Bhopal: Non-Veg Missing On Platter, People Give Authentic Tribal Cuisine A Miss

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Madhya Pradesh government has closed the project to introduce the residents of cities and towns to the lifestyles of the tribes because non-vegetarian food could not be served to the visitors.

Under the project, traditional homes of the seven main tribes of the state were built on the premises of the Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum. Tribal people of the respective tribes were to live in these homes. They were to introduce the visitors to their lifestyle and offer them their traditional cuisines, which they would cook themselves.

The project, however, had to be shut down within 15 days of its launch on June 6 this year due to poor response. “Almost 80% of the visitors demanded non-vegetarian dishes, which we could not have served,” said curator of the museum Ashok Mishra.

Traditional homes of Bharia, Saharia, Baiga, Gond, Bhil, Korku and Kol tribes were built on the museum premises by artisans from the respective communities. To lend more authenticity to the homes, household items of daily use were also placed in the homes.

They included vessels for storing grains, cots, kitchen equipment, utensils for cooking and serving food. The Korku home, for instance, had hand-operated mills of clay for grinding rice and of stone for grinding wheat. The homes also included the place of Bada Dev - the deity whom many tribes worship. Chief minister Mohan Yadav had inaugurated the homes, built at a cost of around Rs one crore, on June 6 last year.

From June 6 this year, the homes also began offering the traditional food of the different tribes cooked by the members of the respective tribes. The project, however, had to be shut within a fortnight as there were no takers for the food, which was pure vegetarian. “People demanded non-vegetarian food, which is undoubtedly a part of tribal cuisine but we could not have allowed it,” he said.

The tribal who had come here in the hope of making some money were disappointed. Raw material which they bought with them was wasted, he said. The people of different tribes who were supposed to live in the homes have been sent back. “Now the visitors can have a look at the empty houses,” Mishra added.