The stark differences between Hindutva and Hinduism

That the fanatical propagators of the Hindutva menace invoke Hindu pride and heritage to aid their petty arguments has been a constant source of irk. I recently read a well researched book called "Being Different" authored by a startlingly bold thinker called Rajiv Malhotra. Hindutva and Hinduism are actually poles apart. (In this entire post, I refer to Hindutva as the fanatical, extreme right wing movement associated with it in the present day.)

What is ironical is that Hindutva proponents end up mirroring the acts and the agendas of the extremists of other religions, whom they hold out as their adversaries. The Hindutva approach has always been one of fighting fire with fire. They counter aggressive conversion with aggression and violence. They raise the whole façade of "Hinduism in danger" and call all faithful Hindus to arms, in several walks of life, ranging from politics to mindless rioting on streets. Most importantly, the history centric nature of the Hindutva debate really stands out.

History centrism  is a feature that is characteristic of Abrahamic religions. As defined by Malhotra, it is the unwavering and unquestionable faith that is placed on certain historical events, like the resurrection of Christ or Moses' rendezvous with God on Mt Sinai where he was given the ten commandments. History in the traditional Hindu schools has always been a mutable story which can be amended as per the views of the author who chooses to write it. The authenticity of a historical document doesn't play as significant a role in Hindu thought as the relevance of its interpretations to the times in which it is authored. The factual particulars mentioned within these texts are never given any authority. For instance, there are three renowned versions of the Ramayana, authored by the ancient sage Valmiki, the 13th century Tamil poet Kamban and the 16th century bhakti saint Tulsidas who wrote in Awadhi. These versions are so vastly different when considered factually. However, each version was relevant to its time and fit perfectly into the social milieu of its authorship. Which version is more factually correct is entirely irrelevant.

This brings me to the primary bone of contention that the advocates of Hindutva place before the Indian populace: The Ram Mandir issue. Starting from the destruction of the Babri Masjid, moving on to the Gujarat pogrom of 2002 and the 5 years of power that the BJP enjoyed, all of these events hinged upon the manipulation of the sensibilities of the Indian masses using the Ayodhya issue. Ironically, it is entirely irrelevant to the Hindu school of thought as to whether Rama was born in Ayodhya of the present day or if his temple really existed there. Rama, who is held out as the exemplary Uttama Purusha in Hindu tradition, has had to lend his name to revolting organisations such as the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas.

Hindutva has all the despicable elements to leave true followers of Hinduism shame faced: several irresponsible youth groups, a fanatical body that twiddles the strings of its political party, armed militants and a history of mindless religious violence among several other unspeakable agendas. Hinduism has a history of mutual respect for other religions. Two other dharmic religions have taken birth in the lap of Hinduism without any opposition: Jainism and Buddhism. It has been a faith that is always accommodative of alternate paths to God. Never in the Vedas is it written anywhere that only a specific path leads to Moksha. I've grown up reciting prayers like the one below.

आकाशात् पतितम् तोयम् यथा गच्छति सागरम् ।

सर्वदेव नमस्कारः केशवम् प्रति गच्छति ॥

This prayer roughly translates to "Just as all the water that pours out of the sky ends up flowing into the same ocean, all the obeisances offered to the various gods find their way to the supreme being."

It is this legacy of Hinduism that Hindutva seeks to tarnish. In the face of their aggressive tactics not working, these "Kar-Sevaks" merely resort to more aggression. All this is perpetrated in the name of a religion that doesn't, by any stretch of imagination, lend their arguments any credibility. Hinduism is in danger mostly from the manner in which Hindutva is carried forth in the present day. We will never truly be a free nation until we see the eradication of the Hindutva menace.

ओं शान्ति शान्ति शान्ति हि|

The TCS 10K, Bangalore rerun

Since I was stuck in Namma Bengaluru for yet another year, I decided to give the TCS 10K run another shot. I'll cease to call it a marathon because while a marathon is a mammoth 42.2 km, this run is barely 10. Here's my take on last year's event.

