Holy cow! Maharashtra #beefban sparks social media storm
The hashtag #beefban is blowing up on Twitter after the Indian state of Maharashtra, home to the country's financial capital Mumbai, imposed a five-year jail sentence and 10,000 rupee ($162) fine for the sale or possession of the red meat.
The ban, which took effect Monday night, sparked a fierce national debate. Indians hold polarized views over the government's crackdown on the slaughter of cows, which are regarded as sacred by Hindus who make up more than 80 percent of India's 1.2 billion population.
Laws that ban or regulate the slaughter of cows exist in many Indian states, but only some have banned the sale of beef products, with others allowing the consumption of meat brought in from other states.
From outrage to support to bafflement, the decision drew a wide spectrum of reactions from social media users. By Wednesday morning, the hashtag #beefban had been used almost 40,000 times, according to social media analytics tool Topsy.
Some took digs at the Indian government for protecting cows' rights amid a lack of progress on women's rights:
While, several questioned the government's priorities:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/102474625#.
Beef Banned By BJP Ruled State, But See Their Hypocrisy
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ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
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ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Beef Banned By BJP Ruled State, But See Their Hypocrisy
Beef banned in Maharashtra! Mumbai reacts...
Love your steak? You will have to go without it in Maharashtra as President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill, 1995.
The new Act will ban the slaughter of bulls and bullocks, which was earlier permitted on a fit-for-slaughter certificate (the new Act will allow slaughter of water buffaloes, which provides carabeef — seen as an inferior quality meat).
'It's An extremist thing to do' Beef is regarded as the poor man's meat as it costs almost a third of the price of mutton. Restaurateurs and traders of beef in the city claim the move will not only render thousands jobless, but will also drive up the cost of other meats in the state, which is like the 'balloon' effect, where if you press the production or consumption in one part of the country, it automatically balloons into the another part. Says restaurateur Amrish Arora, "I think this is an absolute rubbish thing to do; it's very extremist. How can you impose ban on meat and tell people what they should eat? It's also a hypocritical society we live in when you say one animal is sacred and not the other. As a restaurateur I can tell you there is a huge demand for it — every day
people say, 'we want a juicy steak.'" He also says the issue doesn't end with culling at the local level. "What about imported beef? So many restaurants use Angus beef from Australia and USA, so I think they should ban imports too. And why only Maharashtra, it should be looked at on a national level. This is like a silent kill," he adds.
Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, vice president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association, (HRAWI) says this move will render people jobless. "The beef ban will put people out of business as it is the diet of so many people owing to its affordability. Now what are you going to tell them, 'go eat chicken?'. It's like Marie Antoinette saying, 'If they can't have bread, let them eat cake'! So, personally, I don't agree with this. It will create ill will among people. Tomorrow what are you going to say, 'milk comes from cows, so stop drinking it?' We are a cosmopolitan city and state and it's really an individual's choice what to eat and not eat. If you don't want to serve it, fine. But you can't enforce a ban down people's throats and make it punishable like this," he states.
Citizens left fuming Tech expert Savin Vijay who loves his beef steak says he will miss it. "I think is an archaic ban. It shows how disconnected the government is from its people," he feels. And media consultant Imran Dar adds, "This is heartbreaking, I will really miss my beef keema. I'll have to get it down from Srinagar, now."
Blogger Kalyan Kamakar tries to clear the air. "Look, this ban (cow slaughter) has been there for a while and most local joints serve buffalo in the name of beef — in curries, tenderloin or steak. When you go to a small Keralite, kebab or Goan eatery you are most likely to get buffalo meat. So, for a while now, beef has not really been available. Most high-end restaurants too, will give you the imported variety. While the protests are valid, they should have happened long ago. There is also ambiguity on a few things — like what if a restaurateur imports beef from another state or country," he asks.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life ... 444846.cms
Love your steak? You will have to go without it in Maharashtra as President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill, 1995.
The new Act will ban the slaughter of bulls and bullocks, which was earlier permitted on a fit-for-slaughter certificate (the new Act will allow slaughter of water buffaloes, which provides carabeef — seen as an inferior quality meat).
