Adding non-veg food to ‘restricted’ basket leaves a bad taste at Sahitya Sammelana

Bengaluru: As the preparations for the 87th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana are underway in Mandya, the politics of food seems to have gained significant public attention. 

The organiser of the literary convention – Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP) – has released the menu for the three-day fest, which starts on December 20, consisting of cuisine specific to North and South Karnataka. 

While the menu has been lauded for its hyperlocal varieties — tatte idli, jolada rotti, badanekai ennegai, akki rotti and kayi holige — the ‘pure vegetarian’ menu sparked debate on food politics in literary and cultural spaces. 

What triggered the debate was the KSP’s categorisation of ‘non-vegetarian food’ among restricted items alongside alcohol and tobacco to be sold at stalls at the Sammelana venue. 

The Parishat removed ‘non-vegetarian food’ from the ‘restricted items’ list on its official website after facing backlash from writers and activists. Though meat was never served by the Parishat at the Sammelana in the past, it has never been categorically denied from being sold at the stalls either. 

Human rights activist and writer Shivasundar says equating non-vegetarian food with alcohol and tobacco comes from an effort to establish Brahmanical practices in literary and cultural spheres, insulting a significant chunk of the state’s population. 

Referring to a study by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), Shivasundar pointed out that nearly 80 per cent of Kannadigas are meat eaters. 

“Poets and philosophers, like Basavanna, Kanakadasa and Purandaradasa, who determined the history of Kannada literature, were Shramanas, not Brahmanas. But the attempt to gatekeep non-vegetarian food comes from a larger design of Brahamising intellectual and cultural spaces,” he says. 

The list of pure vegetarian food on the menu also sparked outrage from activists under the banner of the Federation of Progressive Organisations, who protested by eating eggs in front of the Mandya deputy commissioner’s office on Monday. 

KSP president Mahesh Joshi said committees formed at the district level had made arrangements for food. “A 35-member food committee headed by the local MLA, AB Ramesh Babu Bandisiddegowda, will look after food arrangements,” he said and added that he was not directly involved in deciding the menu or restricting non-vegetarian food stalls. 

Nearly three lakh literary enthusiasts, writers and scholars are expected to participate in the fest. However, the invitation and detailed schedule for the fest are not yet launched. Eminent folklorist and writer Go Ru Channabasappa has been nominated as this year’s president for the Sammelana. 

Kannada Development Authority Chairman Purushottama Bilimale notes that the focus of literature festivals should be on bringing new ideas to the fore and sparking enlightening debates, rather than serving meals. “If food stalls will be set up, participants can eat what they want based on their personal preference. As long as vegetarian food continues to be the officially served meal at public gatherings, non-veg gatekeeping also will remain,” he says.