Frequent e-mail reminders ensured that I registered on time and also convinced a friend or two to join. The registration this time around was smooth and didn't remind me of passport applications. The goody bag pick-up, which was strategically located in the midst of a promotional exhibition (again!) went on smoothly as well. This edition's goody bag, while retaining its share of men's cosmetics, wasn't as much of a punching bag. It had a 7 day pass to Gold's Gym! (which I just noticed). The organisers had learnt. They offered to sell me a pass to park at UB city, which I brushed aside, thinking it was unnecessary trouble.

The run up 

Unlike last time, I actually trained for this year's run. I ran for about 20 days of the 40 days that counted down to the race. I could spare only half an hour in the wee hours of the morning for the training and ended up running 5 kilometres on most of these days. I touched the 10 km mark on two consecutive days of a weekend. I didn't measure my time on any of these occasions too seriously but I thought I always clocked in under 50 minutes. My running tracks were more undulating than the race's track which led me to think that I'd do better on the latter. I also happened to read Lance Armstrong’s amazing biography in the days leading up to the run. His biography, titled “It’s not about the bike”, reads really well. It celebrates endurance sport in a manner that is truly inspirational, among other things.

Race day!

I was determined to reach the venue early so that I avoid getting slowed down by the crowding at the start line. I reached the vicinity of Kanteerava stadium half an hour early, but just when I could see the indoor stadium's strange looking dome, our lane was abruptly halted by a cop. An assortment of vehicles, of which I was an integral part, waited patiently for the traffic police to signal it through. Seconds turned into minutes and quiet waiting gave way to the blaring of impatient horns, which the traffic cop handled nonchalantly, seeing as how his profession involves the cultivation of a skin that is at least as thick as that of a well fed water-buffalo. Most faces around sported a look of bewilderment laced with disbelief at their 7:30 AM Sunday drive being so rudely interrupted with no sign of resumption. Only when somebody walked up to the cop did we realise that we had to wait for a political convoy to pass. On realising this, most people resigned to their fate and stopped honking. Everyone in our country is forced to grow water-buffalo skins one way or the other.

On finding a parking space at the Bangalore City Corporation Office, which was strangely empty, my decision to not buy that parking chit was completely vindicated (or so I thought). I jogged to the nearest gate of the stadium while dodging traffic to find a volunteer keenly scrutinising our running bibs. He looked at mine and pointed to a tiny little ‘B’ written in the corner. “Kindly go to Gate-B near Mallya hospital. You’re already late,” he informed. I finally made my way to Gate-B having run a kilometre already! On the bright side, this exercise served as warm up.

The gates were opened in an orderly fashion this time. Luckily for me, gate B opened rather early. In spite of the organisers limiting registration this year, the start line ended up reminding me of an Indian pilgrimage site. The funnel design for the running track was still in vogue and people did end up walking barely 100m after the start line because of crowding. The first kilometre of my race saw me rushing ahead, pushing hard just so that I can get past the sizable mass, which had assembled there that morning just to wave at the television cameras. I kept telling myself that an initial push would serve me well just so that I can get past this chaotic mass, replete with abrupt collisions that some scientist watching overhead could have used to model Brownian motion.

A board nearby announced that I had crossed one kilometre and I could see pockets of space opening up. I was now left running with all the people who had surged past the crowd and were now leading the race. I then proceeded to continue, keeping pace with those around me. I gulped down a glass of Gatorade, which wasn’t mixed properly. I ran alongside this person wearing a T-shirt that claimed he was from the Territorial Army. After a while, he slowed down a little and I surged ahead, looking for other people to run alongside with. I thought I was doing great!

The 4.5 kilometre mark was past and I suddenly started wearing. I pushed on for half a kilometre more and halted at a water point. I drank a little off the bottle and slowed down. There was a niggling pain in my chest that had never been so assertive during my training. The worst part about this pain is that even if I slowed down, it increased, until I had to walk a few paces. Mr Territorial Army man and a host of others I had swaggered past caught up with me and left me far behind. My head was a filled with a sense of bewilderment and disappointment. I thought I’d finish far behind last year’s time, after training so much more. I had done the unthinkable in a long distance race, twice! I walked. The water that I drank earlier was churning in my stomach, sending up burps to rudely interrupt my panting. I had bonked out as Lance Armstrong would call it. 

