Parikrma Festival of Science, Bengaluru
Themed on the science of food, the Parikrma Festival of Science was the first of its kind—designed to make conversations at the intersection of food, science, nutrition, and culture accessible and easily available to school students from diverse backgrounds. For us at The Locavore, this event seemed to be the culmination of all that we found valuable and interesting: conversations about eating, cooking, and producing with young minds growing amidst a changing food system, from whom we have much to learn as well.
Parikrma Humanity Foundation, which organised the event, enables free education amongst students and provides vocational training and counselling to mothers. Our session was designed to prompt critical thinking around food-related issues that we are all familiar with, but pay little attention to. The interactions we had planned addressed problems within the food system and how the students could do their bit to solve them.
Before we took the stage, Shukla Bose, founder of the Parikrma Humanity Foundation, engaged the room in an interactive song about preparing and eating nutrient-dense foods like dal. As Shreshtha Chhabra, head of producer partnerships, walked into the room, the sound of students singing resonated around her. “It was a gloomy day, but the rhythm and energy snapped joy into my step,” she said.
Stories of composting, recording fading foods significant to their families, and equitable sharing of food resonated deeply with The students. Photo by Arshiya Bose.
On their food-coloured hand cut-outs, students penned down personal pledges to eat better, treat waste more consciously, and cook more. Photo by Arshiya Bose.
Soon after, ChefTZac began walking early teens through the environmental, socio-economic, nutritional, and cultural issues of food wastage, the duality of malnutrition and obesity, food insecurity, and loss of traditional knowledge.
Backyard composting, spending time with older family members to document quickly fading dishes, collecting and donating excess food to less privileged folk, and creating food banks were some solutions that resonated with the students. ChefTZac also demonstrated how to read labels by breaking down the contents of packaged foods, like chips, cookies, and aerated beverages.
“Adults often find it hard to grasp concepts around food systems, and its different stakeholders. It was a revelation to watch kids join the dots when it came to this, and that makes me hopeful about the future. I could see them thinking deeply, without cynicism, to find solutions; they believe that it is possible. They have no preconceived notions, unlike adults. I also believe that it is important for us to create spaces for such conversations,” said Arshiya Bose, founder of Black Baza Coffee Co, and daughter of Shukla Bose.
In the afternoon, students participated in a discussion about sustainability and climate change.
A day before the event, students brought hand-shaped cut-outs coloured with food extracts. On these, they wrote a personalised pledge to impact the food system: to quit eating masala puri and gobi manchurian for a year, or to incorporate more colours in their plates. A promising start—for us as much as for them!
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