Dr. Pooja Kalita, a Research Fellow with the project 'Heritage as Placemaking' recently presented her paper 'What has Heritage got to do with it? Understanding the Built Environment of Bodh Gaya’s Foodscape' at the 9th International Conference on Food and Drink Studies, hosted by the IEHCA (European Institute for the History and Culture of Food). She is the first and only presenter with an affiliation to a university in India to present at IEHCA. She presented her paper in the panel titled 'Sustenance and the Environment in India' with co-panelist Anil Paralkar (University of Heidelberg/ University of Witten) and chaired by Rasmus Andrén, affiliated to Centre for Natural Hazards and Disaster Sciences, Sweden.

About the paper:

The site of Bodh Gaya, situated in the Indian State of Bihar and which contains the Mahabodhi Temple, is regarded as the place where Lord Buddha received enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. It is one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. The built environment of Bodh Gaya is of crucial importance, as it aspires to be an attractive global tourist destination based on its heritage that is related to the Buddha’s life. The eclectic foodscape here is a vital part of the built environment. This foodscape as part of the built environment that has primarily come into existence due to the proliferation of heritage tourism, however raises some significant questions related to notions of hygiene, quality, accessibility and affordability of food. The foodscape of Bodh Gaya consists of restaurants, hotels, cafés, street-stalls, etc. The diversity that is observed in cuisines sold in such spaces lays out a vibrant picture wherein the notion of the ‘local’ and the ‘global’ perpetually interact with each other. It highlights the need to study foodscapes as a legitimate component of the built environment at a heritage site.

Dr. Pooja Kalita presenting with Anil Paralkar. Photo courtesy of Pooja Kalita.