'It's An extremist thing to do' Beef is regarded as the poor man's meat as it costs almost a third of the price of mutton. Restaurateurs and traders of beef in the city claim the move will not only render thousands jobless, but will also drive up the cost of other meats in the state, which is like the 'balloon' effect, where if you press the production or consumption in one part of the country, it automatically balloons into the another part. Says restaurateur Amrish Arora, "I think this is an absolute rubbish thing to do; it's very extremist. How can you impose ban on meat and tell people what they should eat? It's also a hypocritical society we live in when you say one animal is sacred and not the other. As a restaurateur I can tell you there is a huge demand for it — every day
people say, 'we want a juicy steak.'" He also says the issue doesn't end with culling at the local level. "What about imported beef? So many restaurants use Angus beef from Australia and USA, so I think they should ban imports too. And why only Maharashtra, it should be looked at on a national level. This is like a silent kill," he adds.
Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, vice president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association, (HRAWI) says this move will render people jobless. "The beef ban will put people out of business as it is the diet of so many people owing to its affordability. Now what are you going to tell them, 'go eat chicken?'. It's like Marie Antoinette saying, 'If they can't have bread, let them eat cake'! So, personally, I don't agree with this. It will create ill will among people. Tomorrow what are you going to say, 'milk comes from cows, so stop drinking it?' We are a cosmopolitan city and state and it's really an individual's choice what to eat and not eat. If you don't want to serve it, fine. But you can't enforce a ban down people's throats and make it punishable like this," he states.
Citizens left fuming Tech expert Savin Vijay who loves his beef steak says he will miss it. "I think is an archaic ban. It shows how disconnected the government is from its people," he feels. And media consultant Imran Dar adds, "This is heartbreaking, I will really miss my beef keema. I'll have to get it down from Srinagar, now."
Blogger Kalyan Kamakar tries to clear the air. "Look, this ban (cow slaughter) has been there for a while and most local joints serve buffalo in the name of beef — in curries, tenderloin or steak. When you go to a small Keralite, kebab or Goan eatery you are most likely to get buffalo meat. So, for a while now, beef has not really been available. Most high-end restaurants too, will give you the imported variety. While the protests are valid, they should have happened long ago. There is also ambiguity on a few things — like what if a restaurateur imports beef from another state or country," he asks.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life ... 444846.cms
-
ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Beef Banned By BJP Ruled State, But See Their Hypocrisy
Vedic-Hindus were cow eaters
The recent ban on beef eating by Maharashtra government has sparked a nation wide controversy and debate on beef slaughtering and eating but we can observe that Hindu mythology is famous for its diverse art forms and classical literature but the most famous myth is about beef or killing of cows. According to the myth propagated by Hindu nationalists, cows are worshiped in ancient India and it was the invaders, both Muslim and Christian, who brought beef-eating to India. But, facts and religious scriptures prove that it was the Vedic-Hindus who were among the world’s first urban consumers of beef. This was even before Jesus Christ was crucified and 1000 years before Islam was formed.
Below are the quotes from Vedas which prove that Vedic -Hindus were cow eaters.
Manusmriti (Chapter 5 / Verse 30) says, “It is not sinful to eat meat of eatable animals, for Brahma has created both the eaters and the eatables.”
Maharishi Yagyavalkya says in Shatpath Brahmin (3/1/2/21) that, “I eat beef because it is very soft and delicious.”
Apastamb Grihsutram (1/3/10) says, “The cow should be slaughtered on the arrival of a guest, on the occasion of ‘Shraddha’ of ancestors and on the occasion of a marriage.”
Rigveda (10/85/13) declares, “On the occasion of a girl’s marriage oxen and cows are slaughtered.”
Rigveda (6/17/1) states that “Indra used to eat the meat of cow, calf, horse and buffalo.”
Vashistha Dharmasutra (11/34) writes, “If a Brahmin refuses to eat the meat offered to him on the occasion of ‘Shraddha’ or worship, he goes to hell.”
Hinduism’s greatest propagator Swami Vivekanand said thus: “You will be surprised to know that according to ancient Hindu rites and rituals, a man cannot be a good Hindu who does not eat beef”. (The Complete Works of Swami Vivekanand, vol.3, p. 536).
Adi Shankaracharya’ commentary on Brihdaranyakopanishad 6/4/18 says : ‘Odan’ (rice) mixed with meat is called ‘Mansodan’. On being asked whose meat it should be, he answers ‘Uksha’. ‘Uksha’ is used for an ox, which is capable to produce semen.
