Ulti Pulti Baat and the Politics of Food
Welcome back to Ulti Pulti Baat, where animated discussions are use to explore the pressing issues of the day — as well as model how to have difficult or complicated discussions in a respectful, productive manner.
In this episode, we dive into the complex politics of food in India, sparked by recent conversations around the Kanwar Yatra. The Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage where millions of devotees, known as kanwariyas, journey to fetch sacred water from the Ganges River and offer it to Lord Shiva. While this pilgrimage is deeply spiritual, it also brings to light underlying societal tensions—most recently, the issue of food and who can make it, who can eat it and what underlies those notions
As we listen to Raj and Priya’s conversation, we see them navigate a complex web of issues and assumptions. When Raj hesitates to eat at a particular shop because “they’re not Hindus,” the discussion quickly shifts from the actual type of food to the identity of those who prepare and serve it. This shift highlights how food is not merely about sustenance but is deeply intertwined with religious and social identity. Raj’s concern isn’t just about what’s on the plate, but about who has made it, revealing how food can be used to enforce caste-based hierarchies and exclude certain communities under the guise of purity.
Across Communities and Faiths:
As Raj and Priya approach the store, Raj hesitates, expressing reluctance to eat there because the shop is owned by people from another community.
Question: How do ideas about food purity cross over into different religious and social communities?
Question: What role does faith play in shaping our food choices and who we trust to prepare it?
Question: How do these purity concerns create or reinforce social barriers between different groups?
Religious Identity and Social Division:
When Raj explicitly mentions that he doesn’t want to eat at a shop owned by “those people” during the month of Sawan, Priya challenges his assumption.
Question: Why might someone be more concerned about who is preparing their food than what the food actually is?
Question: How do these concerns about the preparer’s identity create divisions between different religious or social groups?
Question: What impact does this focus on identity have on community relationships and social cohesion?
Provocative Question: Why shouldn’t people be allowed to practice exclusion based on their faith? What’s the difference between an individual’s choice to exclude based on religious beliefs and when such practices receive government support?
Broader Implications:
As Priya explains the concept of halal and tries to broaden Raj’s understanding, the conversation shifts to how food practices are often misunderstood and misused to exclude certain groups.
Question: In what ways can food practices that exclude certain groups be addressed or challenged?
Question: How do these food-related practices reflect larger issues of social and political division?
Question: What steps can be taken to ensure that food practices promote inclusion and equality across communities?