ITANAGAR, 19 Aug: New Delhi-based CSIR-NIScPR principal scientist Dr Charu Lata delivered a lecture on ‘Food as cultural identity’ during the first lecture session of an online international lecture series, themed ‘Food connects us’, jointly organized by Dera Natung Government College (DNGC), Itanagar and Kolkata (WB)-based Mrinalini Datta Mahavidyapith (MDM) on Tuesday.
Lata emphasized the important role of food in shaping cultural identity, promoting diplomacy, and supporting sustainable development.
She spoke on several key themes, the value of Ayurveda and indigenous food knowledge, combating hunger through germination and fermentation, community and climate cuisine linkages, challenges posed by fast food and loss of traditional knowledge, and the importance of reviving ethnic food traditions.
She also spoke about government initiatives, millet promotion, documentation of traditional knowledge, and the CSIR and SWASTIK programmes for preserving food heritage. She highlighted various government initiatives for preserving India’s food heritage.
The session, which was attended by 150 participants, opened with an introduction by Dr Suman Chakrabarty, coordinator of the lecture series and also the coordinator of the food and nutrition department of MDM.
This was followed by a brief note on the resource person, presented by MDM joint convener Arpita Dey.
The lecture was followed by a question and answer session.
DNGC joint convener Dr Ratna Tayeng also spoke.
