Toddy Shop Gandhi

In 2015, I wrote an article about my visit to a toddy shop in a small village in Kerala, near Vaikom. We were travelling through the region and while discussing where to have lunch, we called our friends and asked them to recommend a good place to eat. Our foodie friend in Ernakulam advised us to visit a toddy shop in Cherpu.

It was, in fact, a cultural centre. The establishment had its own pond and fish-rearing facilities, a poultry farm and a vegetable garden. All the ingredients were fresh, and the cooking was truly excellent. We enjoyed our meal with fresh toddy and fried beef, followed by fish curry and tapioca porridge. Fried chicken rounded off the meal, with another dose of toddy.

They had even arranged for a local singer, who sang a few songs for us.

As we were leaving, the owner said to me, “Everything we serve here is produced in this village, sir.”

“Yes, truly Gandhian,” I replied.

He understood the compliment I intended, and laughed.

We were discussing the Gandhian element in that phenomenon on our way back to Ernakulam. My friend, film director Madhupal, said, “Gandhi would definitely support this project. After…