· The book ‘The History and Culture of the Indian People’, published by Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Bombay and edited by renowned historian R.C.Majumdar (Vol.2, page 578) says: “this is said in the Mahabharat that King Rantidev used to kill two thousand other animals in addition to two thousand cows daily in order to give their meat in charity”.
Now coming back to ancient Indian history as back as Mahabharata, 500 B.C.:
1) King Rantiveda slaughters 2,000 cows a day in his royal kitchens and distributed beef along with grain to apparently grateful Brahmins, the Hindu priests.
2) Charak Samhita, 100 B.C.: Flesh of cow is prescribed as a medicine for various diseases. It is also prescribed for making soup and advised as a cure for irregular fever, consumption, and emaciation. The fat of the cow is recommended for debility and rheumatism.
3) Taittiriya Brahman , 500 B.C.: Verily the cow is food.
4) Yajnavalkya, one of the most popular Hindu sages: ”Some people do not eat cow meat. I do so, provided it’s tender.”
5) Sacrificial offering for Indra, the rain God and Agni, the fire God, are bulls and cows. (Perhaps that is why we are having less rain, as we stopped sacrificing cows.)
6) Vedas have mentioned 250 animals out of which at least 50 are fit for sacrifice and human consumption.
7) Manusmriti did not prohibit the consumption of beef.
In many states of India, beef consumption is legally banned, because of a false religious myth. This cow worship is not done out of animal love, as the same ‘God’ that exists in cows also exists in cockroaches. By this logic, we should be worshiping insects too. The central focus of cow worship is to show muslims as anti-hindus and to create a universal symbol for upper-caste hindu identification. What is not a myth is that, the so-called holy cow is used for un-holy purposes.
http://muslimmirror.com/eng/vedic-hindu ... ow-eaters/
The recent ban on beef eating by Maharashtra government has sparked a nation wide controversy and debate on beef slaughtering and eating but we can observe that Hindu mythology is famous for its diverse art forms and classical literature but the most famous myth is about beef or killing of cows. According to the myth propagated by Hindu nationalists, cows are worshiped in ancient India and it was the invaders, both Muslim and Christian, who brought beef-eating to India. But, facts and religious scriptures prove that it was the Vedic-Hindus who were among the world’s first urban consumers of beef. This was even before Jesus Christ was crucified and 1000 years before Islam was formed.
Below are the quotes from Vedas which prove that Vedic -Hindus were cow eaters.
Manusmriti (Chapter 5 / Verse 30) says, “It is not sinful to eat meat of eatable animals, for Brahma has created both the eaters and the eatables.”
Maharishi Yagyavalkya says in Shatpath Brahmin (3/1/2/21) that, “I eat beef because it is very soft and delicious.”
Apastamb Grihsutram (1/3/10) says, “The cow should be slaughtered on the arrival of a guest, on the occasion of ‘Shraddha’ of ancestors and on the occasion of a marriage.”
Rigveda (10/85/13) declares, “On the occasion of a girl’s marriage oxen and cows are slaughtered.”
Rigveda (6/17/1) states that “Indra used to eat the meat of cow, calf, horse and buffalo.”
Vashistha Dharmasutra (11/34) writes, “If a Brahmin refuses to eat the meat offered to him on the occasion of ‘Shraddha’ or worship, he goes to hell.”
Hinduism’s greatest propagator Swami Vivekanand said thus: “You will be surprised to know that according to ancient Hindu rites and rituals, a man cannot be a good Hindu who does not eat beef”. (The Complete Works of Swami Vivekanand, vol.3, p. 536).
Adi Shankaracharya’ commentary on Brihdaranyakopanishad 6/4/18 says : ‘Odan’ (rice) mixed with meat is called ‘Mansodan’. On being asked whose meat it should be, he answers ‘Uksha’. ‘Uksha’ is used for an ox, which is capable to produce semen.
· The book ‘The History and Culture of the Indian People’, published by Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Bombay and edited by renowned historian R.C.Majumdar (Vol.2, page 578) says: “this is said in the Mahabharat that King Rantidev used to kill two thousand other animals in addition to two thousand cows daily in order to give their meat in charity”.
