KOLKATA: The organiser of a

in Kolkata has decided to drop the b-word and call the event a “more innocuoussounding meat festival” after receiving threat calls and messages on phone and social media platforms. The venue, too, has moved to a bigger place, the official reason being “space crunch” at the original venue.

Arjun Kar, who has an event management firm that organises music and lifestyle events, hit upon the idea of a one-day festivals to celebrate a wide variety of beef, pork and fish dishes not commonly available to foodies in Kolkata. The first one, the

, was lined up at a restaurant in the building that houses Priya Cinema in south Kolkata. Kar had consciously decided to keep some pork items, too, at the beef festival (just like some beef dishes at the pork festival) to attract guests across the spectrum.

“I am a foodie like most Bengalis. The idea popped up while trying some interesting dishes with my friends. We thought foodies in Kolkata should get an opportunity to taste them. I decided to wait till after the elections to avoid the political heat and scheduled the first event, the Kolkata Beef Festival, on June 23,” Kar told TOI. “But, now with these threats, I am very reluctantly being forced to change the name to Kolkata Meat Festival in the interest of guests. But the menu will not change. Beef tenderloin, beef back ribs, beef Bolognese pasta, burgers and steaks will be served,” he added.

The response to the Facebook post of the event was very encouraging, with more than 4,000 sharing the post within hours and over 1,000 clicking on the “Going” button. But Kar soon began receiving threats on his phone and social media platforms.

‘NO RELIGIOUS CONNOTATION’

Organizer gets calls to cancel meat fest

Many of the social media posts asked Arjun Kar to immediately cancel the event or face consequences.

“Delete that beef festival immediately or else every one of us will report the page,” one posted on Facebook Messenger. Another posted on Kar’s Facebook page: “... this cow is going to be done in Kolkata, this cow is going to be murdered by the mother.... Save the cow mother of this beef festival r in Kolkata.” The calls have been vicious with callers alluding political motives behind holding such a festival in Kolkata.

Sale of beef and its consumption are not illegal in Bengal. Several city restaurants, including many on Kolkata’s party avenue of Park Street, have beef on the menu. There are also exclusive Mughlai joints where beef is served (though many others have “no beef ” posters just like many restaurants have “no pork” written on menus).

Kar said the festivals were purely for food aficionados and had no religious or political connotation. “I am against changing even the name of the event under threat but am doing so others’ advice who feel it may put guests at risk. But, even after the name change, I am not sure the threat will disappear. Some who call themselves ‘Gau Rakshaks’ have said they will be at the venue to stop the event,” he said.

The venue has been changed from a restaurant at Priya Cinema to a hotel on Sudder Street, a more cosmopolitan locality in central Kolkata, that houses budget hotels for foreigners. Priya Cinemas owner Arijit Dutta admitted the current political climate made him jittery but added the overwhelming response made him back out. “Burnt Garlic, where it was originally scheduled, can seat 35 people. Had Vault, the other place that I have, been available, it could have seated another 35. But with more than 1,000 people saying they will attend, I had to back out. I will not deny I was being pragmatic as well. One has to play safe in these sensitive times,” he said.