I convinced myself to salvage whatever I could from the race and slowly pushed on. I started jogging and building up my rhythm, while analysing what could’ve gone wrong. Was it because of the sun’s presence? Was it because I pushed too hard while keeping up with much fitter people? The kilometres ticked away very slowly. I just crossed a board saying 7 km were up.

When I proceeded to the 8^th kilometre, my rhythm was back and my chest pain was gone. A flood of reason came rushing in. I had tired so quickly because of all those 5 km training runs. My body automatically slipped into a pace where I’d be exhausted at the end of 5 km. This, coupled with the other factors that I mentioned before, did me in just after the 5 km mark. After a brief period of rest, I was fine. It was time to finish this race strong. There were people all along the race track cheering runners on with banners like: “After the pain goes away, only the pride remains.” Each time we runners thanked these people, they cheered a little louder, giving us much needed encouragement and little bursts of adrenalin. After the 9 km mark, I picked up pace steadily. With 500 m left, I was sprinting ahead, screaming to myself to get the adrenalin pumping. I finished the last bit of the race strong and checked my watch. I had finished in about 49 min (49:09), which was a huge relief. I missed the quarter of an hour mark by a really long shot, but was better than last year’s 51:44. Any endurance competition is a race against your own self, and every minute gained counts. I finished the race a full 500 m ahead of last year's performance, considering average speed.

The aftermath

On the other side of the finish line, I saw all the people who had done better than me. A man who looked at least 60 years old had finished in 45 min! I respectfully shook his hand, humbled thoroughly. I also congratulated Mr Territorial Army man. Finishing among the front runners (if I could call them that) is a much more humbling experience than it would appear. After the pain goes away, you are left with something much more valuable than pride: humility.   

I slowly ambled back to my two wheeler which I presumed was safely inside the Corporation Office. To my dismay, I saw that it was a little too safe! All the gates to that building were closed, locked and manned by security guards. I asked one of them how I could get out. He told me to try the other gate, though he was wholly pessimistic of my chances. I almost regretted not having purchased that parking pass. I slowly rode to the other gate and on seeing me, the guard manning it saluted. I duly saluted back, which brought upon his face a big smile that reminded me of a child whose relative had just given him a bagful of foreign chocolates! He swung the gate open and I was off. 

I have consistently painted a rosy picture of this event’s organisation thus far. However, when I returned that afternoon to have lunch in the whereabouts of the running track, I noticed that there was a lot of trash left behind on the streets. This was extremely disappointing. Even while organising such enriching events, the corporate world doesn’t think twice before taking its dump on the city’s already weak civic infrastructure. May our buffalo skins grow ever thicker.

I have realised that running is something I should practice around the year rather than the month before these events. When you run at an optimal speed, your body expends as much energy as it can continuously produce, letting you run on and on without tiring. I like to call this wonderful phenomenon The Indefatigable Rhythm. I never feel more alive than when I hit this rhythm. Running in the mornings also ensures that one stays amazingly vital for the remainder of the day. I was also untouched by the usual bouts of sneezing or the running nose that Bangalore keeps giving me. I have decided to intersperse running, cycling and yoga into an exercise schedule that I should follow. Let us see how that shapes up.

  

The story of Rushdie's non arrival

The Events

Jan 4th, 2012: Word is out that Salman Rushdie has been invited to the Jaipur Literature Festival, an annual event that has grown by leaps and bounds in its popularity since its inception in 2006.  

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-04/books/30588541_1_salman-rushdie-midnight-s-children-jaipur-literature-festival

Islamic groups across India protest his invitation to the festival and demand that he not set foot on Indian soil. Apparently, a ban on his "blasphemous" book in a country  that believes itself to be secular and also in free speech, just wasn't enough. On confrontation with these facts, they cite the American Govt's act of cancelling Narendra Modi's US visa as exemplary. (Yes. They'd like to equate the Gujarat pogrom to the writing of Satanic Verses.)

