Food is one of the founding steps for a society to function properly. In the modern age of fast food, fast fashion, and fast lifestyle, we seldom think of nutrition, the basic food that is entering our body. Hence, Paushtik Life hosted Paka Darpana on World Sanskrit Day, which is celebrated on 9 August. Paushtik Life says, “Get a taste of Hitahara. In this era of junk and ultra-processed food that often creates long-term health risks, offer yourself the virtue of a unique, healthy, and tasty twelve-course lunch, the menu of which has been curated from the most ancient book on culinary art, Pakadarpanam, authored by Raja Nala, the legendary king of the state of Nishadha.”
Present among the dignitaries was the Director of Ayurveda, Dr Debasis Ghosh. In conversation with The Statesman, he said, “Ayurveda has always given a lot of focus on food. If we read the Charak Samhita, we will find in many chapters detailed descriptions of the various rules and systematic division for the intake of various foods and beverages. Not even modern medicine has been able to be this clear and distinct in its prescriptions for a healthy life.” He added, “What to eat, what not to eat, which foods are edible and inedible, and most importantly, during which times of the day do we intake what food is very methodically written in the Charak Samhita. It is high time to look back at our past, and not avert our eyes from the science of Ayurveda, when even the Western world has been adapting to the lifestyle of good food.”
This event has been organised at a time when the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), in consultation with the Ministry of Ayush, has just released a definitive list of Ayurvedic food preparations under the category of ‘Ayurveda Aahara’ and the list of references includes Pakadarpanam, from which the entire menu of the special lunch has been curated and the same recipes of the authoritative Ayurvedic text have been religiously followed. In order to preserve the authenticity of the ancient recipes, no mustard oil, chilli, potato, tomato, or onion was used. The entire cooking has been done by using cow ghee, black pepper, sacred fig (peepal) etc.
Also present was independent researcher and author Dipankar Dasgupta. He said, “The Indian Government had decided on this day to be celebrated as Sanskrit Day in 1969. Another significant event for this day is the birth of Bolodeb, the older brother to Lord Jagannath. He is the god of farming. Today we fight against the habits of eating out, and trans-fat, and carcinogenic elements in our everyday food items, which are devastating for the human body in the long run.”
Held at the quaint little eatery of Paushtik Life in Bansdroni, the event was exemplified with the simple aesthetics of old school Bengal. Today, it is important to know the influence of the Vedas on food and agriculture as well. The Kashyap Samhita has detailed accounts of every aspect of rice cultivation. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishada states that there are ten food grains. These were barley, rice, sesame, kidney beans (masha), millet, panic seeds (priyangu), wheat, lentils, and horsegram. The Arthshastra mentions sugarcane and mustard, linseed, safflower (kusumbha) and kodharva.
Paushtik Life has begun the practice of wellbeing in the truest sense of history and has started a practice of welfare. It is a non-profit organisation and most of the profits go into the building of farmer communities, proving that some food stories become more special than others.
Photos by Dipta Saha