Yes, you read that right! It was only a few years ago that I became aware of the Niramish Mangsher Jhol or the Vegetarian Mutton Curry. I attended a Kali Pujo a few years ago. Being a whole night’s affair, beginning around midnight, and me being slightly younger, I could not sit still. This however did not mean that I was uninterested in the Pujo. In fact, the rituals got me even more interested in the Pujo and Goddess Kali. Speaking to the Didis and Maashis who were a little freer there, I understood that at the end of all the rituals, the final bhog or prasad would be the Niramish Mangsher Jhol. I was stunned! How was a mutton curry supposed to be vegetarian? I immediately rushed to my mother to ask her more about this and why we hadn’t cooked this at home. 

My mother then explained the difference between Amish (non-vegetarian) and Niramish (vegetarian) and it made a little more sense to me. On any day when we’d have a Pujo at home, my mother would always eat Niramish food, in other words, vegetarian food. This is the case with most Hindus. On auspicious days, vegetarianism is the call of the day. Following the Vaishnavite tradition, most Bengalis consider onion and garlic to be non-vegetarian. Hence, on the days mum would maintain a Niramish diet, she would not eat any dish with onion or garlic. 

However, for Kali Pujo, mum explained, traditionally a young goat was sacrificed and offered to the goddess Kali. It was the curry made of this meat that came to be the Niramish Mangsher Jhol. Niramish because it was an offering for the Pujo, which made the meat holy. In addition to this, some sources mention that the preparation of this curry depends on the representation of the Goddess Kali in that particular Pujo. Some make it with a base of hung curd and some with a base of ginger and asafoetida (hing). Apart from these, there are other variations as well. 

In our family, we don’t really celebrate Kali Pujo, as it has never been tradition from my mother’s side. Nevertheless, I do find the Goddess Kali and her avatars quite fascinating. Being amazed at whatever I had learnt in that short while, every year during Kali Pujo, I demand a Niramish Mutton Curry from my mother. Even though it’s a mutton curry, it is very light on the stomach, which is a lovely bonus. 

All this got me thinking on the idea of what is considered holy and unholy or pure and impure. These dichotomies do have their groundings in political acts but have they also at some point been only a matter of perception. How we view certain rituals, gods or even the spaces in which we live. Brahmins across the country are popular for being vegetarian. However, Bengali Brahmins are among a few of the Brahmins in the country who do eat non-vegetarian food, traditionally speaking. Non-vegetarian or even vegetarian food is not innately impure or pure. It is the cultural perception stemming from a variety of reasons, which are attributed to any act we indulge in. The oxymoron behind the vegetarian mutton curry only tells us that all the rituals and practices we indulge in, have metaphorical value, but to carry out political acts of distinction and unfortunately, more often than not, discrimination, between what is pure, impure, holy or unholy, is a vain act.