Saudi Arabia and India agree to study feasibility of establishing power grid    Saudi Awwal Bank records SR5.9 billion net profit after Zakat and Income Tax for YTD Q3    Economy minister emphasizes global partnerships to address pressing challenges Private investments in non-oil sector soar 70%    Saudi Arabia's GDP grows 2.8% in Q3, driven by non-oil sectors    PIF, HKMA sign MoU to establish $1 billion investment fund    Israeli soldiers forced Palestinian men to take off clothes as they evacuated war-torn Jabalya    North Korea fires suspected intercontinental missile    India celebrates Diwali, the festival of lights    'It was like a tsunami': Spaniards recount horror of deadly floods    Bahrain Crown Prince receives Saudi Interior Minister    In-person classes will remain suspended in Jeddah, Rabigh and Khulais schools on Thursday    HR Ministry takes penal action against 568 violators of Domestic Workers' Regulation    Derby Week makes its debut in the Roshn Saudi League    Al Nassr eliminated from King's Cup after a defeat to Al Taawoun    Teri Garr, Young Frankenstein and Tootsie star, dies at 79    Othman Al Omeir receives Legacy of Change Medal at the UK Parliament for advocacy in media    Neymar joins Saudi fashion trend, donning traditional attire at Al Hilal match    Indonesia Days event celebrates cultural diversity at Al Suwaidi Park    Saudi Football Federation reappoints Hervé Renard to lead national team    Tarzan star Ron Ely dies aged 86    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Indian entrepreneur sells ‘untouchable' foods to challenge caste bias
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 20 - 09 - 2016

A former rebel fighter and member of India's "untouchable" caste is taking on caste-based discrimination with packaged foods that would have been regarded as impure just decades ago.
Chandra Bhan Prasad, 58, was born into the Dalit Pasi community of pig rearers in northern India, considered untouchable in the ancient Hindu social hierarchy. Prasad and his wife recently launched "Dalit Foods" online to sell spices, pickles and grains.
"I was born impure. But I have the right to sell pure," Prasad said by phone from his office in New Delhi.
"I grew up with segregation and untouchability, but India has changed. I want to see how those who are born pure respond to my offering," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
India banned caste-based discrimination in 1955, but centuries-old attitudes persist, and lower-caste groups including Dalits are among the most marginalized communities.
Dalits were barred from public places including temples and water tanks frequented by higher-caste Hindus. Many higher-caste Hindus considered food cooked or served by Dalits to be impure.
It is this custom that Prasad is taking aim at. Dalit Foods sells a small range of spices and grains, including chili powder, turmeric powder, mango pickle, barley flour and lentils. More products will be added, Prasad said.
For three years, Prasad was a fighter with India's Maoist insurgency that claims to fight for the rights of poor farmers and landless indigenous people. He became a Dalit campaigner and a champion of economic empowerment to end caste bias.
He became interested in food after three members of his family died of cancer.
"Food adulteration is a big problem, and is probably the biggest reason for our health problems today," he said.
"And yet, I saw 80-year-old Dalits who were healthy and doing hard labor, largely because of what they were eating: pure, unprocessed food," he said.
The domestic packaged food market is forecast to be worth $50 billion by 2017 from about $32 billion last year, according to the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India.
Recent food-safety scares have led to greater awareness of adulteration.
While growing up, Prasad said he and others in his community were forced to eat coarse foods that were reserved for cattle and for servants. These included unpolished rice and millet.
"Millets were considered inferior food then. Today, they are called a superfood," he said.
"We want to make Dalit foods like these popular," he said.
A large hotel chain is buying Dalit Foods on a trial basis, and the number of customers — largely urban Indians — is rising, Prasad said.
Dalits are still often the targets of violence, with tens of thousands of crimes reported each year.
Last month, thousands of Dalits in Gujarat state pledged to boycott the dirty jobs traditionally thrust upon them in protest against the lynching of Dalit men by upper-caste Hindus. — Thomson Reuters Foundation


Clic here to read the story from its source.