Indian scholars Aditya Prakash and Urmi Bhattacharya spoke to Firstpost after winning a historic legal battle of Rs 1.7 crore against racial discrimination in America. He clarified that this entire controversy was never about Palak Paneer or the taste of the food. According to him, this was a strong protest against the olfactory racism that Western institutions often justify in the name of inconvenience. Aditya said emotionally that the same insult he had endured in Italy at the age of 14 over parantha-sabzi was repeated at the age of 32 in a prestigious university in America. He called it not just a comment but a deep attack on Indian identity.

British staff and that colonial mentality
Speaking to Firstpost, Aditya recounted the moment when a British female employee described his food as spicy and unpleasant. According to Aditya, “His tone was exactly the same as our grandparents used to tell in the stories of the ‘Dogs and Indians’ era before 1947.” He said that in the West, the aroma of Indian food is not considered neutral but is deliberately used as a weapon to degrade it. Urmi Bhattacharya told that when she raised her voice against this insult, instead of supporting her, the university administration made her a victim of retaliation, her funding was stopped and an attempt was made to ruin her career.

old colonial mentality
For Aditya Prakash and his fiancee Urmi Bhattacharya, this fight was never about food. Speaking to Firstpost, he termed it “olfactory racism”. Aditya told that when he heated the food in the microwave, the British woman present there not only objected but also insulted his food. Aditya remembered the stories of his grandparents when in colonial India, there were boards saying that entry of dogs and Indians is prohibited. He realized that the same racist poison exists within Western institutions in today’s modern America where Indian culture is considered alien or dirty.

Institutional torture and Indian resistance
When other Indian students showed solidarity by bringing Indian food to the campus in protest, the university administration treated it as a riot and banned the use of microwaves. Not only this, Aditya and Urmi were academically tortured; His advisors resigned and his funding was stopped. But both of them did not give up. He proved that Indians will not bow down for their identity. Ultimately, in an out-of-court settlement, the university had to pay compensation and both were also given their PhD degrees.

Palak Paneer controversy: 5 big questions

Question 1: What was the real beginning of the Palak Paneer controversy?
Answer: Aditya Prakash was heating ‘Palak Paneer’ in the departmental microwave, on which a British staff made derogatory remarks.

Question 2: Why did scholars consider the Palak Paneer controversy as racism?
Answer: Because in the West, the smell of South Asian food is often used as a ‘slur’ to demean Indians and make them feel out of society.

Question 3: How did the university handle the Palak Paneer controversy?
Answer: Instead of resolving this, the university took action against the students, stopped their funding and isolated them academically.

Question 4: What were the terms of the agreement on Palak Paneer dispute?
Answer: The university paid the students $200,000 and awarded them their degrees, although the university did not legally admit its mistake.

Question 5: What is the global message from the Palak Paneer controversy?
Answer: This case sends a message that Indians will not tolerate any ‘institutional discrimination’ against their culture and identity and even big institutions can be made accountable.