Now coming back to ancient Indian history as back as Mahabharata, 500 B.C.:
1) King Rantiveda slaughters 2,000 cows a day in his royal kitchens and distributed beef along with grain to apparently grateful Brahmins, the Hindu priests.
2) Charak Samhita, 100 B.C.: Flesh of cow is prescribed as a medicine for various diseases. It is also prescribed for making soup and advised as a cure for irregular fever, consumption, and emaciation. The fat of the cow is recommended for debility and rheumatism.
3) Taittiriya Brahman , 500 B.C.: Verily the cow is food.
4) Yajnavalkya, one of the most popular Hindu sages: ”Some people do not eat cow meat. I do so, provided it’s tender.”
5) Sacrificial offering for Indra, the rain God and Agni, the fire God, are bulls and cows. (Perhaps that is why we are having less rain, as we stopped sacrificing cows.)
6) Vedas have mentioned 250 animals out of which at least 50 are fit for sacrifice and human consumption.
7) Manusmriti did not prohibit the consumption of beef.
In many states of India, beef consumption is legally banned, because of a false religious myth. This cow worship is not done out of animal love, as the same ‘God’ that exists in cows also exists in cockroaches. By this logic, we should be worshiping insects too. The central focus of cow worship is to show muslims as anti-hindus and to create a universal symbol for upper-caste hindu identification. What is not a myth is that, the so-called holy cow is used for un-holy purposes.
http://muslimmirror.com/eng/vedic-hindu ... ow-eaters/
-
ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Beef Banned By BJP Ruled State, But See Their Hypocrisy
In Kerala, a Beef-Eating Fest to Protest Against Beef Ban
Thiruvananthapuram: Beef cooked in the open and Hindus and Muslims sitting together for a meal - this was how a section of people in Kerala protested today against the recent ban on the meat in Maharashtra.
Beef in Kerala means both cows and buffaloes and its consumption has no religious overtones. Not only do some Hindus here eat beef, going by sales figures, it is also the most-favoured meat in the state.
The annual sale of beef is estimated at 2.3 lakh metric tonnes against the corresponding figure for poultry -- 1.51 lakh metric tonnes.
"I am a Hindu. I should be given the freedom to eat whatever I want, even when I am eating this," said Ajith P from Kannur, who was at the protest of DYFI, the state CPM's youth wing, at Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
Sharing the dish with him was Ajeeth Muhammad. Though a supporter of Muslim League, he said he didn't mind backing a cause. "None of us here have issues with beef consumption. It is part of Kerala's culture. How can we be stopped from eating something we want to?" he said.
Heading the protest, DYFI's B Biju said, "This is a token protest against the ban of beef in Maharashtra and a warning for anyone who would want to implement the same in Kerala. Any ban our food will not be acceptable."
A state panchayat law lays clear guidelines for slaughterhouses - that an animal can't be slaughtered unless it is over 10 years old, or has been made unfit for work or breeding due to injury or deformity.
Digging into the beef curry before returning to the Assembly, CPM legislator P Sreeramakrishnan said, "I eat my beef. And so do many others in Kerala. Nothing will change."
Last week, President Pranab Mukherjee ratified the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill which bans the slaughter of calves and bullocks.
Anyone found selling or eating beef can be jailed for five years and fined Rs. 10,000. Only the consumption of buffaloes, which give inferior quality beef, will be allowed.
Beef traders - thousands of whom will be jobless - and a section of people in social media have protested against the ban, with hashtag #BeefBan trending for a while on Twitter.
http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/in-keral ... ban-745587
Thiruvananthapuram: Beef cooked in the open and Hindus and Muslims sitting together for a meal - this was how a section of people in Kerala protested today against the recent ban on the meat in Maharashtra.
Beef in Kerala means both cows and buffaloes and its consumption has no religious overtones. Not only do some Hindus here eat beef, going by sales figures, it is also the most-favoured meat in the state.
The annual sale of beef is estimated at 2.3 lakh metric tonnes against the corresponding figure for poultry -- 1.51 lakh metric tonnes.
"I am a Hindu. I should be given the freedom to eat whatever I want, even when I am eating this," said Ajith P from Kannur, who was at the protest of DYFI, the state CPM's youth wing, at Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
Sharing the dish with him was Ajeeth Muhammad. Though a supporter of Muslim League, he said he didn't mind backing a cause. "None of us here have issues with beef consumption. It is part of Kerala's culture. How can we be stopped from eating something we want to?" he said.
