Let Food Be Secular: Why Paragon Owner Took a Stand Against 'Spit-Free' Campaign

The BJP "preferred" that Paragon owner Sumesh Govind declare his restaurant's food non-halal.

As his restaurant, that stands humbly beside Kannur Road, Kozhikode, bustled during the intervening week between Christmas and New Year, Paragon CEO Sumesh Govind said, “Food is secular. At least food should be secular.”

Govind who owns the Paragon group of restaurants is expected to relaunch an outlet in Bengaluru in 2022, but in the beginning of this year, the Malayali restaurateur who owns one of the top eateries in Kerala – Paragon – is busy fighting off a controversy: Kerala’s debate over ‘spit-halal’. He is trying his best, he said, to remain "neutral" even as he has been under a lot of pressure.

In November 2021, a series of social media posts and WhatsApp messages had targeted Muslim-owned hotels in Kerala over what was colloquially called thuppal halal – a term that implies that the food served in such restaurants is ritualistically spat upon. The trigger for the controversy was a video of a Muslim clergy ceremoniously blowing into food that was to be served at a religious event, supposedly held at an unidentified location in Kerala.

BJP, VHP and Christian Groups Oppose Halal

As Christian and Hindu organisations – Protestant church-affiliated bodies and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad – made lists of non-Muslim restaurants where food is supposedly safe from the practice, Sumesh Govind, a Hindu restaurateur, came in support of Muslim restaurateurs in Kozhikode.

Hoping for times when food will not be communalised, Sumesh told The Quint, “I know all the restaurant owners in Kozhikode and we are a group of friends. I cannot support any claim which puts Muslim restaurateurs in the dock because I know they serve good, clean, and unadulterated food.”

However, Govind was surprised when Paragon’s name figured, in November, in a list of ‘safe’ restaurants in Kozhikode.

“The people who made the list had not taken my permission before they used Paragon’s name. I clarified that in a Facebook post,” he said.

However, the conversation The Quint had with Govind revealed what the BJP’s Kerala unit was aiming for when they actively supported the ‘spit’ claim.

BJP state general secretary P Sudheer had claimed that halal is a “social-evil”.

BJP’s Worry About Muslim Businessmen

For starters, Sumesh Govind vouched that he supports no political party. “As a businessman, I have to remain neutral when it comes to politics,” he said. He told the same to Kozhikode district leaders of the BJP when they contacted him for an endorsement on their campaign against ‘spit halal’, he said.

According to Govind, the BJP leaders wanted him to declare that he does not serve halal food in his restaurant. “They told me the economics is shifting.” That is, the BJP thinks that as Muslim restaurants growingly advertise halal food, they get more customers thereby diverting revenues of Hindu-owned establishments to the former. “They pointed out that even 10 years ago people were serving halal food but without advertising it.” Meaning, it is not really halal food but the advertisement of halal food which seems to have bothered the BJP.

The Arabic word halal means permitted and is used as an antonym for haram which means prohibited. According to Islamic scripture, there are permitted and prohibited items of food.

“They asked me why, at the drop of a hat, everything has to be declared halal.” Govind was asked whether his food was halal. “I told them I buy meat from the same merchants who supply to all other restaurants in Kozhikode. When it comes to mutton, chicken and beef, the very same merchants supply to Paragon too,” he said.

Govind maintained that he does not endorse any religious terminology when it comes to food. “I took the stand also because as a restauranteur I am offering a service,” he said, adding he does not condemn halal advertisements of other restaurants.

Did Paragon Face a Backlash?

Was Govind not worried about losing business from Muslims, when he refused to clarify whether Paragon’s food was halal certified? In Kozhikode, Muslims form 39.24 percent of the population.

“When I supported the Muslim owners, I was under a lot of pressure to declare my food as halal, but our customers stood by us. At the same time, I was also under pressure to declare my food non-halal. Yes, I was worried whether my stand will affect the business but it did not,” Govind said.

The secular values of Paragon, which was established in 1939 as a bakehouse, goes back to his father Vatsan’s times, he said. Back then, his father who was an ardent fan of Hindi films, had made Paragon the go-to spot for both litterateurs and filmmakers.

Malayalam novelist Thikkodiyan (P Kunjanandan Nair) and filmmaker Aravindan were both regular visitors of the place. Cinematographer Vincent’s Chitra studio was located close to Paragon.

“My father took over the distribution of Hindi films in Kerala. That backfired and he incurred debts soon before he passed away. We were in dire financial crisis when my mother, Saraswati, took over the reins of the restaurant in the 1980s,” Govind said, adding he cannot forget the legacy of Paragon when he takes decisions that concern the establishment.

But what of keeping the business afloat even while remaining “equidistant” to all political parties?

“I will continue to support my fellow restauranteurs even during adversities. Running a business is a process of personal evolvement. You have to put up with a lot of drama,” Govind, who once wanted to be a scriptwriter for films, said. “Like the crisis I am going through right now, every day is a time for evolvement.”