Adivasis don't waste food at functions

Adivasis do not waste food when they attend functions, celebrations or community feasts in their gudems. 

It is difficult to find an Adivasi leaving some of the food in  his or her plates and washing their hands and throwing the remaining food in the dustbin finishing their lunch or dinner at Adivasis’ community feasts or other celebrations.   

The Adivasis will take the leftover food to their homes for their family members or to eat it some other time.

This practice called ‘Ghato Thinji Ani Oival’ (means eating food and taking the leftover food to their homes) was popular among the Adivasi communities even today in Adilabad district.

Generally Adivasis carry their own plates, bowls when invited to community feasts or any function or celebration in their Gudems. Sometimes, the organizers provide teak or other leaves to be used as plates.       

It is said that the practice is nothing but Adivasis’ respect for food and they never waste food because they knew the risk and labour involved in food gathering, hunting to fill their bellies and also in cultivation of crops and protecting them from the forest animals.

Wastage of food has become major problem in urban and non- tribal communities especially in well to do families while lakhs of people suffering from hunger. 

Adivasis maintain discipline while participating in community fests and sit in line. Cooked Mutton or chicken pieces and soup will be served separately to the Adivasis at community feats.

Sidam Shambu, headman of the Mattadiguda village in Utnoor mandal, said the mutton or chicken pieces and soup will be served separately to the Adivasi people during community feasts to ensure that all will get equal number of pieces.

N. Madhusudhan of NGO Yakshi which works on Adivasis issues, said Adivasis in Srikakulam of Andhra Pradesh where he worked also take the leftover food with them to their homes after eating at functions or community feats as they do not want to waste the food and this was their way of respecting to the hard earned food unlike others.

An intermediate student Sidam Nandini of Mattadiguda of Utnoor mandal said she has been practicing the ‘Ghato Thinji Ani Oival’ since his child hood on seeing their family members and parents. She said the practice was nothing but Adivasis respect to food and food grains.

She said it was true that after many phases in Agriculture from sowing seeds or planting paddy to harvesting, rice or other food grains comes as a food into their plates and lot of labor goes into this process.