Heading the protest, DYFI's B Biju said, "This is a token protest against the ban of beef in Maharashtra and a warning for anyone who would want to implement the same in Kerala. Any ban our food will not be acceptable."
A state panchayat law lays clear guidelines for slaughterhouses - that an animal can't be slaughtered unless it is over 10 years old, or has been made unfit for work or breeding due to injury or deformity.
Digging into the beef curry before returning to the Assembly, CPM legislator P Sreeramakrishnan said, "I eat my beef. And so do many others in Kerala. Nothing will change."
Last week, President Pranab Mukherjee ratified the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill which bans the slaughter of calves and bullocks.
Anyone found selling or eating beef can be jailed for five years and fined Rs. 10,000. Only the consumption of buffaloes, which give inferior quality beef, will be allowed.
Beef traders - thousands of whom will be jobless - and a section of people in social media have protested against the ban, with hashtag #BeefBan trending for a while on Twitter.
http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/in-keral ... ban-745587
-
ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
-
ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
-
ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Beef Banned By BJP Ruled State, But See Their Hypocrisy
Holy Cow-Beef and Indian Political Games
by Ram Puniyani
Can the dietary practices, the animal which is worshipped as a mother by section of population, be brought in on the political arena? While all this sounds surreal, its true as far as the role of cow is there in Indian political firmament. Recently Maharashtra Government got the Presidents assent to the bill “Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill 1995 which will now ban the slaughter of bulls and bullocks as well. The defaulters will face a prison term of five years and a fine of Rs. 10000. When I first read ‘Animal Preservation’ part of the title of the bill, I thought this is some bill related to all the animals which are used for human consumption or deals with the use of animals for different purposes by the society. Contrary to that it turned out that this applies only to Cow and its progeny. A decade ago I was shocked to read that one of the outstanding scholars of ancient Indian History Professor Dwijendra Nath Jha received regular threats on phone telling him not to publish his book, ‘Holy Cow Beef in Indian Dietary tradition’. This scholarly work traces the place of beef in Indian diet from centuries.
The idea is to target the minorities for beef eating, and cow slaughter. One recalls that one of the slogans which rent the air in the run up the 2014 General elections was “Modi ko matdan, gai ko jeevadan [Vote for Modi, give life to the cow], BJP ka sandesh, bachegi gai, bachega desh [BJP’s message, the cow will be saved, the country will be saved]”. This slogan was propped up ‘Cow Development Cell’ of BJP.
As such emotive-identity issues are the hall mark of the politics in the name of religion. BJP built itself up on another identity issue, that of Ram Temple. The cow has always been accompanying and a parallel issue for political mobilization by RSS-BJP. It has also been the point of triggering violence in many cases all through. With the formation of VHP by RSS in 1964, cow issue has been systematically propped up time and over again. Many a misconceptions about cow, beef eating have been constructed. Building of misconceptions has also been extended to the dietary habits of the ‘Muslim’ community in particular. The profession of section of Muslims, Kasai (butcher), those in the trade of beef selling has been brought in to the ‘Hate other’, ‘social common sense’ in particular. The result being that it is perceived at broad layers of society as if beef eating is compulsory for Muslims. The notion which has been popularized is that Cow is Holy for Hindus: Muslims kill her! The perception is that the Muslim invaders brought beef eating into India. These misconceptions are by now the part of ‘social common sense’ of the large number of people in the society.
All the components of this are myths and stereotypes have been constructed over a period of time. Time and over again one hears about some small communal violence, killing of dalits and traders of cows leading to communal polarization. Many a dalits dealing with cow hide have been killed in places like Gohana in Hariyana and the VHP leaders had justified such acts.
Contrary to this the beef eating and sacrifice of cows was prevalent here from Vedic period. The sacrifice of cows in the Yagnas (ritual around fire) is extensively mentioned in the scriptures. There is mention about beef eating in various books. There is a phrase in Taitreya Brahmin which states ‘Atho Annam Via Gau’ (Cow is in veritably food) Different gods are mentioned to be having their choices for particular type of cow flesh. Prof D. N. Jha quotes innumerable examples of this in his masterpiece.
