A delicious return

The National Street Food Festival, back after a Covid break, showcased dishes from all 28 states. Stalls were full, showing vendors how much they were missed

- VIR SANGHVI

During the pandemic and the lockdown, our hearts went out to the migrant workers who were suddenly rendered jobless and had to walk home. There was another group of people who suffered greatly but never quite got the public attention or sympathy they deserved.

Street vendors are at the bottom of the food pyramid. They barely make enough money to feed their families, and they are constantly harassed and shaken down by the police and municipal authorities. The vast majority of them are not in this sector for love. They do it because, in an economy where employment options are limited, they have no choice.

So, even though we like to say that the reason India has some of the world's best street food is because of a glorious tradition, it may be more accurate to say that it is also because of necessity.

Each year the National Association of Street Vendors (NASVI) organises a street-food festival in Delhi. Hundreds of vendors travel to Delhi to show off their food. It is, for me at least, the foodie event of the year, and as time has gone on, I have become more and more involved in it. And my friend Sameer Sain (whose views on the contribution of vendors to Indian food are as passionate as mine) has put his own money into helping the festival and financing awards for the best vendors.