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Bapu's PathWhat Bapu and the Marchers ate

What Bapu and the Marchers ate

The following was the diet prescribed by Bapu for the marchers accompanying him.

I request the Mahajan (Hosts) and the workers of the respective places to bear in mind the following. The satyagrahi party is expected to reach each place by 8 a.m. and to set down for lunch between 10.00 and 10.30 a.m. No rooms will be needed for rest at noon or night, but a clean, shaded place will be enough to have a bamboo-and-grass covering. Both bamboo and grass can be put to use again.

It is assumed that the village people will provide us with food.

If provisions are supplied, the party will cook its meal. The food supplied, whether cooked or uncooked, should be the simplest possible. Nothing more than roti or rotla or kedgeree with vegetables and milk or curds will be required. Sweets, even if prepared, will be declined. Vegetables should be merely boiled, and no oil, spices are added or used in the cooking. This is my advice for preparing a meal:

Morning, before departure

Rab and dhebra; the rab should be left to party itself to prepare. (Rab is a Porridge made of Flour, Water/Milk and Jaggery.Dhebra is a Roti with mixed Flour and a few spices.)

Midday

Bhakhri, vegetable, and milk or butter milk.Bhakri is a roti made of Milette.Butter Milk is Churned Yogurt.

Evening, before the march is resumed

Roasted gram, rice

Night

Khichdi with vegetable and butter-milk or milk.

The ghee for all the meals together should not exceed three tolas per head: One tola in the rab, one served separately to be smeared on the bhakhri, and one to add to the Khichdi. For me goat’s milk, if available, in the morning, at noon and night and raisins or dates and three lemons will do. I hope that the village people will incur no expenses whatever, except for the simple food items named above. For snack while walking marchers will carry roasted Channa/Gram and Gul Jaggery. (A Tola is approximately 10 grams.)-As written by M. K. Gandhi