The preaching of non violence in India came with the rise of agricultural society. Jainism called for total non violence, while Buddhism talked non-violence; preventing of wasteful animal sacrifice in particular. It was much later that Brahmanism picked up cow as a symbol for Brahmanism in response and as a reaction to non-violence of these religions. Since Brahmanism has asserted itself to be the Hinduism it projects as if Cow is holy for Hindus overall. The matter of fact is that many sections of society, more particularly Dalits and Tribal have been eating beef all through. It is another matter that lately with the rising assertion of Hindutva, many a communities which are dependent on beef as a rich and cheap source of protein are gradually being forced to either give it up or do a rethink on that.
In contrast to what is being asserted by BJP and company, Swami Vivekanand had a different take on the issue. He points out speaking to a large gathering in USA said: “You will be astonished if I tell you that, according to old ceremonials, he is not a good Hindu who does not eat beef. On certain occasions he must sacrifice a bull and eat it.”
[Vivekananda speaking at the Shakespeare Club, Pasadena, California, USA (2 February 1900) on the theme of ‘Buddhistic India’, cited in Swami Vivekananda, The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol 3 (Calcutta: Advaita Ashram, 1997), p. 536.]
This is corroborated by other research works sponsored by the Ramakrishna Mission established by Swami Vivekananda himself. One of these reads: “The Vedic Aryans, including the Brahmanas, ate fish, meat and even beef. A distinguished guest was honoured with beef served at a meal. Although the Vedic Aryans ate beef, milch cows were not killed. One of the words that designated cow was aghnya (what shall not be killed). But a guest was a goghna (one for whom a cow is killed). It is only bulls, barren cows and calves that were killed.” [C. Kunhan Raja, ‘Vedic Culture’, cited in the series, Suniti Kumar Chatterji and others (eds.), The Cultural Heritage of India, Vol 1 (Calcutta: The Ramakrishna Mission, 1993), 217.]
In response to this bill thousands of workers of Devnar abattoir (Mumbai), who will be losing their jobs came on the streets to protest against this move of the government (March 11). Many traders, from different religion also came to Azad Maidan in Mumbai to protest this communal act of the Maharashtra Government. In a PIL filed in the Bombay High Court the petitioner argues that this ban on beef infringes on the fundamental right of citizens to choose meat of their choice is fundamental. The hope is that the society overcomes such abuse of ‘identity issues’ for political goals and lets the people have their own choices in matters of food habits, and let those who are making their living from this trade do so peacefully.
http://beyondheadlines.in/2015/03/holy- ... cal-games/
by Ram Puniyani
Can the dietary practices, the animal which is worshipped as a mother by section of population, be brought in on the political arena? While all this sounds surreal, its true as far as the role of cow is there in Indian political firmament. Recently Maharashtra Government got the Presidents assent to the bill “Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill 1995 which will now ban the slaughter of bulls and bullocks as well. The defaulters will face a prison term of five years and a fine of Rs. 10000. When I first read ‘Animal Preservation’ part of the title of the bill, I thought this is some bill related to all the animals which are used for human consumption or deals with the use of animals for different purposes by the society. Contrary to that it turned out that this applies only to Cow and its progeny. A decade ago I was shocked to read that one of the outstanding scholars of ancient Indian History Professor Dwijendra Nath Jha received regular threats on phone telling him not to publish his book, ‘Holy Cow Beef in Indian Dietary tradition’. This scholarly work traces the place of beef in Indian diet from centuries.
The idea is to target the minorities for beef eating, and cow slaughter. One recalls that one of the slogans which rent the air in the run up the 2014 General elections was “Modi ko matdan, gai ko jeevadan [Vote for Modi, give life to the cow], BJP ka sandesh, bachegi gai, bachega desh [BJP’s message, the cow will be saved, the country will be saved]”. This slogan was propped up ‘Cow Development Cell’ of BJP.