Jan 19th, 2012 (Thursday): Islamic groups that were planning major protests on Friday, the 20th of Jan, to coincide with the festival's opening, announce that these protests are cancelled. The reason: A Congress MP from Jaipur's assurance that Mr Rushdie would be kept away throughout the festival period.   

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/article2816193.ece

Jan 20th, 2012 (Friday): Rushdie announces the cancellation of his visit to India citing rumours of paid underworld assassins set loose after his life. Livid authors at the festival start reading out from Satic Verses, his book that has been banned in India.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/satanic-verses-read-at-jaipur-literature-festival/222731-40-103.html

The Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi issued the following statement: "If an individual author feels threatened about his own security, I think you and I must all respect his right not to take chances with his own life and liberty."

Cited from the video on this link. http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/salman-rushdie-skips-jaipur-literature-festival-says-he-was-warned-of-paid-assassins-168919

Mr Singhvi makes this statement in an attempt to sound like a magnanimous person respecting the rights of an individual's concern for safety. However, he conveniently fails to highlight that his government, whose duty it is to snub these Islamic extremists and ensure Rushdie's safety (and liberty!), has pitifully failed to do so.  

Summing Up

On the surface, the government tries to assure its citizens that it did nothing to prevent Mr Rushdie's arrival and that the author's decision not to arrive in India was his own, trying to score points on how it is being large minded in respecting that decision. 

Beneath the surface, the Congress tells the protesting Islamic groups that it has successfully prevented the arrival of the blasphemer, Salman Rushdie, on Indian soil. (Sure to be used for brownie points in election rallies.) 

News on Indian Television: Endangered Species

All through my life, I've been hard-wired to switch on the television at 9 PM and spend the next half an hour looking at the news. Each day spent without completing this ritual would feel a little incomplete. Off late, however, I've been steadily losing interest in the 9 o'clock news so much so that it even repels me on some days.

The reason: televised debates hosted either by incompetent anchors or by blatant bullies whose only motives are to throw their weight and their opinions around these debates. Debates you say? Opinions? Weren't we just talking about the news? Well, the boundaries between news and opinions have completely dissolved in the world of Indian news channels. And what's more? These debates sorely lack any intelligent quality. They are just shout-offs where the panellist with the mightier voice always has the last word (However, on Times Now, Arnab always does).

The country we live in is mighty large. There is enough news to report in any one of our cities to sustain whole news channels and newspapers. There is clearly no dearth of good material that wants reporting. Instead, must we spend 25 out of our precious 30 news minutes watching a discussion on whether the Govt of India's ego is bigger than its chief of army staff or whether the seniors in the Indian cricket team are mollycoddled? (Yes. Arnab, who makes no bones about expressing his passionate take on every news item, does think so.)

The root cause of this affliction is the average Indian's love for melodrama. It is as if everything on television that is worth watching must resemble a Saans Bahu soap opera. Even news! In the absence of any other examples, the success story of TV9 alone is a major facepalm moment for the Indian television audience. It is as if we have a penchant for having our intelligence insulted.

I hold that the last bastion of good reporting in India is the existence of newspapers like The Hindu. The content published in a newspaper is a subjective matter and varies with the taste of the reader. However, the style of reporting and the professionalism that goes into it can be put more easily to judgement. The firm stance that the editors of The Hindu have taken on how its content is to be published is inspirational. Rather than bow down to an abyss by catering to the baser tendencies of the masses, they've maintained a calibre that has given them a faithful niche of unswervingly loyal readers. Niche markets are clearly the way forward in services that cater to a large section of any population. Only that way you can ensure that not too many people outside of the majority are left out. Whether it be music, books or other hobbies, I always find myself outside the circles that are crowded with the vast Indian majority. However, niche markets in all these domains have ensured that I'm not left out.

