In line with the series of beef fests organised in Kerala against the Central Government’s new rules on cattle trade for slaughter, Kozhikode will witness a beef-themed iftar party on Saturday.
At 6.45pm on Saturday evening, Kozhikode Beach is set to be the venue of an iftar party that will only feature one highlight, beef biriyani. The unique iftar party has been organised by a collective of five women lawyers called Punarjani.
The rationale behind the fest, says Sapna Parameswarath, one of the members of Punarjani, is to give the chance to protest to all those individuals who have been unable to attend other beef fests because they have been observing the Ramzan fast. “We want the maximum number of people to come and take part in it. Since it is an iftar party, those who observe the fast can also participate,” she tells TNM.
Sapna is also quick to add that the iftar party conducted by the women’s collective is not restricted to any one gender, religion or group. “It is not a gender specific fest solely because it is being conducted by a women’s collective. Any individual irrespective of caste or religion is welcome to the fest. It is our protest against the Union Government’s regulations on cattle trade for slaughter,” she says.
“The Union government’s act to ban cattle sale for slaughtering is an encroachment to a citizen’s fundamental right to choose his food. The fest is a way of protest,” she added.
Besides beef biriyani, the protest iftar party will serve dates and lemon juice.
Punarjani was formed in 2011 by advocates Zeenath CK, A Shiji, Sujaya, Fareeda Ansari and Sapna Parameswarath.
Kerala has been on the warpath against the Central Government ever since the latter issued the notification for new rules prohibiting the sale of cattle for slaughter in animal markets. Along with West Bengal, the Kerala government had strongly criticised the new rules, calling them a violation of the Constitution, and announced that it would challenge them in court. Kerala also saw a series of protest in the form of beef fests organised in various parts of the state.