This workshop in Mumbai unveils the influence caste has on one's food choices

You are what you eat the maxim suggests But could it be true that what you eat is somehow dictated by who you are in the first place When food researcher Shubhra Chatterjee presents a similar question to us over a call it sets off a discussion about food cultural identities and the overlap of the two The conversation with Chatterjee is to uncover Food x Caste 101 an upcoming online workshop that she will conduct with two other experts to unveil the influence caste has on how food is viewed in the countryBaorsquos illustration of chaanya a form of sundried cured beef or pork consumed by scheduled castes during food shortagesldquoIn the last 14 years of travelling around the country documenting food one thing became increasingly clear mdash caste was a big decider in what you eat and how you eat itrdquo Chatterjee shares further revealing that an incident in North India where she was suggested not to document a group of Dalit kids left a lasting impact and possibly led to the initial idea of the workshop right before the COVID19 lockdown struck ldquoThis omnipresent influence of caste unfortunately has never been documented and written about They only come to the fore when you experience them firsthand The workshop is a discussion of such lived experiencesrdquo she addsA Musahar family PIC COURTESYYOUTUBEThe sixpart series of workshops organised by Chatterjee will deepdive into subjects like hunger food choices belief meat consumption thirst and the ritual of sharing But how does one view hunger a universal primal concept through the lens of caste Rahee Punyashloka a PhD scholar from JNU who will join Chatterjee lays it out for us The Bengal Famine of 1934 he believes is a fitting example ldquoI studied the death toll and found that a majority of those who lost their lives in the famine were lower caste manual labourers who were on a journey to the cities to find employment and foodrdquo he remarks adding that even today we get to observe a reflection of our past in the many labourers who wager their lives for a better futurePunyashloka insists that contrary to popular belief the caste factor does not manifest itself only in rural areas Closer to home we learn the recent fad of superfoods says something about caste divisions too Ragi the scholar notes has been a mainstay in the diets of indigenous tribes across the country ldquoUnfortunately it took a shortage of foodgrains in the country for the authorities to turn to the millet and acknowledge the farmers who have been growing ragi for generationsrdquo he sighsRahee Punyashloka and Shubhra ChatterjeeMumbaibased artist and illustrator who goes by the pseudonym above The Big Fat Bao has been at the forefront of challenging casteist ideologies through her Instagram art page will showcase her work at one of the sessions For her the observations stem from her own intercaste household ldquoGrowing up dissonance arising from food habits existed not only out in the world but also in my household I started turning these observations into illustrations in 2021rdquo she shares adding that her interpretations of meat consumption patterns will form a major chunk of her discussions at the workshopldquoAs a society we have reduced meat and egg consumption to acts of blasphemy and impurity For lower castes however it is an accessible and vital source of nutrition that they are accustomed tordquo the illustrator elaborates referring to various studies that reveal the increased occurrence of anemia in women belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes ldquoIn the absence of readily available nutrition these women find managing such a condition harder than it should berdquo she addsEven cultures that do not frown upon meat we learn are further stratified based on what part of the carcass one consumes Bao draws our attention to the Musahar community of Bihar that gets its name from the practice of eating rat meat ldquoThese communities have sustained their lives on the diet It is unfortunate but it is a part of their fight for survivalrdquo she remarks The workshop will shed light on many such unconventional consumption habits including organ and blood consumptionAs the trio signs off they remind us that the workshop is still an experiment in bringing these anecdotes and lesserknown facts to light ldquoWe encourage discourse and debate In their absence the workshop is nothing short of three people preaching what they believe to be right which destroys the purpose of having a discussion around the subject matter in the first placerdquo they concludeON May 2 to June 6 every Tuesday 730 pm to 930 pmLOG ON TO historywaliCost Rs 3540