability.
• Comprehensive Approaches: Address all aspects of food security, including availability, access, utilization, and stability, through integrated policies and programs.
• International Cooperation:
• Increased Donor Commitment: Encourage donors to prioritize food security and nutrition in their funding agendas.
• Global Coordination: Foster global cooperation to address gaps and enhance the effectiveness of financial resources directed towards food security.

By addressing these gaps and implementing the recommendations, there can be a more effective response to the challenges of hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition globally.