“The BMC, police, courts, don’t belong to us; we only have each other”
—Naveen Yadav, a street vendor and activist in Mumbai, to whom running his stall is a political act.
Stories
When Faced With Water Scarcity, Local Millets and Beans are Hardier Than Peas
Farmers working with Kilmora, a social enterprise in Uttarakhand, tell Yashvi Shah how their harvest has halved over the last five decades, especially as sources of water dry up.
“You should’ve come when we get bombil. It is beautiful, every surface of Mandav is covered with it”
—Leela Solanki, who dries fish at Versova village, Mumbai
“After my father’s passing, we took over the cart, but did not touch his special dabeli masala recipe”
—Dipesh Rajgor, who has been working at his father’s esteemed Mohan Dabeli Stall in Bhuj, Gujarat
“It’s the only way of life”
—Brijesh Kashyap, whose family has been making malai makkhan in Lucknow’s Gol Darwaza for three generations dating back to the 1940s.
At Kashmere Gate’s Durga Pujo, Mutton Biryani and Korma are Always on the Menu
The capital city’s oldest Durga Pujo brings Old Delhi’s expert bawarchis to cook up a storm in a school playground.
The Inner Workings of The Oldest Maharashtrian Bhojanalay in My Hometown
No spectacle, no fancy plating—just food you keep coming back for, for years together. Harshita Lalwani gets a glimpse into the kitchen at New Poona Boarding House.
An Essential Reading Guide to Mumbai’s Changing Seascape
Mukta Patil, Projects Editor at The Locavore, curates a list of essential readings on sustainable fishing and the Koli community.