KOKATA: After receiving several threat messages on account of using the word ‘Beef’ in the name of an upcoming beef food festival in the city, the organisers have replaced it with the word ‘Beep’, which has helped in decreasing the negative responses, a spokesperson said on Thursday.
The event management team of the ‘Kolkata Beef Festival’, scheduled on June 23 at a cafe in central Kolkata’s Sudder Street and being promoted on social media, received various threat messages because of naming beef in the title of the food festival, they claimed.
In order to avoid unnecessary controversy, the name was changed to ‘Kolkata Beep Festival’.
“For very obvious reasons we had no choice but to change the name. We do not make food political. The objective of the event is to provide a day full of some amazing food and let everyone have a good time. We are happy to see the support we got…. We would like to point out that the focus is on a wide arrangement of beef dishes,” read a Facebook post put up on Wednesday by the event organisers.
“Many right-wing pages and social media accounts have been sharing my name and number, after which we decided to change the name. Taking a college student’s suggestion we chose ‘Beep’ as the new word, and we are getting a good response,” one of the organisers, Arjun Kar, told IANS.
“Supporters are actually furious over the fascist nature of the whole situation,” he added.
Though the name change but the menu remains the same. The Facebook page for the festival describes it as the “craziest meat extravaganza in town! ”. It is a food festival with focus on a wide arrangement of beef preparations ranging from beef tenderloin, back ribs and Bolognese pasta to burgers and steaks, he said.
Kar strongly emphasised that the “event has nothing to do with politics or religion”.
“We have noticed that after the name change, the negative responses have decreased a lot. We are now looking forward to an eventful day of celebrating great cuisine,” he added.
With IANS inputs