Nagpur: ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’, an initiative by the Government of India, aims to enhance interaction and promote sustained and structural connect between people of different states and UTs in areas of language, culture, traditions, arts, etc. Food being a major reflection of culture, the Indira Gandhi National Open University and Visvesaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur jointly organized a national webinar on ‘Unity through Diversity- Maharashtrian and Odiya Foods’ to actualise the visionary mission of national integration through the states of Maharashtra and Odisha.
UC Pandey, director, RSD IGNOU, GN Nimbarte, head, dept of Humanities and Social Sciences, VNIT and the regional heads of several IGNOU offices in the states were among the dignitaries present.
Just as the Konark Express travels through Mumbai in the west to Bhubaneswar in the east, the presenters through appealing presentations and articulations, made the attendees traverse the states by discussing the confluence of the great cultures.
This assimilation of states celebrating the distinctiveness in food also marked the presence of the famous chef Vishnu Manohar, who, through examples of Saoji, Konkan, Maratha and Vidarbha styles, highlighted the variations in Maharashtra cuisines because of its connection with the region, festivals celebrated, bodily requirements and the weather conditions.
From the typical spicy food in Maharashtra to the less spicy yet flavourful food in Odisha, connoisseurs Laxhminarayan Das and Aditya Deo gave a tour of the famous Odiya cuisines like dalma, kanika, chema poda and explained the change in flavours of the dishes every 50 kms. The presence of people from the sectors of diet and nutrition added a reflection on the health aspects of the food in different regions.
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