Members of organisations including the All India Akhara Council and Shri Akhand Parshuram Akhada said they have begun approaching roadside vendors and restaurant owners to change menu descriptions in line with what they described as local traditions and municipal norms.
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Dehradun: A section of religious leaders in Haridwar has launched a campaign urging eateries to replace the term “biryani” with “vegetable pulao” on menu cards, citing the city’s religious character.
Members of organisations including the All India Akhara Council and Shri Akhand Parshuram Akhada said they have begun approaching roadside vendors and restaurant owners to change menu descriptions in line with what they described as local traditions and municipal norms.
Shri Akhand Parshuram Akhada head Adhir Kaushik said the campaign was initiated following complaints from the public.
“Biryani is a word originated from Hyderabad. It's traditionally associated with non-vegetarian vood items. At majority of the eateries and restaurants Vegetable Pulao is being sold in the name of Vegetable Biryani, which is wrong. Haridwar is a renowned global pilgrimage site. It's everyone's responsibility to maintain religious and cultural identity of the holy town with all its dignity,” he said.
Other religious figures, including Juna Akhada seer Swami Kartik Giri and narrator Pandit Pawan Krishna Shastri, appealed to vendors to adopt names they said were in keeping with the city’s religious environment.
They said the campaign was not against livelihoods but against what they termed incorrect nomenclature of food items. Vendors were urged to use “veg pulao” instead of “veg biryani” on signboards and menus.
The campaign, described as an initial phase, was launched on Saturday after discussions with Mahant Ravindrapuri, president of the All India Akhara Council.
Leaders also raised demands for restrictions on online delivery of intoxicants and non-vegetarian food in the city.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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