Of fasts and feasts

Kosha mangsho, maachh bhaja, machher jhol, mutton biryani, and mangsher shingara are some mouth-watering dishes consumed with much gusto in Durga Puja pandals. In the spirit of these festivities, YouTube channel Bong Eats posted a recipe of a favourite Pujo snack — egg roll. However, it drew strong criticism and was soon trolled. Comments accused Bengalis of being ‘godless’ and ‘eating meat while other people fast’.

Food seems to have become quite a contentious issue of late. And one’s food preferences are increasingly being put under the scanner and subjected to discussion and criticism. While some people fast during Navratri, others feast. The North Indian festivities call for fasting and a vegetarian menu while Bengal celebrates with much feasting including non-vegetarian dishes. But why associate a feeling of superiority with fasting and vegetarianism?

A navratri thali

National Award winning director, Amartya Bhattacharyya says, “India has always been a godless country. I don’t mean it is an anti-god culture but it was a very liberal culture. Spiritual learnings always pointed out that if you know yourself, then you know the entire cosmos. There is a saying, ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ which means ‘I am the cosmos’ and that was the fundamental teaching of Hindu religion. But slowly people started creating another idea of God. We have always been very creative while creating gods, which is why we have so many of them.”

He adds, “When we celebrate festivals like Durga Puja, it is a festival of our own creativity.  If we see the way everything is decorated, there is something very creative about it. But every form of ‘ism’, including Hinduism, reflects rigidity. I don’t find it acceptable from my own standpoint but this festival is a reflection of our culture and a beautiful get-together. In Durga Puja festivities of Kolkata, there is equal participation of Christians and Muslims, and Hindus also participate in their festivals. So this diversity is a beautiful way of balancing different ideologies. This co-existence of diverse cultures has been a part of Indian culture and these festivals unify many religions which are so divisive otherwise.”

Rushina Munshaw

Most agree that it is important to nurture and protect the diversity in festivals as they bring many communities together. Chef Sanjeev Kapoor agrees, “Food is something that should unite us, rather than divide us. During Holi festivities, there is a tradition of food items with bhang in it. Some might find that wrong as well. It is very difficult to say what is right and wrong, as all traditions have been created by human beings. Just because a particular community has been celebrating a festival in a certain way for a long time doesn’t give them the right to force their way of celebrations on other communities. We have to understand that the other community has also been celebrating the festival in a certain way for a long period of time.”

Munaf Kapadia, owner of Bohri Kitchen, agrees that diversity should be accepted and celebrated. “Every community practices different rituals. And I think it is important to respect everyone’s wishes and choices with respect to their food, and not do anything to harm them.”

A much loved pandal delicacy —fish fry

In a country as huge as India, a homogenous culture is quite an impossibility. Rushina Munshaw, culinary expert and food writer, says, “In several communities, Navratri is practiced as an all-vegetarian festival. But for Bengalis, Durga Puja is a big deal and isn’t necessarily a vegetarian affair. They have no restrictions when it comes to food. The prasad  offered to the deity is pure vegetarian, but the feast around the festival isn’t just vegetarian — it has multiple options. Throughout history, mankind’s eating habits are a product of evolution, which also includes migration. Each community’s eating habits are based on their location, For instance, during the monsoons, Kolis in Mumbai do not eat seafood. They don’t just take a break from seafood and fish consumption, but also allow nature to replenish the stock of fish.”

Sanjeev Kapoor

However, unity in diversity seems to be a phrase limited to textbooks now, feels Abhijit Bose, organiser of Arambag Puja Samiti in Delhi. He says he has faced a lot of prejudice regarding Durga Puja festivities over the years. “The blog was trolled online, but it is not the first time that we have been told that our way of celebration is wrong. Durga has a different significance for us and the same deity is worshipped in a different way in other places. The concept of bali or animal sacrifice is not alien to North Indian culture. There is no point in fighting over which community’s way of celebration is ‘better’.”  But with much hope for the coming festival, he concludes, “It is up to us to educate people and spread awareness about the diversity in Indian cultures, so we will do it.”

—With inputs from Pooja Salvi