Food politics, culture, traditions and othering echo in Bengaluru’s Constitution Day fest

The event was organised to bring people from various backgrounds to come together and celebrate each other’s food and culture.

ByDeeksha Devadiga

Published Nov 28, 2022 | 11:10 AMUpdatedNov 28, 2022 | 12:22 PM

Food politics, culture, traditions and othering echo in Bengaluru’s Constitution Day fest

Many attend events, shows and weddings mostly for the tasteful food which follows the ceremony. I attend an event which had members in the audience passing banana chips, sweets, and chakli (a deep-fried snack) right throughout the event —  and what followed was a sumptuous dinner.

Civic rights group Bahutva Karnataka celebrated the Constitution Day by organising Bahutva Bhojana on Saturday in Bengaluru.

The event was inaugurated by distributing rice puffs. (Deeksha Devadiga/South First)

The event was organised to bring together individuals from different backgrounds and celebrate the principle of plurality through food.

Writer-activist DU Saraswati inaugurated the event. Instead of doing it the traditional way of lighting a lamp she asked everyone to accept kadlepuri (rice puffs) distributed by individuals from the Dalit community.

Writer DU Saraswati speaking at the event. (Supplied)

Speaking at the event, Saraswati traced the history of various cuisines and the origins of the ingredients used in Karnataka. Her description of various classic dishes from different parts of Karnataka left everyone’s mouth watering.

“In India, food has always been an integral way of expressing oneself. Generation after generation of women in every household has nurtured, nourished and helped build a life using food as the basic foundation. ”

Transgender activist and motivational speaker Akkai Padmashali started the evening by singing some folk songs.

Akkai Padmashali took to stage to sing a few songs. (Deeksha Devadiga/South First)

Many poets and individuals took to the stage to present poetry and verses keeping the theme of food, hunger and the right to choice as the focal point.

Dr Sylvia Karpagam, talking about food politics, said, “ For the last several months, there has been a targeted attack on people’s food habits. During Covid, cattle slaughter ban impacted many sectors and individuals who were dependent on it for their livelihood.”

She pointed out how organisations like ISKON and Akshaya Patra promote satvik food which is more of an ideology rather than nutritional science.

Also read: EWS quota is cancer in Constitution

“Government schools have stopped providing eggs every day as a part of the meals citing religious reasons which deprive proteins to the students from the weaker section who cannot afford eggs,” Karpagam said at the event.

The event was held at Indian Social Institute in Bengaluru. (Supplied)

Two students representing the Students Islamic Organization presented their views on the importance of food security.

Highlighting the statistics, they said, “India ranks 107 out of 121 countries in the global hunger index. There are 16.3 percent of children who are malnourished, who are undernourished, and who are partially or completely stunned in our country. It is the constitutional duty of the government to ensure accessibility, affordability and proper utilization of food resources.”

Aamir, a student, said, “We live in a sad reality today which reflects a time where human life is cheaper than the sentiment of another human being. Food is used as an excuse for perpetuating violence against humanity. We use food as an instrument of exclusion. Every day is a failure when food has been used as an excuse to lynch the marginalized community in the country”.

The highlight of the evening was the play enacted by a group of youths dressed in plain black tees. The act revolved around a group of college-going kids who study, eat and play together.

Students staged plays to highlight the need for respecting all food habits. (Supplied)

Two students among them are trying to be a part of the cool circle but are unable to even after multiple attempts. For lunch, their mom packs them beef which results in their friends walking out of lunch and refusing to associate with them.

One student from the group joins them for lunch and raves about the taste of the food in front of his classmates. He calls them out and reminds them how under the constitution, every individual has the right to food and freedom. The play ends with all the students reaching out to the lunchbox, one by one.

After a few more rounds of poetry and felicitation, food was served to all who attended the event.

Everyone at the event was served dinner. (Deeksha Devadiga/South First)

The food was cooked by Manjula, Mubeena and Rajeshwari. There were many brought various food items from home and kept it at the buffet.

The spread included fish, chicken, egg, pork, beef, vegetables, curry, rice, payasam (sweet rice pudding), and carrot halwa.

Bahutva Karnataka activist Advocate Vinay Sreenivasa told South First, “Right to freedom and expression means being able to express and talk about one’s food culture freely and eat together. After so many years of freedom and a constitution, we should all be able to eat together and say we are one.”