My Vicarious Visit to Meghalaya...

Of the various organizations working with Slow Food in India, one that I found particularly interesting is NESFAS (North East Slow Food and Agrobiodiversity Society), based in the state of Meghalaya.

In a country with so many beautiful and diverse food cultures, not much is know about the food cultures of the north-eastern states. NESFAS works towards sharing the food and agricultural practices of the indigenous peoples of these states with the rest of the country and the world, while also emphasizing the importance of local, traditional foods.

As part of its efforts, NESFAS recently held a food festival called Mei Ram-Ew in Meghalaya, showcasing traditional foods, agricultural produce, and cultures of the indigenous communities in the North-East.

As soon as I heard of this festival from Anandi, I wanted to go for it! It sounded like the most exciting food and cultures festival I’d heard of, and I wished I could hop onto a train and just whiz off to Meghalaya! But I’d found out about this festival too late. There was no way I would get train tickets at such short notice, and unfortunately I don’t own a private train that plies from Mumbai to Meghalaya whenever I fancy!

So I am enjoying the festival vicariously, through photographs and posts on NESFAS’s Facebook page. And I shall plan well in advance for Mei Ram-Ew 2014!