<p>It was just another day in the Twitter and Facebook world, when posts appeared about ‘khichdi’ being announced as the national dish of the country. <br /><br />Phones started ringing and social media started buzzing with comments after the dish was announced as a record entry for the ‘World Food India’ event that is going on in the capital.<br /><br />While some took the ‘news’ in all seriousness, others handled it in a lighter vein. Though the Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, later clarified that it was a bid to make it a ‘Brand India food’ globally, food lovers continued to post interesting one-liners and opinions online.<br /><br />Suraj Prasad, a customer service engineer, says that it is interesting how a simple dish like the ‘khichdi’, which has always been prepared in our households, is being glorified.<br /><br />“From the everlasting presence that ‘khichdi’ had in our lives to the fact that some eat ‘khichdi’ on specific days because of religious significance, a lot of these views are out in the limelight now,” he says.<br /><br />For some like Urmila Chanam, a social activist, such a buzz goes beyond culinary preferences.<br /><br />“Such a move would be a very wise positioning of the culture that we all grew up in. A conscious effort to retain our culture would be a good move,” she says.<br /><br />Having travelled across the country from childhood, Urmila has tasted ‘khichdi’ in different formats from different communities.<br /><br />“While the flavours and the way of preparation might be varied. In Manipur, our ‘khichdi’ is more spicier compared to the liquid version of the South. Such a positioning for the dish would communicate the strong message that ‘we are one’,” she adds.<br /><br />There are others like Suman Kumar, an author and comedian, who feel that ‘khichdi’ will meet the same fate that other ‘national’ things have in the past.<br /><br />“The national animal is endangered and nobody cares about the national sport. I think that ‘khichdi’ will also slide into obscurity after it has been added to the list,” he says.<br /><br />“Having said that, I feel the national food should be ‘upma’ and for those who don’t like it, definitely ‘dosa’. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, everyone loves ‘dosa’. I’ve lived in Madhya Pradesh and I know a guy who was in the textile business, who started a ‘dosa’ cart and struck gold. There is so much in the culinary world, why is <br />‘biryani’ not a national food?” he says.<br /><br />He also questions the need for such debates, <br />in times when malnutrition deaths are still a <br />reality.<br /><br />On a lighter note, stand-up comedian Punya Arora feels that online conversations are very entertaining and a great break from the mundane life.<br /><br />“In June, it was the ‘upma’ and now here we are with the ‘khichdi’. As long as the concept of ‘khichdi’ means mixed rice and includes ‘biryani’, I’m alright <br />with it,” she says.<br /><br />Punya adds that “in a nation where people pick their food like they pick their politics”, everything seems apt!<br /><br />Well, hello ‘khichdi’, enjoy your five minutes of fame while it lasts.<br /><br /><br /></p>
<p>It was just another day in the Twitter and Facebook world, when posts appeared about ‘khichdi’ being announced as the national dish of the country. <br /><br />Phones started ringing and social media started buzzing with comments after the dish was announced as a record entry for the ‘World Food India’ event that is going on in the capital.<br /><br />While some took the ‘news’ in all seriousness, others handled it in a lighter vein. Though the Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, later clarified that it was a bid to make it a ‘Brand India food’ globally, food lovers continued to post interesting one-liners and opinions online.<br /><br />Suraj Prasad, a customer service engineer, says that it is interesting how a simple dish like the ‘khichdi’, which has always been prepared in our households, is being glorified.<br /><br />“From the everlasting presence that ‘khichdi’ had in our lives to the fact that some eat ‘khichdi’ on specific days because of religious significance, a lot of these views are out in the limelight now,” he says.<br /><br />For some like Urmila Chanam, a social activist, such a buzz goes beyond culinary preferences.<br /><br />“Such a move would be a very wise positioning of the culture that we all grew up in. A conscious effort to retain our culture would be a good move,” she says.<br /><br />Having travelled across the country from childhood, Urmila has tasted ‘khichdi’ in different formats from different communities.<br /><br />“While the flavours and the way of preparation might be varied. In Manipur, our ‘khichdi’ is more spicier compared to the liquid version of the South. Such a positioning for the dish would communicate the strong message that ‘we are one’,” she adds.<br /><br />There are others like Suman Kumar, an author and comedian, who feel that ‘khichdi’ will meet the same fate that other ‘national’ things have in the past.<br /><br />“The national animal is endangered and nobody cares about the national sport. I think that ‘khichdi’ will also slide into obscurity after it has been added to the list,” he says.<br /><br />“Having said that, I feel the national food should be ‘upma’ and for those who don’t like it, definitely ‘dosa’. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, everyone loves ‘dosa’. I’ve lived in Madhya Pradesh and I know a guy who was in the textile business, who started a ‘dosa’ cart and struck gold. There is so much in the culinary world, why is <br />‘biryani’ not a national food?” he says.<br /><br />He also questions the need for such debates, <br />in times when malnutrition deaths are still a <br />reality.<br /><br />On a lighter note, stand-up comedian Punya Arora feels that online conversations are very entertaining and a great break from the mundane life.<br /><br />“In June, it was the ‘upma’ and now here we are with the ‘khichdi’. As long as the concept of ‘khichdi’ means mixed rice and includes ‘biryani’, I’m alright <br />with it,” she says.<br /><br />Punya adds that “in a nation where people pick their food like they pick their politics”, everything seems apt!<br /><br />Well, hello ‘khichdi’, enjoy your five minutes of fame while it lasts.<br /><br /><br /></p>
