IIT-Delhi's club proposes 'Sattwik Mess' to avoid 'irreligious feelings'

The Wellness Club members of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D) have proposed the idea of starting a ‘Sattwik Mess’ on the campus and have put out an email to students seeking their opinions regarding the same.

Saying that ‘Rajasik food’ like eggs and meats creates “irreligious feelings” and therefore should be avoided, the club sent a mail with a form attached for interested students to fill in.

According to Saurabh Dhabu, a member of the club, the proposal was put forward after some students complained about the mess food currently provided.

“Some people said they find it very heavy on spices, and some others, like Jains, have a problem eating certain kinds of food so we thought Sattwik food would be good for them too,” Dhabu told Indian Express.

The Wellness club claimed to have read research papers on the topic and in the email of February 28 said, “There’s the famous saying in ayurvedic sciences: ‘What we eat, how much we eat, and how we eat determines our way of life’. Tamasik diet is a foundation of pessimism and leads to a painful life…fast foods like pizzas, pastries, burgers, etc is Tamasik whereas Rajasik foods like eggs, meat, pepper, create egotism, anger, greed, and other irreligious feelings.”

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It further explained the concept of ‘we are what we eat’ and said, consuming Sattwik diet of fresh juicy fruits, vegetables, sprouted beans etc can lead the person to have the ideal combination of physical, mental and emotional harmony.

“Keeping all this in mind, the Wellness Club wants to take the initiative of having one such mess in the campus that would provide healthy Sattwik bhojan to interested students,” it added.

Around 500 forms were filled with 19% of students sending “negative responses” to the mail, Dhabu said. He also said, on whether to take up the matter with the administration, the club is still discussing.

However, an IIT official responded negative and said there are no plans to start such canteen.

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According to yogic diet, the food can be classified into three types – Rajasik, Tamasik and Sattwik.

Rajasik food derives its name from the dining manners of the Indian Kings. The lavish spread that had around 56 dishes in the platter and all prepared differently.

Tamasik includes both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items that are rich in fats, are fried and high on spices.

Sattwik food is cooked with the least amount of spices and usually in a very simple way.