Vegitarianism cant be allowed to justify caste prejudices

THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK

Vegitarianism cant be allowed to justify caste prejudices
Indian vegitarianism need to liberalise its thought process and not create caste supermacism

Vidya Bhushan Rawat

India’s ‘vegitarian’ supermacism is turning into an absurd competition among its ‘devotees’ who seek ‘international’ ‘recognition’ for their ‘great’ ‘culture’ and ‘diversity’. In the last one deade, we have seen how these ‘cultural warriors’ are being paraded in various ‘western’ capitals whenever Narendra Modi visit there. Events are being organisesd everywhere to ‘project’ ‘India’s ‘cultural heritage’ quintessentially, a ‘vegitarian’ one predominantly the Gujarati-Jain-Marwadi’ variety.

As I have have mentioned that there is nothing wrong in feeling proud of your cultural values and promoting it as long as it is not offending others or violate the basic human values and dignity of others. There are hundreds of those who are vegitarians but never hate meat eaters. In fact, at my home, my mother was a vegitarian but she would cook the best meat whenever we have had guests in our childhood. Most of the ‘Devi Puja’ and other native deity puja would not be completed without the sacrifices of Goats. This has been the traditional pattern in Himalayan regions. Goats, Yaks, Lambs are not being kept to worship them but economy of the communities who nurture on them. It is not even in our family, I have been in the houses some of friends in the South too who are vegitarain yet cook delicious meat whenever the guests come or for their other family members. Vegitarianism for them is just a choice and not a ‘preachy’ thing about your ‘culture’. I love all kind of food whatever is eatable and available. Whenever I go to my sister’s house in Uttarakhand, they know that I have categorically told them, not to cook meat for me, rather I prefer local native culinaries . The variety of native vegitarian food including different kinds of Rajmas, Soyabeens, green vegetables is tremendous in the Himalayan region but people in our part of the world also love the variety. We dont repeat the same food in the evening and that is because we have huge variety of food. Nobody eat food because some one want to appease or offend other. The only thing, we respected was that the one should not use the same tools to cook both kind of meals and that was a kind of respect for her food values.

We all know it well that our food habits have not developed because what we love. It is the geographical, climatic and agricultural production that is there in our regions. Food habits in the central India developed as per their climatic conditions also. In the oppressive heat, ‘Mattha’ or butter milk make you alive. Poha and Dhokla today are national dish as for light meals people prefer them but that is not alone. The southern dishes like Upma, Idli Wada, Sambhar, Rasam are more popular than any other dishes even in north India where Paranthas from Punjab and Delhi are our morning habits but people are becoming health conscious also apart from enjoying the variety.

Unfortunately, Indians dont enjoy diversity as they want to take their home during their travels. So a north Indian group travelling to South ensure it has enough material to eat to avoid eating Southern food daily. In the international travel, I have seen our Gujarati friends bringing their particular stuff as it become really difficult for them to get a vegitarian dish particularly in South East Asia or Africa or even Latin America. Europe, UK and US have many Indian restaurents so you can get all variety of dish there but beyond them it would be difficult. Even travelling to Thailand, you will find it difficult to get a vegetarian item. Even travelling in India, if people are going in group, they prefer particular kind of hotels. In all the religious places, powerful communities have created their own ‘rest houses’, dharmshalas and they dont eat food outside. Jains, Gujaratis, Marwaris, Sikhs have built up their own places in different pilgrimages and prefer that.

The issue in India is not merely between vegitarianism verses meat eating. I dont like to use term ‘non veg’ which frankly speaking a negative and deliberate attempt to demonise the meat eating which has been a food habit alll over the world particularly those communities which were depended on nature or living in the mountananious regions where due to extreme cold, meat eating and traditional liquor was part of their food habits.

What we have witnessed in recent year is a deliberate attempt to convey the message as if meat eaters are demons. The big fat fully babas giving their gyans without understanding the diversity and cultural context of the people is being encouraged and promoted aggrassively by the regime in power today. The menu card for the BRICS conference is an example. While there is no denial of facts that India must present its food variety whenever any foriegn dignitiry is visiting us but one is certain that people dont depend on government menu to understand India. India’s huge food diversity is already a toast of the world whether we like it or not. Equally important to understand is whether we would like to be treated in the same way as we treat our guests. Former President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, tweeted on this contoversy. He wrote, ‘ “When I hosted the President of #India  for State Dinner on the first such visit to a #Nordic country, I also offered an all-vegetarian menu. More than 20 years ago! And in #Iceland where it is not easy to be vegetarian!!”.

