Elephants roamed through the opening weekend of the DSC South Asian Literature Festival, now in its second year, in London. They weren't the real creatures, but imaginary - in storytelling sessions that included Afindica: The Story of the Ethical Elephants - a powerful children's tale told by Hogarth Brown.
It was just one event in a festival that caters to both children and adults, and which showcases established talents such as Christopher Ondaatje and Romesh Gunesekera alongside up-and-coming writers. A host of projects thought-provokingly reflect contemporary themes in South Asian writing, such as the new wave of women writers, tributes to Tagore, the art of translation, as well as an ambitious project that aims to write and publish a book in a 24-hour period before the end of the festival.
A blindfolded man touches an elephant and is asked to describe what he feels. Truth might come in all shapes and sizes, depending on your perspective, is the moral of the tale: it might feel long and swishy if touching the tail, or rough and wide if touching a trunk.
The Rich Mix festival venue is aptly situated in an ethnically diverse area of London with many south Asian residents. Nearby is Brick Lane (immortalised in Monica Ali's novel of the same name), where silks and scents spill on to the streets.
The festival continues until Monday, with events held in locations ranging from the British Library to the Women's Library, from the National Maritime Museum to the Nehru Centre.
There is a sense of excitement in the air as the festival returns to the very grassroots of telling stories with a children's storytelling segment. Considering the number of south Asian children in the UK from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and beyond, south Asian characters are rarely featured in their books.
Bhavit Mehta, a book publisher and distributor from India and the director of the festival, predicts that there will be a renaissance in south Asian children's publishing, possibly going straight to the e-book format, and encompassing comic books and books for teenagers.
"The moment people start having children, they wonder how they are going to preserve these cultural stories; and so young mums and dads start writing stories themselves but don't have the outlet to publish. It's a real shame for more people not to benefit."
Mehta got into the business after seeing good-quality books being published in India but lacking distribution in the UK. That kind of entrepreneurial spirit is prompting a new wave of publishing in India.
"The few publishers in the UK who do dabble in multicultural books prove that it can work," he said. "I hope that some of the bigger publishers such as Penguin, Puffin and Macmillan Children's will also expand this side of their publishing."
There have been charges that the UK publishing industry is not very ethnically diverse, something that the industry is trying to correct, explains Mehta. Parents could also help by encouraging their children to pursue studies in the arts.
"Asian families are more encouraging of going down the science and maths route, which will bring more financial stability and would be less encouraging of say, their child pursuing an MA in children's publishing," he said.
So far the festival has also placed a strong emphasis on the spoken word - after all, this is how people originally told stories.
Oral discourse at the festival is being used to powerful effect, as well as echoes of "Kathas" where people would mix words with music and song, which was - and still is - a powerful way for people to learn these stories and what they mean. A specially commissioned musical piece, Borderland by the young artist Soumik Datta, pays colourful tribute to Tagore, while there are also themed exhibitions related to literature and films with a literary connection.
The DSC South Asian Literature Festival runs until October 24.
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TRAP
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It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
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What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."