New Delhi, July 22 -- At the newly-opened Amar Khamar Lunch Room in Kolkata, the ceiling bears an artwork showcasing the indigenous varieties of rice grown in Bengal. The design sets the tone for the lunch titled 'Chhuti-r Bhat', that literally translates to holiday meal. The spread at the approximately 20-seater restaurant, situated in Ballygunge, is served in four courses on a banana leaf. Each course has a rice variety cultivated by the farmer partners. But, there is no gobindobhog, the most popular aromatic rice from the region.

Amar Khamar or "my farm" is a social enterprise, and was founded by Sujoy Chatterjee in 2019 with the objective of empowering farmers, mostly women, to cultivate rice on a small piece of land. Today, it boast...