Sharmistha Gooptu in Paris
Before the start of the Olympics, there were reports of having a restaurant in the Games Village that would serve Indian food every day. The idea was for athletes to have the kind of food that they are used to eating and which works best for them as far as familiarity and mental wellness before competitions is concerned.
During the Olympics, however, we heard murmurs of there being issues with long lines at food counters and Indian athletes having to order food from outside. When I met Palak Kolhi during the Paralympics, I asked her about the Indian food in the village. According to her, there is an Indian sabji the day before, but it’s the same that they make and serve through the day, same one for lunch and dinner, no variation.
And that’s just once in a few days. Day before yesterday, when we were having lunch at the village, having been invited inside by the PCI, I noticed that there wasn’t a single Indian dish on offer in the gigantic dining hall that caters to the athletes and officials. While there is a French section- naturally- France being the host country, and there is one for Asian, one for halal and one for Du Monde of the world – the Indian one didn’t figure in any of these.
For the Latest Sports News: Click Here
When I asked one of our hosts, he said ‘Haan, dal bana dete hain once in 4-5 days, but we have arranged to get from outside anything that our athletes might want to eat.’ There is the india restaurant Kashmir, that makes decent Indian food just a little way away and it has been a popular haunt of athletes, PCI people and media persons alike. But why not in the village, when it was supposed to be there?
When the organisers had declared the same before the Olympic Games. And if we can have a section for Asian food, then why not Indian? Why no Indian menu in the Du Monde section? It takes just three to four places on a counter- a rice/roti, dal, vegetable and one non-vegetarian dish. When people are away from home for a longer while, it is the familiarity of food that’s close at hand that can work wonders. Indians typically get tired of eating bread round the clock! And leaving the village to go to a restaurant is not always an option.
While the PCI has been incomparable, I would say when taking care of their athletes, why make accommodations when we can be more forceful in asking for our own niche from the organisers? Why take our athletes outside or order food if it was originally proposed to have Indian food counters? Indian food is something that is enjoyed by many, like Asian cuisine and Indian restaurants in Paris are thriving.
So could it just be a mindset that needs to be rejigged? Sure enough. India has surpassed all expectations at the Paralympics and PCI President Devendra Jhajharia declared at the village yesterday that people in the stadiums were now talking about how much India had grown since the Tokyo Paralympics. We need to be more forceful about India having more of a niche in the culture of the Games village.
Also Read: Paralympic gains must not be forgotten by the media