STH Activities: Participating in Darjeeling Himalaya Initiative's 'Call of the Mountains' event :30May2022

SaveTheHills has long been a member of the Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI) and is a member of the state chapter of IMI which is the Darjeeling Himalaya Initiative (DHI). We have participated in a number of events over the years related to (mainly) environmental issues of the Himalayas and yesterday we took part in the 'Call of the Mountains' (CoMs)event at Little Tibet hotel in Darjeeling.
Our theme for CoMs anchored around food and was ‘Changing food and food systems of the Darjeeling Himalayas’ and I can’t tell you how relevant this topic is.
Every time I sit down for a meal with my 6 yr.old granddaughter, I am painfully reminded how the frontal assault by multinational food companies have altered our food habits in the mountains. She steadfastly refuses to eat any wholesome home food and is almost addicted to packaged foods and cereals. Not only are these foods poor substitutes for freshly cooked home food, they also generate nightmarish quantities of plastic waste.
CoMs was attended by around 35-40 people including some from the Darjeeling Municipality, SHGs, Homestay organizers, and NGOs

Praful Rao
Kalimpong district
Darjeeling Sikkim Himalaya