Rise of the veggielantes | Politics of meat
Tucked into the bustling lanes of College Street in Kolkata is an unassuming meat shop that old-timers say is more than a hundred years old. Inside it sits an idol of Maa Kali, the fierce and beloved goddess of Bengal. Each morning, she is propitiated with flowers, incense and chants; later in the day, she presides over business—the fresh mutton and other cuts sold over the counter. Outsiders may find this form of ‘Kasai Kali’ jarring but, for Bengalis, it’s a seamless expression of faith and co-existence. As Bantu Singh, a shop fixture now, explains, “People don’t understand our culture. When videos of our shop were posted online, many asked, ‘How can there be an idol in a meat shop?’ It’s hard to explain to them.”
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