‘I don’t want upma’: 4-year-old Shanku’s viral demand video gets biryani added to anganwadi menu in Kerala

KOTTAYAM: When young Shanku innocuously expressed his dislike for upma last Feb and asked for it to be replaced with biryani and chicken fry in the anganwadi menu, his mother Aswathy Ashok recorded it and posted it on Instagram.

She did not expect the video to go viral. Women and child development minister Veena George shared the video on Facebook and promised to consider his demand. George kept her word and included egg biryani in the revised menu, which she released on Tuesday.George released the revised 'model food menu' at the state-level inauguration of anganwadis' Praveshanolsavam in Pathanamthitta on Tuesday. The menu - revised by the women and child welfare department with the intention of reducing sugar and salt intake and including more calories and protein to aid growth as per nutritional standards -- also includes pulao.

Egg and milk will be provided on three days, unlike the earlier two days.

Breakfast, lunch and general feeding will be based on the revised menu. It is the first time a unified food menu is being implemented for anganwadi students.Shanku, 4, is in Qatar and, according to Aswathy, is relishing the news of the revised menu. Shanku, whose official name is Trijal S Sundhar, is the only child of Somasundhar and Aswathy. The mother and son joined Somasundhar, who is working at Al Khor in Qatar, during the summer vacation.

"We will be returning to our native place by mid-July, and he will join school then," said Aswathy. Their native place is Prayar near Oachira in Alappuzha.Aswathy said the viral video was not shot deliberately."Shanku's father returned to Qatar after his choroonu (first rice meal fed auspiciously). I used to take Shanku's photographs and videos and post them on Instagram for his father to see. The biryani video too was shot just like that," said Aswathy."Shanku doesn't like upma and his favourite food is porridge and black-eyed pea. Upma was being served in the anganwadis daily and he developed a hatred towards it. He made the request for biryani and chicken fry while having biryani at home," she said.