Karnataka brings plurality to plates in times of malnutrition, food policing

In the heart-warming Japanese television series, Midnight Diner, as patrons enter and exit the tiny kitchen of the protagonist ‘Master’, they end up telling their life stories, secrets, love and losses and more over austere but intricately arranged dishes accompanied by drinks. In each serving of katsudon (rice bowl topped with a deep-fried breaded pork cutlet, egg, vegetables and condiments) or ochazuke (green tea over rice) or popular potato and macaroni salad, a constant conversation is always going on between the food and those savouring it. Recently, conversations over food, music, play and poetry took place in Bengaluru, too, albeit in a different ambience and over issues far removed from the characters of the Midnight Diner.

The essence, however, was the same — celebrating the little joys of life in your own little ways.

To celebrate and start a public discourse on various facets of food — Bahutva Karnataka —an organisation on plurality, dignity, justice and equality — has started a campaign — Bahutva Bhojana in Bengaluru, Karnataka’s capital city. Bahutva in Kannada (the state language of Karnataka) stands for plurality and bhojana is food.

In the fully-packed auditorium of the Indian Social Institute — topics of discussion — were a deliberate attempt to highlight ‘unpalatable’ subjects like caste and religious bigotry, hunger, malnutrition and myths related to food. In doing all these, the subliminal and daily ritual of eating and enjoying food was not lost.

The diverse and pluralist food choices were on display at the inaugural Bahutva Bhojana food festival where beef and pork curries shared space with vegetable curries and payasam (sweet rice pudding) on plates. “The idea is to cater to the palate of all, without any discrimination and fear. Here food choices of all castes and religions are on display, especially those of minorities like Dalits, Muslims and Christians,” says Akkai Padmashali, transgender rights activist and member of Bahutva Karnataka.

Addressing the crowd, Padmashali, one of the most vocal transgender women demanding equality, dignity and acceptance of her community, decided to sing — a mix of folk and classical songs. Her performance brought to the fore individuals’ right to eat and eat the food of one’s own liking, the barbaric killing of people in the name of caste and religion and equal rights for all irrespective of sex, gender and sexuality. Padmashali, who has learnt classical singing under the tutelage of her guru Chitra Chidambaram, tells The Federal that she sings to break the notion that “classical music is meant only for brahmins and upper castes and class”.

In her recently released book, A small step in a long journey: A memoir, Padmashali, narrates how as a child she was denied the opportunity to learn Carnatic music as “fellow students were uncomfortable with her”. A self-confessed foodie, the 38-year-old says she relishes eating fish, chicken and mutton. “Food is a basic necessity for survival. We all should be allowed to eat the food we love. No one should decide what I should eat or not.”

Throughout the festival as songs (including rap), skits and poems entertained and educated, the mouths of audiences remained busy as well. It all started with ‘humble’ puffed rice being served from the hands of members of the Dalit community. It was a symbolic gesture to resist untouchability, banned in 1955, but still in practice in 2022 even in cities. The food adventure continued with sonpapdi (sweet), pakodas (fritters) and samosas. After snacks, dinner was a buffet. Laughter was loudest as everyone enjoyed beef, chicken and fish. The evening ended on a sweet note with payasam and carrot halwa.

Community eating is commonplace in India, especially in religious places and festivals. During such occasions, it is usually simple and vegetarian food on the menu. Be it at a langar in a gurdwara or bhog served at Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, non-vegetarian food is usually off the shelf. Then there were also ‘spontaneous gestures’ of hosting beef festivals like the ones at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras in Chennai and Tura, Meghalaya (both in 2017 to protest against the cattle slaughter ban).

With Bahutva Bhogana festival, the organisers are resisting the food ban (especially beef-eating) imposed under the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party regime but it’s not a knee-jerk reaction. The organisers — a motley group of health experts, food activists and youngsters —say the food festival is a sustained campaign aiming to ensure food on each plate minus any prejudice.

The success of the food fiesta, despite keeping the venue a ‘secret’ initially to avoid public ire, has motivated the organisers to take it to every neighbourhood in Karnataka.

“Hopefully, across India,” says Dr Sylvia Karpagam, public health doctor, researcher and a member of Bahutva Karnataka from Bengaluru.

Health experts and food activists say food has a strong caste and religious angle to it. Meat eaters — especially those who eat beef — are often frowned upon. Moreover, various laws prohibiting the slaughter or sale of cows (20 out of 28 states) in India have criminalised people’s dietary choices.

“Vegetarian food is celebrated as pure food and because of this, we have seen several lynching cases — killing people in the name of eating beef since 2014,” says Dr Karpagam.

“At the core, food and nutrition is science. It is also a social and political subject. Instead of criminalising meat/meat eaters, denying eggs in mid-day meal schemes and bringing in unscientific cattle slaughter bans, the government should increase nutrient-dense food to address malnutrition.”

Take for instance Karnataka, the southern state ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Several cases have been registered under the Cattle Slaughter Prevention and Protection Act 2020, Karnataka’s animal husbandry minister Prabhu Bhamla Chavan stated in September. In October, five men were arrested for smuggling beef and booked under anti-cow slaughter law. “Arrests and bans are creating fear in the minds of the people. It is an attack on people’s eating habits. Only 20 per cent of India’s population, as per various surveys, identifies themselves as vegetarians. It is also an attack on the livelihood of the farmers, cattlemen and meat traders. It is a classic case of the working class versus the privileged. These laws are often misused to target minorities,” says Dr Karpagam, whose fight among many things is to make eggs a regular in mid-day meals for disadvantaged children.

Then she went on to cite many myths associated with meat. “If you eat meat your hair would fall and increase your sexual desires.”

In order to reduce malnutrition and stunting (among children), Dr Karpagam insists on a balanced and diverse meal than contains food from six groups — 1. cereals and millets (rice, ragi, jowar, wheat, etc), 2. pulses and legumes (dal, channa, beans, etc), 3. vegetables and fruits, 4. meat, eggs, poultry and fish, 5. milk and dairy and 6. fats and oils. Health experts say India has one of the highest burdens of malnutrition in the world.

 

India has been ranked 107th out of 121 countries in the latest Global Hunger Index 2022. The hunger level in India is serious. At least 35.5 per cent of Indian children are stunted and 18.7 per cent of women have below-normal BMI (body mass index), as per the 2019-21 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5).

The situation has awoken the younger generation as well. Those at the function asked the government to make food affordable and a decent wage for workers.

“At a time when surplus food is rotting in storage houses, children are dying due to hunger and malnourishment. There should be an end to hunger, hatred and hegemony of one section over another,” college students attending the festival told The Federal.