Goa civic body bans sale of 'gobi manchurian' at street stalls over concerns about hygiene
Panaji, Feb 6: A civic body in North Goa has banned the sale of the popular street food 'gobi manchurian' at roadside stalls in its jurisdiction after concerns were raised about the unhygienic conditions in which the dish was prepared, an official said on Tuesday.
The municipal council of Mapusa town passed a resolution last week banning the dish from being sold by street food vendors, MMC chairperson Priya Mishal said.
"Vendors operate in unhygienic conditions and use synthetic colours to prepare 'gobi manchurian'," Mishal said.
Councillor Tarak Arolkar raised the issue and suggested that stalls selling 'gobi manchurian' not be permitted during the annual fair of Shree Bodgeshwar Temple, she said.
The council unanimously passed a resolution to not permit the sale of the dish at the temple fair and later extended the ban to all roadside stalls in the MMC jurisdiction, the chairperson said.
This, however, is not the first time the dish has been red-flagged.
In 2022, the state Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) issued a circular to the Mormugao Municipal Council in South Goa to restrict the number of stalls selling 'gobi manchurian' during the fair of Shree Damodar Temple in Vasco.
While FDA director Jyoti Sardesai was unavailable for a comment, a senior FDA official said 'gobi manchurian' sellers use a sub-standard sauce made of a powder that contains extracts of 'reetha' (Indian soapberry).
'Reetha' is used for washing clothes, the official said.
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Eminent philosopher, Narayana Gurukula head Muni Narayana Prasad dies at 87
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Eminent philosopher, spiritual leader Muni Narayana Prasad, who headed the famed Narayana Gurukula, passed away early Saturday, sources said.
He was 87.
He breathed his last while undergoing treatment for a brief ailment at a private medical college hospital in Venjaramoodu here, said sources at Narayana Gurukula, a Varkala-based philosophical and educational organisation inspired by the teachings of saint-social reformer Narayana Guru.
A recipient of the Padma Shri in 2024 and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for his contributions to literature and philosophy, Prasad was an engineering graduate before choosing the spiritual path.
He worked in the state government service before joining as an inmate in Gurukula, founded by Sree Narayana Guru's disciple Nataraja Guru in 1923.
Prasad later became the head of Gurukula following the demise of its then chief and prominent philosopher Nitya Chaitanya Yati.
An eminent scholar and a prolific writer, he wrote several books on various streams, especially on philosophy and spirituality.
People from various walks of life condoled Muni Narayana Prasad's demise.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in his condolence message, said that Muni Narayana Prasad was noted for propagating the Guru's teachings, critically interpreting his literary works, and delivering engaging lectures.
He described him as a scholar who deeply imbibed the philosophy of Sree Narayana Guru and presented it meaningfully to the world. He had the ability to communicate profound philosophical ideas in simple language, the CM noted.
Filled with humanism and a sense of equality in both words and actions, he influenced the thinking of many people, Vijayan said.
"With the passing of Muni Narayana Prasad, we have lost a teacher who taught society how to think," Vijayan added in his condolence message.
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