BHAKRI RECIPE: GHASYO

Teekar, on the far end of the Rann of Kutch, is called ‘Suryasth Bharat’ the edge where the Indian sun sets. Beyond it is Pakistan, where the sun possibly never rises. The tribes of this arid and barren landscape carry this recipe — ghasyo — with them. Wheat or bajra is ground to flour and heated on a low flame in a dry kadhai until it turns pinkish red. This should take 10-15minutes. It is cooled and carried for long periods and is typically eaten with jaggery and ghee. It can be premixed with ghee and jaggery and two spoons are consumed with milk, buttermilk or water. It is referred to as ‘instant roti’ as it is said to form a sweet bread inside the stomach.

What are ‘Vimukta Jatis’ or ‘Denotified Tribes’?

Vimukta Jaatis are the former Criminal Tribes of India, notified by the British. The label includes the Bhatkya Jatis or nomadic tribes. In 1871, a large section of tribes was labelled criminal by birth under the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871. It impacted 13 million people by 1911 and its scope was expanded to cover 313 nomadic tribes and 198 de-notified tribes, a total of 60 million people. The National Commission for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Tribes, constituted in 2005 noted that forest laws played a role in displacing these tribes, causing many to be so labelled for protesting eviction from forests to make way for railway, roads and mining projects. The tribes under the act were required to notify the police if they entered settlements, which led to police brutality and superstition surrounding them, not to mention exclusion from social progress. The jaat panchayats became their only source of redressal and justice. In 1950, the list of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was released. In 1952, the Ayyangar Committee Report repealed the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 and enacted Habitual Offender’s Act 1952. Today, several tribes have been included under the SC/ST/OBC reservation quotas. Plans are afoot to repeal even this classification in 2018.