Biryani caught in crossfire as poll battle rages

Hyderabad: The loose use of the term ‘biryani’ through out this election campaign is staining the delicacy which has achieved international recognition and is also a sign of festivity and celebrations.

The manner in which the phrases biryani kha ke so gae and biryani khilaya terrorists ko being used on election podia are a disrespect to the delicacy. With mass appeal becoming the call of the day during electioneering, dragging the popular biryani into the equation is the new low in populist politics.

History professor Salma Farooqui from MANUU University said, “There is no serious thought being given while using the term biryani in the election campaign. It is merely a populist measure but they fail to understand that they are disrespecting the dish which has earned India international recognition. It is a wrong simile that they are using.”

The term ‘biryani’ was used during the Assembly elections of Telangana state in 2018 and its use has continued in the Parliamentary elections of 2019 with different people using it to troll their opponents.

Mr Asaduddin Owaisi used the term to hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr Amit Shah used the term in Uttar Pradesh to hit out at the Congress. Even Ms Priyanka Gandhi took a dig at Mr Modi, saying that he went to Pakistan to have biryani.

With social media activity at its peak in the country in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the manner in which the term ‘biryani’ is being thrown around is portraying the delicacy in a bad light, said food expert Vijay Marur.

“Biryani is a dish meant for happy times. It is not every day that one eats biryani. This is for the first time that the dish is getting caught between various political parties who are trying to score a point. With social media activity peaking, the negative image for the delicacy is distressing.”

Biryani is the pride of Indian cuisine and is prepared using different styles and flavours in different parts of India. The most famous types are Awadh biryani and Hyderabadi biryani.

Biryani came to India during the Mughal era. The idea and recipe traveled through various parts of India, where biryani got its various local flavours and distinct preparation styles from. Apart from Awadh and Hyderabadi biryanis, even the Punjabi, Kolkata, and Dindigul biryanis are quite famous.

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