Anna-daan, food charity in India Preaching and practice

Table of Contents

List of figures vii

List of maps viii

List of tables ix

Foreword by Ruth Suseela Meinzen-Dick xi

Foreword by Yogi Adityanath xiii

Acknowledgements xiv

PART I

History and practices 1

1 Anna-daan, food charity: an overview 3

K. V. RAJU AND S. MANASI

2 Anna-daan, food charity in Hinduism: an exploration 22

K. V. RAJU, S. MANASI, M. S. SHRUTI, AND N. LATHA

3 Anna-daan: Jain Agamas theory and practice 64

PRATIBHA PARSHWANATH AND N. LATHA

4 Anna-daan in Buddhism: deciphering the nexus 99

SAROJ KANTA KAR AND ABHIMANYU CHETTRI

5 Anna-daan practices in Sikhism: manifestations of the institution of langar (community kitchen) 119

MANVINDER SINGH AND NATASHA KALRA

6 Anna-daan in Christianity: origin, meaning, and varieties 140

JAMES PONNIAH

7 Anna-daan in Islam: objectives, nuances, and variants 170

M. A. SIRAJ, MOHAMMAD KHALIMULLAH, AND HARSHITA BHAT

8 Conclusion 203

PART II

Case studies 217

Case studies 219

Eating together unites people and has a significant impact on their physical, social, and emotional development. This book looks at practices and traditions of sharing food prevalent among major religious communities in India, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Christianity, and Islam.

Food insecurity is one of the major problems every country in the world is facing today because of increasing population, climate change, agrarian distress, wars and conflicts, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Including case studies from across India, this book examines the necessity and effectiveness of food-sharing practices in temples, mosques, and gurudwaras, among others. Emphasising the importance of these practices for the social and physical well-being of the most vulnerable sections of society, it showcases how traditional religious practices of food sharing have contributed to tackling hunger, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The volume also offers long-term solutions to address underlying issues which cause hunger and food insecurity.

One of the first to study food sharing and alms-giving practices in India, this book will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of sociology, anthropology, food studies, religion, security studies, political economy, public policy, and South Asian history and culture.