News Desk ! World's First Literature Festival on Mishti in Kolkata

Digital Desk: A galaxy of global stars - which includes Hollywood's favourite chef and Netflix star Asma Said Khan, India's only woman foreign secretary who was India's ambassador to Pakistan China and the US Nirupama Rao, the world's most revered food anthropologist and Canadian writer Dr Colin Taylor Sen, Padmashri and India's most noted historian Pushpesh Pant whose book was named by The New York Times as the best, Oxford University professor Dr Kunal Basu, Founder of India Festival in Sweden Sanjoo malhotra, Bengal's greatest living artist Jogen Choudhury, MP and former Culture Secretary of India Jawhar Sarkar and a host of some phenomenally big names have joined hands to host the World's First Literature Festival on Mishti in Kolkata on Dec 9-11. 

A nearly 400 year old Bengal love story is all set to hit the global stage when Kolkata plays host to one of the country's biggest festivals. 

The three day Jugal's Literature Festival (JLF) - to take place from December 9-11 will be one of the largest gatherings of writers. intelligentia, historians, food aficionados, stalwarts from the world of cinema and theatre and global Kolkatans from across the world for whom mishti is an intrinsic part of their DNA. 

To be spread across 10 venues that will bring together some of Kolkata's iconic addresses - both traditional homes, art galleries and modern institutions, each venue will for the first time ever, also have the world's longest tables of mishti with over a 60 variety spread out - long enough to create a world record of sorts.   

The festival is the brainchild of an India-Canadian 30 year old Lahana Ghosh - who decided to give up her cushy job in the financial district of Vancouver to return to her roots in Kolkata and give the mishti industry the respect it deserves. 

Interestingly, she is breaking every glass ceiling by creating the first ever all women's kitchen of mishti makers - bringing down one of the last remaining bastions of a male dominated industry. 

Lahana's grandfather started Jugal's which turns 100 years old in 2023 and the JLF will be the renowned Ghosh family's gift to the City of Joy. 

The story of mishti is quintessentially as old as the story of Kolkata itself. Most estimates say that Kolkata is home to over 2 lakh mishti shops. Mishti has been intrinsic to Bengal's folklore and cinema or any form of creative arts. 

Do you know what was the favourite sweet of Pradosh Chandra Mitra aka Feluda? 

It was Mihidana, a sandesh made from new jaggery. 

Which mishti is mentioned in the story of Joy Baba Felunath written by Satyajit Ray? Rabri of Hanuman Haluikar in Kachori alley of Benaras. Where was Rabri first mentioned? In the book Chandimangal written by Mukundaram Chakraborti way back in the 16th century. 

Would you know where the first written reference to jilipi was found? In the 13th century cookbook written by Mohammad-bin-hassan-al-bagdadi. 

Who however were the first to discover jilipi? The Jews of Egypt.

Lahana Ghosh says "Not only will it be the first literary fest on Mishti in the world but the first ever literary fest on food in the world. Food and mishti is the only medium through which we do not see discrimination. An American white man enjoys Indian food just the way a brown Indian man enjoys burgers and fries. When we eat biryani we do not see the origin of the food, or  the religion of the person who made it.  Food is the only thing we do not hesitate to consume regardless of its history or religious influences, or the community that made it". 

"The goal is to start the conversation on how different cultures have influenced our food, our sustenance and how we have accepted and incorporated those influences in our food without any complaint. IF we apply the same values to our day to day lives, we will hopefully become more accepting towards other cultures and hopefully live in a society that is undivided. These origins and influences on our cuisine must be documented  so we do not forget the fact that we are humans first". 

So how important has mishti been in literature and the folklore of India, according to Lahana?

"Mishti has been a part of our culture for thousands of years. For example the earliest reference of Malpuya, a deep fried pancake soaked in syrup goes back 3,500 years, to the Rig Veda that calls it ‘apupa’. Over the centuries, apupa incorporated many more cultural influences and was embraced by different faiths. A version of this dessert, with eggs and mawa, was a popular sweet in Islamic courts. In Odisha’s famous Jagannath temple at Puri, malpua is still the early morning offering to the lord Jagannath. This tradition dates back to 1200 AD".

"The influence of Europe and Middle easterners on our cuisine has been massive. The concept of chenna (curdled milk) was not considered auspicious as curdled milk means that it has been spoiled. But the birth of the modern day Bengali mishti, which is completely chenna based, was only possible because of the Portuguese settlers. They introduced cheese making techniques through the use of curdled milk and us bengalis have incorporated that technique in our quintessential sandesh and rasgulla. The birthplace of paneer (without which modern day Indian vegetarian food is incomplete) took place here in Bengal through Portuguese influence," Lahana adds.

Oiendrila Ray Kapur who is the Creative Director of the Festival said "I am going to use the greatest flavour of Kolkata - its freedom in designing the festival. The freedom of thought, in ideas, in the way we protest or celebrate, the liberal thinking in its Arts - be it literature or cinema or theatre. I will use the backdrop of Kolkata - its built architecture - old bastions of history to modern architectural wonders to create this festival". 

Kounteya Sinha is the director of the festival.