SAMOSA & JALEBI FACE BABUS' BETRAYAL

N a nation where the crunch of a samosa and the syrupy swirl of a jalebi are as much a part of life as monsoon rains and cricket fever, the Union health ministry lobbed a culinary grenade into the heart of India's street food culture.

- PRABHU CHAWLA

A directive, cloaked in the guise of health consciousness, has sparked a firestorm of outrage, memes and defiance, threatening to tarnish the golden glow of our beloved snacks.

Last month, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava unleashed a culinary calamity through his letter to all ministries and departments urging them to put up "oil and sugar boards" in public spaces like cafeterias and lobbies, spotlighting the hidden fats and sugars in snacks like samosas, jalebis, vada pav, kachoris, and even pizzas and burgers. Later on, the ministry denied that the directive was meant to target any specific products. However, the damage was done.

What were the compulsions for the government to get into the controversy? The justification given was combating India's rising tide of obesity and non-communicable diseases—with The Lancet forecasting a grim 44.9 crore overweight Indians by 2050. But this vaguely-worded edict, dripping with Western wellness dogma, has misfired spectacularly and ignited a debate that has pitted bureaucratic overreach against cultural pride.

Samosas and jalebis aren't just food; they're the heartbeat of Indian celebrations, from Diwali feasts to wedding banquets, and no government memo should dare meddle with that sacred bond. The health ministry's directive, ostensibly a 'behavioural nudge', reeks of a deeper agenda, one that seems to begrudge the global rise of Indian cuisine. Why else single out samosas and jalebis, when the real culprits like ultra-processed chips, colas and cookies lurk in every supermarket aisle?