In Mumbai, can what you eat decide where you are allowed to live? Kaware has since deleted the video, but its message has already sparked outrage and reopened a much older fault line in the city – over vegetarianism, dietary discrimination and whether Marathi and non-vegetarian Mumbaikars are increasingly being pushed out of neighbourhoods they have long called home.
That uncomfortable question is back at the centre of a heated debate after an original video by real estate agent Bhavesh Kaware went viral, in which he said only vegetarian people would be allowed to get a home in Tardeo.
In the video, posted on Wednesday, Kaware was seen inside a nearly-complete two BHK house in an upcoming high-rise in South Mumbai’s Tardeo locality.
“What kind of criteria is this…. A flat owners food choice is their personal affair who are you to dictate food preferences to them,” commented third user. These episodes point to a larger question over whether Mumbai, where housing is becoming increasingly scarce and expensive, should allow a person’s food habits to determine where they can live.
Because it brought back a lot of uncomfortable memories for many residents in Mumbai, nevertheless, the incident generated a lot of buzz on social media. Because they eat meat or fish, with similar disputes reported from parts of Ghatkopar, Mulund and Kandivali, over the years, residents and prospective homebuyers have reported being denied housing. In 2017, the controversy over housing societies in Mumbai’s Powai allegedly refusing flats to non-vegetarians also brought the issue into the spotlight.
“So after buying the flat are they monitoring the kitchen of the owners as what they are eating?” commented one user. “Boycott and stop this project in Mumbai,” said another.
