Offer comes after absence of non-vegetarian food during Kerala School Arts Festival sparked debate on social media.
Published Jan 18, 2023 | 5:51 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 18, 2023 | 5:53 PM
A poultry farm. (Creative Commons)
At a time when a controversy over the food served at the Kerala School Arts Festival seemed like settling down, a trader’s body in Kerala on Wednesday, 18 January, announced it was ready to offer chicken free of cost during the event if the government decides to serve non-vegetarian food during the annual event from next year.
If the authorities take such a path-breaking decision, good quality chicken in the enormous quantity needed would be provided, said Poultry Farmers and Traders’ Samithi, a state-level outfit.
The absence of non-vegetarian food during the recently concluded Kerala School Arts Festival in Kozhikode sparked a raging debate on social media platforms.
“We are ready to supply any quantity of chicken completely free of cost if the government is providing non-vegetarian delicacies at the youth festival from next year and chicken dishes are included in its menu,” the Samithi’s state president Binny Emmatty told PTI.
It doesn’t matter how many days the festival runs or how many kilos of chicken they need, he said.
He said the outfit has taken such a decision as a controversy over the absence of non-vegetarian delicacies during the event erupted in the state.
The controversy began with a Facebook by a professor of political science and former television anchor, Arun Kumar. He questioned why vegetarian fare was being served on banana leaves at the Kalolsavam, as the arts festival is locally known.
“Caste works through purity-impurity convictions. Sometimes it comes disguised as safe vegetarian food,” he posted.
Social media took up the issue and demanded non-vegetarian food at the festival. Some people also alleged that the serving of vegetarian food is a sign of ‘Brahminical hegemony’ in the kitchens of art festivals.
Pazhayidam Mohanan Namboothiri, who has run the youth festival kitchen for decades, announced that he would not be part of the festival starting from next year.
“The government could have easily made a decision to serve non-vegetarian dishes, but some people decided to taint my image. Some people tried to bring in caste and religion.
“If there is any complaint regarding the food served, we can understand; but it was disappointing that the discussion was diverted to other unnecessary topics,” Namboothiri said.
Meanwhile, Kerala Education Minister Sivankutty, during the closing ceremony of the five-day art, music and dance extravaganza, assured that the government will consider introducing non-vegetarian dishes next year.
“We also would like to check fake propaganda regarding poultry… there have been rumours for some time that chicken are getting injected with growth hormones. That is totally fake,” Emmatty said.
He alleged that a recent statement by State Animal Husbandry Minister J Chinchu Rani that there is no hormone in the “Kerala Chicken”, a brand promoted by the state government, has negatively impacted other farmers and traders.
“The minister’s statement was widely interpreted that the presence of hormone is there in other poultry farmers’ chicken. It was a misleading statement. Even the chicken demand has dropped after that and the price has also dipped,” he said.
There is a drop of at least ₹18 in the price of chicken after the minister’s statement, he alleged, adding that the price of chicken today is ₹115 per kg in the state.
When asked whether it is safe to prepare non-veg dishes, especially chicken delicacies, at such a mass event, where food is provided to thousands of children besides teachers and parents, he said chicken is a protein-rich food which is completely safe for anyone belonging to any age.
Quoting figures, he said over one crore kilos of chicken is sold in Kerala weekly.
(With inputs from PTI)