Televised news needs a channel that is dedicated to good, neutral reportage, rather than sinking to whatever depths the thirst for popularity drags it down to. The Hindu could probably start its own news channel. I am tired of scripted melodramas being passed off as news. We need a channel that doesn't look at every incident as an opportunity to gain TRPs and subsequently make a killing in the advertising market.

Unconstitutional?

There has been a lot of outrage on the part of the intellectuals of this country that the present India Against Corruption movement has been unconstitutional. However, as a friend rightly pointed out,

 "There are many political parties that conduct bandhs, hartals, dharnas, padayatras and what not on a regular basis. Offices are shut down, stones are pelted at buses, tyres are burnt. Anyone who goes on the streets are wounded too. However, the same political parties say that a peaceful, non-violent, non-disruptive, perfectly legal protest is undemocratic?"

The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India, whose principles are to be followed for framing of laws, policies, granting of rights, and the functioning of the state. Like any other legal document, it can prove quite hard to read. The principles enshrined, however, are simpler to understand. Only the intellectual population of the country pays heed to even these. Hence, only a very small population of the country actually knows what is constitutional and what is unconstitutional.

Having read the speeches that Dr BR Ambedkar made on drafting of the constitution, I know that he would have surely struck down this protest as unconstitutional. I agree. This protest has been unconstitutional. However, let me tell you that if Dr Ambedkar were alive today, he would have been baffled enough at the rampant corruption that the parliament is responsible for today to immediately recommend some amendments to curtail the powers that the Legislature possess.

The legislature towers high above any other institution in this country. They seem to be able to call all the shots at present: How to obtain arrests of anybody (by using the Delhi Police as a scapegoat) in case anything goes wrong? How many Jan Lokpal bills to consider?  Whether they should present bills to the standing committee? Whether the bill should undergo the process of voting in the parliament at all? (Whoa!)

I'd say that any constitution that has allowed for the parliament to thrive in such unfettered corruption definitely needs a re-look. (There! I've uttered a blasphemy). I'm sure that the founding fathers of the country would never have, even in their wildest dreams, envisaged the  whole sale sell out of the country that is happening today. Why, A Raja might have made only a few hundred crores out of the deal, but has cost the country a potential whopping 1.76 lakh crores. Ethics apart, costing the country so dearly for making only a fraction of that cost is bad business!

We need laws to reign in the MPs today. The constitution has been amended in their favour so much so that they are the ultimate authority in this country. The laws against corruption, and their punishments are so ridiculous, particularly in light of the powers that MPs have. Also, these laws are so replete with loopholes that one can slither his way out easily with the legal expertise that the ministers have at hand, what with many of them being lawyers themselves.

The people on the streets have seen this happening time and again. They know that any political party that comes into power in steeped in the same systemic corruption. They do not care about the word of the constitution at this point of time. They just see that the country is being looted and want changes now! In their anger, they aren't ready to wait for a decade for palpable change to happen. Hence, they jump the gun on many occasions and demand the passage of their bill outright. It is true that anger clouds our ability to make the best decisions. It is also true that for this anger, the politicians are to blame and they are now facing the music.

As Arvind Khejriwal pointed out, intellectuals abound in the country, who think about how to proceed on every matter and are quick in their criticism of anything that goes against the grain of the many principles they hold dear. However, the vast numbers of people in this country operate on something much more basic: Common Sense. They don't want to hear your explanations of what is constitutional and what is not. They want corruption rooted out, and they want it now. The intellectuals are very relevant though. They keep checks and balances in the system so that things don't get out of hand. This movement has been a refreshing attempt at a correction of the Indian democracy. Rather than saying that Indian democracy is being threatened, it is good to see it thriving as ever.

What makes people lose faith in the democratic process?

India is a participatory democracy where people have a say in who is ruling over them. Democracy is India's biggest boon, and in my opinion, the prime reason why we haven't broken up into separate states like Europe, since independence.

