Shabari is a tribal ascetic, in most tellings of a hunting community, who has waited decades at her teacher's instruction for Rama to pass. She offers him wild berries, and in the popular version — which is later than Valmiki, and is the one everyone knows — she bites each one first to check it is sweet and discards the sour ones, and Rama eats the tasted fruit without comment while Lakshmana is visibly uncomfortable. Handing someone food you have already put in your mouth is one of the strongest pollution taboos in Indian life, which is exactly why the scene works. It is quoted by Hindu reform movements as proof that the tradition never endorsed untouchability; it is quoted by critics who note that Shabari is honoured for a lifetime of waiting and then dies, and that no arrangement is disturbed. Both readings are made in Hindu forums by Hindus, which is the useful thing about it.