World Idli Day is celebrated every 30th of March each year. According to experts, World Idli Day was started by Eniyavan, a famous Idli caterer from Chennai.
Eniyavan made about 1,328 varieties of idlis in 2015 for the celebration. It was also during March 30, 2015, the same day, when a giant 44 kg idli was cut by a government employee in order to seal the deal and officially declare the 30th of March as the World Idli day.
Idli is very delicious and is really a staple delicacy. No wonder why a day dedicated to it is celebrated by people all over the world, especially in India, each year. Idli also unites South Indian diaspora all over the world and this unity was on display when a British professor called them “boring”.
UK-based professor Edward Anderson, in October 2020, quote tweeted the Zomato tweet with, “Idli are the most boring things in the world.”
The tweet garnered the wrath of South Indians and all idli lovers who called him a “white clueless boy”.
One user had said, “You’ve made a grave error that I hope will haunt you for life.” Another wrote, “Edward, that rumbling you hear is the South Indians mobilising the army. What have you done?!!!!”
Edward had later posted, “p.s. Before the whole of south India attacks me, can I just say that I love dosa and appam and basically all south Indian food. But idli (and puttu for that matter) are insufferable.”
In another tweet, he added, “Wow. I now know to criticise south Indian food at my peril! The idli defenders appear to be a seriously passionate bunch. But will my in-laws in Kerala forgive me??”
The professor ended up ordering idlis for his lunch after “having accidentally enraged the entirety of South India (and its omnipresent diaspora) on twitter”, however, he added that his “unpopular – or “blasphemous”, as some have said – opinion remains unchanged. #sorrynotsorry.” He had also posted pictures of his meal.