The best (and only) suggestion that critics of the current anti-corruption protests provide is for people to use elections to tackle corruption. However, the protesters seem to be exasperated at this democratic system's failure. Why are they on the streets? What makes the democratic process fail?

Let us start off with a young voter of this country who wishes to do it good. He isn't a walking, talking archive of The Hindu  but he is far better informed than the huge masses who are transported in truckloads to voting booths. He can vote at the assembly level and the Lok Sabha level. But let us look at whom he can vote for. He has a choice between the two central parties, both of whom are steeped in the same corruption and malpractices. On voting for an independent candidate, he realises that his candidate will either not even cross the minimum number of votes required to collect his election deposit, or will side with one of the two 'national' parties. On voting for a state level party, he'll realise that he is playing into the hands of regionalists who are increasingly resorting to dirty, caste based politics. These regional parties also hold the trump cards in today's coalition governments and demand that they get ministerial berths out of which they can make the most money out of. ( viz. A Raja's telecom ministry)

The system is neck deep in filth. He compares it to vibrant democracies in the west where any spot of dirt on the candidates makes them liable for impeachment and unspeakable humiliation. He is now rendered speechless with humiliation at his country's netas. The parliament's first Lokpal draft dates back to 1968. His politicians haven't agreed on passing that bill for 43 years and counting. How could even the brightest optimist still harbour any hopes in the parliament?

Why not contest elections? If he wished to join either of the big parties, his purpose is defeated. Besides, there is the huge contribution he'll have to make to the party coffers for his entry. If he contests as an independent candidate... Oh wait! He already knows the fate of those naive independents.

The civil service! That is surely the panacea to his angst and eagerness to do good for the country. So he goes about exploring that option. Well, there is the rest of the young people in the country to compete with. As the civil services are highly coveted, the entire mass of India's huge and burgeoning population adds to the weight of this competition and he is faced with lakhs of competitors, vying for a few hundred posts. This also demands intricate knowledge of the country among a whole lot of other things. Only graduates can apply. After rigorous selection processes that run into the best part of a year, these hallowed people are selected to serve the masses. But wait. They are selected to serve the masses under the thumb of their neta who might not have even passed second standard! The neta is sure to transfer them if they try to do anything good against his vested interests. There is also this tradition among IAS officers to spend a huge amount of money on coaching classes and attempt at making solid returns on investment once they are in power.

The legislature and the bureaucracy are pretty much closed doors to this citizen. The judiciary is so swamped with cases to be heard that he has very bleak hope there. The legislature, with its passing of 17 bills in 12 mins, including amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act, has also substantially weakened the judiciary's hold on it. Now that the supreme court is interfering with their dirty affairs time and again, they are going to threaten it with a judicial accountability bill. I rest my case.

The gentleman whose example has been taken in this post is mostly from the middle class. The poor are too busy making their 30 rupees per day to worry about these things. The rich aren't bothered to find out how their agent obtains their driving license. As long as he delivers it to them, they are happy. So how then does this young, middle class voter, bubbling with enthusiasm to be a part of the change and redress his grievances against systemic corruption that he encounters everywhere, from getting his birth certificate made to getting a cremation done and a death certificate obtained?

He waits for an Anna Hazare to come along. He doesn't even bother to find out the merits and demerits of the proposed bill, but plunges headlong at anything that helps him channel his anger against the corrupt politicians he so loathes. The majority of people at the rallies today don't even know what the Jan Lokpal bill does or how it proposes to root out corruption. They have lost faith in the politicians to such a grave extent that they go by the saying "An enemy of my enemy is my friend."

My Vegetarian Roots

It has always been the hallmark of human civilisation to care for those who are less capable, less fortunate and less powerful. The word 'humane' stands testimony to that fact. A humanitarian is one who partakes in, and shares the burden of those around him. As we become more and more civilised, this fact is always reinforced in stronger terms.

