Once home to nearly 1,00,000 indigenous varieties of rice, just a fraction dominate markets in India today. This online discussion explored the reasons behind their decline, unpacking how the pricing of commercial varieties does not account for social and environmental externalities tied to them, and offered practical ways to make native rice more accessible.
Set in Kerala, The Great Indian Kitchen anchors conversations around the kitchen, gender roles, and labour. Directed by Jeo Baby, the Malayalam film revolves around a newly married woman’s struggles in a conservative and patriarchal family. Through an upcoming online discussion, we attempt to unpack the realities surrounding gender and labour within domestic spaces.
“Organic.” “Natural.” “Chemical-free.” “Sustainable.”
We see these words everywhere—on food packets, menus, and Instagram captions. While they are meant to signal trust, care, and ethics, what do they actually mean? And who gets left out of the story when we rely on labels alone?
Join British Bengali chef and writer Sohini Banerjee for an intimate morning walk through Jadubabur Bazaar, one of South Kolkata’s most storied neighbourhood markets.
Led by Sadaf Hussain, the walk traced how people who found refuge in Shaheen Bagh carried their food traditions with them and stitched together a new culinary landscape.
Led by Neil Khopkar, the walk explored the layered social and cultural history of Dadar through the foods that anchor everyday life in the locale.
In Pune, the walk explored the historic neighbourhoods of Narayan Peth and Sadashiv Peth, tracing how the city’s eating-out culture developed around fasting practices, community kitchens, iconic tea houses, and the rhythms of old Pune life.
In Bhubaneswar, the walk explored the Old Town, where temple traditions, seasonal rhythms, and centuries-old food practices shape what people eat every day.
Jaipur’s walk focused on the Old City inside the ‘Chaar Diwari’, where the street food culture is shaped by early planning by the royals and later, by migration patterns.
For our Local Food Club themed Love Your Leftovers in November, members gathered online for a workshop that unpacked the messy truth of kitchen waste, showing us how ridiculously simple it is to turn scraps, peels, and packaging into valuable resources.
As part of our Local Food Club engagements, we had Chef Arina Suchde conduct a workshop on how scraps can spark delicious new beginnings—turning peels, pods, and stems into soups, teas, and syrups.