An indigestible palate politics

The inauguration of a hotel at Anand of Gujarat turned out to be the epicentre of protest. Protesters demanded the hotel’s removal as it was adjacent to three Hindu temples and two-thirds of the hotel was owned by Muslims. With a banquet, restaurant, and hotel rooms that do not serve non-vegetarian food, the hotel owners constructed the establishment, keeping in line with the sentiments of the people of Anand. Neither of the Muslim owners wore any clothing that suggested their religion, yet it was enough for the protestors to feel uncomfortable with the hotel’s launch. It is stunning, yet true. It is deeply disturbing to know that the communal incident occurred at a place where India’s largest milk cooperative took birth.

In yet another incident, a company popular for selling idli and dosa batter was under controversy some time ago with a misleading WhatsApp forward and a communal tweet online. The information alleged that the company mixed cow bones in its batter composition, and highlighted that the company is ‘halal-certified’ and ‘hired Muslims’. However, the company explained through an official statement that it used vegetarian ingredients for its batter.

A few months ago in Mathura, a Muslim dosa vendor was attacked by a group of extreme right-wing vigilantes. The vendor’s crime was that he named his stall after a Hindu God and not after Allah. His act was termed an ‘economic jihad’.

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However, two decades back, the situations were in contrast. The protests for food were more health-related than communal. In the 1990s, millions of farmers in Karnataka protested seeking the removal of the internationally-loved fast-food chain that they suspected would threaten Indian food habits and challenge sustainable agriculture. They reasoned that the expansion of the meat industry and compulsion of newer Western farming methods may have negative impacts on the domestic market.

The arrival of Western fast-food companies earned the wrath of environmentalists as they claimed India could not afford a meat-based diet, especially when feeding chickens required higher maintenance. Other arguments were that the grain would increase in price as the supply cannot meet the demands. There were many health concerns over Western yield-increasing techniques to meet the demand for the enormous amounts of chicken they would need. This meant subjecting animals to cruelty and a host of food additives and antibiotics, typically met with negatively among Indians.

Similarly, a protest against a Coca-Cola plant in the Palghat district of Kerala twenty years ago generated a lot of friction. The plant was found to be pumping out huge amounts of water while manufacturing the cold drink. The plant began dumping the affluent in the open, where, after the essence reached the bottom of the soil and polluted the wells of the small village.

The water was tested as unfit for drinking and led to several deaths and illnesses. Palghat villagers soon turned to the media to oust the soda-making company as it was overusing water resources, contaminating the community’s groundwater, and incurring estimated losses of 216 crores to the community.

Two decades later, there is a shift in the mentality towards food protests. Now, it is no more about the food affecting our health but whether the food will ‘pollute’ our beliefs and culture. Food is now being used to categorise people into various sections instead of using it to bring solidarity among cultures. It is used as an instrument of oppression and terror, in the name of religion. If the communal attitude continues, it would be detrimental to the cultural fabric of India.

The media needs to strike a right chord between the facts and perceptions that the Hindus have of Muslims. Exposure to correct media coverage can remove the doubts and fears harboured towards the religion.

Learning to use gastronomy as a bridge between the apparent culture divide in our country is the need of the hour. Let’s keep the cuisine out of communal corners.

(The writer is a masters student in Mass Communication at Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication (SIMC), Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune.)

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