Ambur Biryani and other meats

Connoisseurs of non-vegetarian food will swear by the delectable taste of Tamil Nadu Ambur Biryani Filled with juicy pieces of meat that supposedly melt in the mouth. It is distinctive and popular, like Hyderabadi Biryani in the world of Pakistan.

Naturally, when the Tirupattur district administration recently announced the three-day Ambur Biryani Thiruviza (festival), the eaters were excited. Similar were the restaurants, which were keen to receive the Geographical Indication tag for the spicy dish.

Amidst the uproar, a dispute arose when Tirupattur Collector Amar Kushwaha made only Chicken, Mutton, Fish and Prawn Biryani mandatory Will be served in stalls and “banned” beef and pork. Stating that he was personally not against any meat, Mr. Kushwaha argued that he did not want to hurt Hindu or Muslim sentiments, as one group represented in favor of pork biryani and the other wanted beef. Was.

Beef is on the menu in many restaurants in Ambur. While over 97% of the population of Tamil Nadu consumes non-vegetarian food, beef is a delicacy for a section of the population. As per NSSO’s Household Consumption Expenditure Survey [three rounds spanning a decade until 2011-12]The beef-consumers were 31.4 lakh, i.e. more than 5% of the state’s population. Oxtail Soup and Beef dumplings are preserved in roadside stalls.

Along with the rise of cow vigilantism in India, the Dravidian state has seen incidents of “other” beef. In 2015, the AIADMK government banned beef consumption and voluntarily. Plate , mangalsutra) ‘Removal’ event organized by Dravida Kazhagam in Chennai. It even took the Madras High Court on leave to obtain a single judge’s stay order on the lifting of the ban, hours before the event.

The ruling DMK allies were also angered by the Tirupattur collector’s ban on the meat of the poor man at a government festival. Vanni Arasu of Viduthalai Chiruthigal Katchi, who mainly represents the cause of Scheduled Castes, argued that barring food for a particular community is against the ‘Dravidian model’ of Chief Minister MK Stalin’s rule.

Incidentally, five years ago a Ph.D. Against the backdrop of the attack. Mr Stalin, an IIT-Madras scholar for the Centre’s restrictions on beef-picking and animal trade, had said that the government cannot deny people’s fundamental rights on food choices. He said rhetorically: “Should we eat only that” [Prime Minister] Do you like Modi?”

The then state BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan – now the governor of Telangana – had challenged Mr Stalin to eat beef, saying, “We will see what happens in Tamil Nadu.” Since the majority of the population does not eat beef, she was suggesting that there could be electoral consequences for the DMK. The BJP had promised a ban on cow slaughter in its 2021 election manifesto, unaware that slaughter of cows has been illegal in Tamil Nadu since 1976.

While the Chief Minister did not react to the fresh controversy, the Collector postponed the biryani festival citing rain forecast in the eleventh hour. It’s anyone’s guess if the rain would have really diluted the flavor of the spicy matter.

The controversy is alive. The Tamil Nadu State Commission for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes has asked Mr. Kushwaha to explain why his decision to exclude beef biryani “specifically” would not be construed as discrimination on “communal grounds”, and Action will be initiated for such official discrimination”. , Commission took up the matter for investigation [deeming it] “The practice of untouchability as a form of discrimination against the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes and Muslim population”.

Mr. Kushwaha had told Hindu Since the event has been called off, the notice “is null and void”. It is doubtful whether the Commission will support his interpretation. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether the Ambur Biryani Festival will be held at a later date as per the assurances of the officials. If so, will Mr. Stalin ensure that there is no restriction on the choice of food?

Sureshkumar.d@thehindu.co.in