Free Competition on Papaya, Turmeric, Tulsi and Laxmi Taru Leaves — Entries Close 15 October
Tulsi by the door, turmeric leaves around the fish, papaya leaves when there is fever in the house. A Jhansi foundation wants short notes on what tradition says about them, and what the research does.
The short answer
The Nutri-Ayur Innovative Research Foundation, Jhansi, is running a monthly competition inviting two-page notes on medicinal and aromatic plants. The October 2026 round covers papaya, turmeric, tulsi and Laxmi Taru leaves, and all four must be covered in one entry. Each note must set out the traditional record and its source, the present-day scientific evidence, and a comparison of where the two agree and differ. Entry is free and open to students, research scholars, faculty and other interested participants. Notes may be in English or Hindi, typed in 12-point or handwritten, to a maximum of two pages per plant. Submissions close on 15 October 2026 and go by email to the convenor, Dr Manoj Tripathi, Principal Scientist at ICAR-CIAE Bhopal. The top three entries each month receive appreciation certificates.
Start here
Four leaves, and a month to write about them
Anyone who grew up in an Indian kitchen has met at least three of these. Tulsi by the door. Turmeric leaves wrapped around fish or steamed with rice flour and jaggery. Papaya leaves brought out when someone in the house has a fever. The fourth, Laxmi Taru, is newer and most people have never heard of it.
The Nutri-Ayur Innovative Research Foundation in Jhansi is asking for short notes on all four. Two pages per plant, English or Hindi, typed or handwritten, and entries close on 15 October 2026. There is no fee.
It is open to students, research scholars, faculty and anyone else interested. The top three each month get appreciation certificates.
Entries close 15 October 2026Send your entry from this pageFill the proforma here and we forward it to the convenor, Dr Manoj Tripathi at ICAR-CIAE Bhopal, copied to the foundation — then email you a copy of exactly what went, so you have your own record of it.Enter the competitionOr email it yourself
The plants
What makes each of the four worth writing about
Papaya leaf (Carica papaya) is the one most people search for, usually during dengue season. It is also the most interesting to write about, because there genuinely is clinical research behind it — on standardised extracts at measured doses, which is a different thing from a leaf crushed at home. Anyone who explains that difference well will have written something worth reading.
Turmeric leaf (Curcuma longa) is not the rhizome in your masala dabba. The leaf has its own aroma, and a long life in cooking rather than medicine — patoleo along the Konkan coast, and similar wrapped preparations across the north-east. A clean, enjoyable one to research.
Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) is the best documented plant here by a distance, appearing across Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani texts. Finding sources is easy. Choosing among them is the work.
Laxmi Taru (Simarouba glauca) is the one to pick if you want your entry noticed. It came to India relatively recently, promoted as an oilseed tree, and it has far more modern pharmacology than traditional record — the opposite shape to tulsi, and much less crowded.
The format
What goes into a note
Four things, and the proforma is clear about them:
Start with the plant as tradition knows it — local and botanical name, how it is prepared or applied, what it is said to do, and any cultural or ritual place it holds.
Then say where you found that. A book, a manuscript, a family recipe, a local library reference, the language it was in, roughly when it dates from. Oral and folk knowledge is welcome; it just needs to be named as such.
Then bring in the modern side — research papers, journals, databases.
And finally, put the two next to each other. Where do they agree? Where do they not? That last question is the heart of the whole exercise, and it is what will separate a good entry from a long one.
The form
The participation form, section by section
The foundation circulates a proforma. Here is what it asks for, in order, so you can put an entry together before you get hold of the form itself.
1 · Title of submission. The traditional knowledge and application of each plant.
2 · Your details. Full name, age, gender, educational qualification, institution or organisation, contact number, email and address.
3 · Where the knowledge came from. Name of the scripture, book, manuscript or local library reference; the language it is written in; the year or period if you know it; and any oral traditions or folk knowledge you drew on.
4 · The traditional knowledge itself. A description of the plant with its local name and botanical name where known, the traditional method of preparation or application as your source gives it, the purpose or health benefit claimed in the text, and any cultural or ritual significance.