It means how the world see to respect the feelings of the visiting dignitary whether one is a vegetarian or not. It need to be understood to that even among the meat eating people have a variety of choices. A majority of Indian love chicken or goat meat or fish. Beef is not the a choice for many. A large number of native communities loved pork meat. The fight between Pork and Beef is always there. Then there is another religious angle of Halal verses Jhatka or stunned slaughter.

Similarly vegitarian food has enormous diversity. Gujaratis dont like spicy food but Rajasthan people love it. The Arhar Dal in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar does not match with the taste of the Himalayan state. In Punjab, Delhi people love ‘Maa ki Daal’ or Rajma chawal. Similarly southern states too have huge food diversity. A Telangana food is not the same as in Tamilnadu or Kerala. The best tourists are those who enjoy and dare to taste local delicacies but we dont travel to enjoy the food or cultural diversity. Instead we want to impose our food habits on the places we travel and that make us unwelcomed as group tourists. We must not be arrogant to think that money can buy everything. Local sentiments are important to be understood. Before venturing out, we need to actually look at the local cultural sensibilities.

The recent case of an Indian land lady who had dispute with her tenant in Canada with include his meat eating or the ‘Ganga’ ‘arti’ ceremony at the Thames in London or Swami Narayan priest issue at the Effil Tower, in Paris indicate that many of us now believe specially privileged to circumvent the law. Our feelings are getting hurt conveniently without our bothering how much we are hurting the others. The crisis of Vegitaian India is too big. Democracy actually is a number game but the powerful vegitarians have commodified it to convert into a new vegitarian theocracy which has no space for any difference of opinion.

Right now, most of the discussion revolve around so called meat eaters verses vegitarians but the fact is the matter is going towards bigger crisis. The recent guidelines by some of the community leaders in Maharshtra during the Ganeshotsva that people must not eat garlic and onion. The problem is not merely being vegitarian but they wont allow you to enjoy the variety of vegitarian dishes which they dont like.

A Baba goes to Bengal and virtually abuse them for being ‘non vegitarian’. Now, in Bengal, Durga Puja festivals cant be without offering to the goddess. Fish is part and parcel of Bengal. It is important for all of to understand India’s huge cultural diversity which reflect not merely in our languages and culture but food habits too.

I always said this is a tiny minority ruling on India through their money bags, enormous monitory power, complete control over media, financial institutions and now politics. The new age Babas are emerging every day and it is not a sudden but well calculated move to keep people continue to fight with each other while they enjoy their uncontrolled dominance. We say, new age imperialism come from controlling our minds through media and it is happening in India with active participation of it in promoting superstition and irrational ideas, justifying everything in the name of culture and traditions.

Often, people give us example of the Western world that capitalism provide you opportunity to progress, respect your freedom and choices. Individual is supreme, they say. To counter them, Communism and socialism emerge as a revolutionary ideology in Soviet Union and China. Both of these blocks emerged powerful. They might have numerous differences but a few things are common with them. Both actually dont venture into your kitchen or bedroom. Nobody bothers what you eat and where you sleep in anywhere in Newyork, London, Moscow or Beijing. Donald Trump is called right winger but definitely he is not interested whether you eat meat or beef or anything or not. He does not peep into your bedrooms to find out who you are sleeping with but in the last 10 years in particular, Indians have become like this as we have resolved all our issues. We are regularly being fed with greatness of people who eat particular kind of food and who to love or not. Love itself is treated as a threat now. Unfortunatelly, India’s capitalism is narrow and casteist. It would be great if people actually make academic studies on India’s caste capitalism and how it is promoting caste hatred. It lacks diversity in its board room and while it might look modern with great degrees from Western Universities, it remain narrow and caste confined in its outlook.

It is time for us to move beyond these jargons otherwise we will become completely isolated in the world. We might celebrate here about our greatness but we will soon lose the respect that we used to have internationally. India cultural diversity is its biggest strength and any attempt to convert it into something monolithic or homogenous will only be detrimental to unity and integrity of it. Let us respect people’s choices of food and life style. All these things must actually come from those in power and the top leadership but sadly they keep quiet which only embolden the extra state actors to take law unto their hands and violate it which will not bring glory to our country. Also important is that when we want democratic world particularly in the West to listen us, respect our culture in their countries, allow us to do whatever we wish to do in the name of our ‘culture’ and traditions then we need to do the same. We want the people in the Western capitals to appreciate our culture, food, music and everything but we are not ready to speak two words of appreciations for them. We want democracy in the West, rights for the immigrants but are not ready to allow the same democratic rights to our minorities and marginalised. It is time we understand this that vilification of our own citizens based on their food habits and cultural traits will not work and will only create obstacles and problems.