Give a Little

At a time when malnutrition is a common enemy,Meera Dewan’s Gur Prasad: The Grace of Food reminds the viewers of Punjab’s tradition of sharing food at langars or community kitchens in gurdwaras. A meal prepared and eaten together binds both the giver and receiver as the entire concept revolves around selfless egalitarian compassion. The 58-minute-long documentary screening at the India International Centre on Wednesday was followed by a discussion on the “Role of community kitchens in eliminating hunger” with activists Vandana Shiva,Harsh Mandar and VS Kundu,Chief Producer,Films Division of India.

“Our country’s middle class that has lost old ways of giving and is yet to learn the new ones,” said Mandar,as he talked of gurdwaras in the capital that restrict entry to the poor. “Akbar,before meeting Guru Amar Das Devji,ate at a langar,with common people seated next to him. But if Pranab Mukherjee has to visit Sheeshganj gurdwara and eat at a langar,he’d be deprived of India’s poorest people as company,” he said.