5 · Authentication with modern science. Present-day scientific validation — research papers, journals, databases — the nutritional or medicinal properties supported by modern studies, and comparative notes setting the traditional claims against the scientific findings.
6 · References.
7 · Format and submission. Maximum two typed pages per plant at 12-point, English or Hindi, clear and readable, emailed to the convenor by 15 October 2026 with copies to the foundation.
Section 5 is where most entries will be won or lost. It is also the section most people will be tempted to skip.
Where to send it
The addresses, and who is on the other end
You can fill the proforma in here and we will forward it to the organisers and email you a copy of exactly what was sent. Or do it yourself — the organisers treat both the same way, and the addresses are below.
Entries go to the convenor, Dr Manoj Tripathi, Principal Scientist at ICAR-CIAE Bhopal:
Copy both of these on the same mail — the circular asks for it, and it is what gets your entry logged rather than sitting in one inbox:
ramabhau@gmail.com · nutriayur.nirf@gmail.com
If you would rather ask before you write, the numbers on the circular are 9165101340 (Dr Tripathi), 8964030701 (Dr R. T. Patil, the foundation's patron and former Director of ICAR-CIPHET) and 9411195450. The foundation is at Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.
Put all four plants in one mail. Name the file so a marker can tell whose entry it is without opening it, and say in the body which four plants the round covers — an inbox in October will have a lot of these in it.
Practical
How to enter
Maximum two typed pages per plant in 12-point, English or Hindi. Handwritten is fine. All four plants need to be covered in one entry.
Send it by email to the convenor, Dr Manoj Tripathi, Principal Scientist at ICAR-CIAE Bhopal, copying the foundation. The foundation's patron is Dr R. T. Patil, former Director of ICAR-CIPHET. The full proforma with contact numbers is in the foundation's circular.
The competition runs every month through 2026-27 with four new plants each time, and the foundation plans to recognise the most frequent participants at the end of the cycle. If you miss October, November comes round quickly.
Do check the date with the organisers before you send anything — deadlines like this often move.
All four plants, one entryPapaya, turmeric, tulsi and Laxmi Taru — the form has a section for eachNothing to download and nothing to print. Write straight into it, and you will get the full text back by email the moment it is sent.Start my entry
Why it matters
A great deal of what India knows about its plants lives in kitchens, in practice and in texts that few people read, and it rarely gets written down next to what the research says. This asks for exactly that, from students, at no cost and on a short deadline. For an entrant it is a piece of properly referenced work to their name and a certificate worth having early in a career. For everyone else it is a month of young researchers looking closely at four plants most of us use without ever checking.
Frequently asked
What is the deadline for the October 2026 round?
15 October 2026. Entries covering all four plants — papaya, turmeric, tulsi and Laxmi Taru leaves — must be submitted by then. Confirm with the organisers before submitting, as the round has not been published on the foundation's website and dates of this kind are often extended.
Who can enter, and is there a fee?
It is free. Students, research scholars, faculty members, stakeholders and other interested participants are eligible. There is no restriction by institution.
Which four plants are set for October 2026?
Papaya leaves, turmeric leaves, tulsi leaves and Laxmi Taru (Simarouba glauca) leaves. All four must be covered in a single entry — a note on one plant alone is not evaluated.
What format does each note have to be in?
A maximum of two typed pages per plant in 12-point type, in English or Hindi. Handwritten entries are accepted. Each note must cover the traditional record, the source it came from, present-day scientific validation, and a comparison of the two.
Who is organising it?
The Nutri-Ayur Innovative Research Foundation, based in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. The convenor is Dr Manoj Tripathi, Principal Scientist at ICAR-CIAE Bhopal; the foundation's patron is Dr R. T. Patil, former Director of ICAR-CIPHET.
Source
- Nutri-Ayur Innovative Research Foundation (NIRF), Jhansi — organiser
- ICAR-CIAE, Bhopal — institute of the competition's convenor
- ICAR-CIPHET, Ludhiana — institute formerly headed by the foundation's patron
Announced in a circular from the organising foundation rather than on its website, and confirmed to IndianAgri directly. The convenor is named and contactable at ICAR-CIAE Bhopal. As always with competition dates, confirm before you submit.