Coloured people, who have endured white supremacy for ages are now respected for who they are, so much so that doing or saying anything that would remotely hint otherwise is seen as taboo. Women, having been treated as the weaker sex through the centuries, are now recognised to be equal to men and the number of instances where they are being oppressed is steadily reducing world over, more so in the developed world. People who were historically seen to be handicapped, invalid and retarded are now being seen as differently abled and special people. The champions of these causes have always been held as examples for humankind to emulate.

The reason for change in this direction is the ever increasing ability to choose, that has resulted as a consequence of our progress. The desperate thief, who in his need cannot afford to be compassionate to those who he steals from, doesn't have a choice. But on progressing as a race, our choices have ever been on the increase. Earlier, we all had to roam about, foraging, hunting and living off the land. Today, the choices we have on both, making a living and consuming for living, are unlimited in their variety.

Which brings me to vegetarianism. Very frequently have the people around me put forth the question as to why I do not consume meat, so much so that they sympathise with my having to forgo the often pleasurable experiences that accompany its consumption. I never had a clear answer to that question. I somehow managed to shrug it off by saying that it was an inherent tendency.

It is not that I've never tasted meat. I've consumed enough of it in the days of early childhood. I can even vaguely remember what it tastes like. However, even as a little child, I had been shocked to learn about how silk was extracted by boiling silkworm cocoons and had told my parents categorically that I was never going to be wearing any silk all my life. One morning, when I was probably in Std 5, I attended a birthday party where I decided not to eat the cake that was on offer for its containing egg, even though I have always been very fond of cake. This was the beginning of my life as a vegetarian. On introspection, it becomes amply clear that this choice is based on an inclination towards non violence, followed by the development of a rationale that reinforces this inclination. Also, I've been born in a race, I'm proud to say, is known for having advocated vegetarianism centuries ahead of anywhere else world over. In this aspect, I deem that we are an advanced race indeed.

I'm not one of those who is for strongly enforcing vegetarianism (at times this is done even violently), for such an act would defeat the entire purpose of being vegetarian. Unlike plants, we cannot produce our own food and have to rely on the consumption of other forms of life for our living. But unlike carnivores, who cannot but eat meat, we have the power to choose what we eat. I just choose to do it in a manner as to cause a lesser amount of pain to things around me.

"What pain?," one might ask. "Animals are slaughtered with one flourish of the knife so that they don't feel pain at all."

Well, have we really thought about the conditions in which they are bred and subsequently slaughtered for our pleasure? Do we not see how chickens are cooped up in poultry farms, so much so that their coops lend to us the phrase? Don't we see them being transported, strung up mercilessly by their leg, upside down and slung across scooter seats? A lamb being led to slaughter. Butchered mercilessly. Dead meat. The phrases that turn to animal slaughter for expressing savagery are endless. Even the word massacre has its roots in butchery. These words arise from western civilisation which is only just exploring vegetarianism.

There is another school of thought that holds, very naively I must say, that if we all became vegetarians, this world would be flooded with animals and that we'd all starve to death because we'd run out of plant based food. The amount of grain and feed that goes into making meat is mind boggling. Animals could live off pastures and not consume any grain, but the lack of pastoral land and the difficulties associated with adopting that approach are formidable. It takes 16 kilos of grain to produce 1 kilo of meat. It takes nearly 1000 times the amount of water to produce one Kg of meat as opposed to wheat. Between May 2000 and August 2006, Brazil lost nearly 150, sq km of forest, an area larger than Greece, 70% of this going to cultivate soya beans to be fed to a burgeoning pig cultivation market in China. There are many more staggering facts that one can discover with a very simple search string online. In effect, the production of meat is proving so wasteful that a day might come where we are all forced to turn vegetarian. A love for nature goes very much hand in hand with vegetarianism.

But these are just facts to silence ill informed critics. The essence of vegetarianism, for me, stems out of the inherent disposition to live and let live, that has guided human civilisation ever since man ventured outside of his cave. As I question my stand, it only becomes clearer to me that it is one that I will always adopt. The variety offered by vegetarian food, seen better in India than anywhere else, is abundant. Though one can point out that it can only increase when you include meat, I'm wholly satisfied with what it has on offer, for a lifetime's worth.