As such emotive-identity issues are the hall mark of the politics in the name of religion. BJP built itself up on another identity issue, that of Ram Temple. The cow has always been accompanying and a parallel issue for political mobilization by RSS-BJP. It has also been the point of triggering violence in many cases all through. With the formation of VHP by RSS in 1964, cow issue has been systematically propped up time and over again. Many a misconceptions about cow, beef eating have been constructed. Building of misconceptions has also been extended to the dietary habits of the ‘Muslim’ community in particular. The profession of section of Muslims, Kasai (butcher), those in the trade of beef selling has been brought in to the ‘Hate other’, ‘social common sense’ in particular. The result being that it is perceived at broad layers of society as if beef eating is compulsory for Muslims. The notion which has been popularized is that Cow is Holy for Hindus: Muslims kill her! The perception is that the Muslim invaders brought beef eating into India. These misconceptions are by now the part of ‘social common sense’ of the large number of people in the society.
All the components of this are myths and stereotypes have been constructed over a period of time. Time and over again one hears about some small communal violence, killing of dalits and traders of cows leading to communal polarization. Many a dalits dealing with cow hide have been killed in places like Gohana in Hariyana and the VHP leaders had justified such acts.
Contrary to this the beef eating and sacrifice of cows was prevalent here from Vedic period. The sacrifice of cows in the Yagnas (ritual around fire) is extensively mentioned in the scriptures. There is mention about beef eating in various books. There is a phrase in Taitreya Brahmin which states ‘Atho Annam Via Gau’ (Cow is in veritably food) Different gods are mentioned to be having their choices for particular type of cow flesh. Prof D. N. Jha quotes innumerable examples of this in his masterpiece.
The preaching of non violence in India came with the rise of agricultural society. Jainism called for total non violence, while Buddhism talked non-violence; preventing of wasteful animal sacrifice in particular. It was much later that Brahmanism picked up cow as a symbol for Brahmanism in response and as a reaction to non-violence of these religions. Since Brahmanism has asserted itself to be the Hinduism it projects as if Cow is holy for Hindus overall. The matter of fact is that many sections of society, more particularly Dalits and Tribal have been eating beef all through. It is another matter that lately with the rising assertion of Hindutva, many a communities which are dependent on beef as a rich and cheap source of protein are gradually being forced to either give it up or do a rethink on that.
In contrast to what is being asserted by BJP and company, Swami Vivekanand had a different take on the issue. He points out speaking to a large gathering in USA said: “You will be astonished if I tell you that, according to old ceremonials, he is not a good Hindu who does not eat beef. On certain occasions he must sacrifice a bull and eat it.”
[Vivekananda speaking at the Shakespeare Club, Pasadena, California, USA (2 February 1900) on the theme of ‘Buddhistic India’, cited in Swami Vivekananda, The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol 3 (Calcutta: Advaita Ashram, 1997), p. 536.]
This is corroborated by other research works sponsored by the Ramakrishna Mission established by Swami Vivekananda himself. One of these reads: “The Vedic Aryans, including the Brahmanas, ate fish, meat and even beef. A distinguished guest was honoured with beef served at a meal. Although the Vedic Aryans ate beef, milch cows were not killed. One of the words that designated cow was aghnya (what shall not be killed). But a guest was a goghna (one for whom a cow is killed). It is only bulls, barren cows and calves that were killed.” [C. Kunhan Raja, ‘Vedic Culture’, cited in the series, Suniti Kumar Chatterji and others (eds.), The Cultural Heritage of India, Vol 1 (Calcutta: The Ramakrishna Mission, 1993), 217.]
In response to this bill thousands of workers of Devnar abattoir (Mumbai), who will be losing their jobs came on the streets to protest against this move of the government (March 11). Many traders, from different religion also came to Azad Maidan in Mumbai to protest this communal act of the Maharashtra Government. In a PIL filed in the Bombay High Court the petitioner argues that this ban on beef infringes on the fundamental right of citizens to choose meat of their choice is fundamental. The hope is that the society overcomes such abuse of ‘identity issues’ for political goals and lets the people have their own choices in matters of food habits, and let those who are making their living from this trade do so peacefully.
http://beyondheadlines.in/2015/03/holy- ... cal-games/
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ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Beef Banned By BJP Ruled State, But See Their Hypocrisy
Hindu ‘cultural minority’ challenges beef ban in Maharashtra
MUMBAI: Two Mumbaikars have challenged the expanded beef ban in the Bombay high court and sought protection of their right to quality of life ingrained in their choice of source of nutrition and as a "cultural minority" among Hindus who have beef.
Claiming to be the first consumers of beef to challenge the ban, advocate Vishal Seth from Fort and student Shaina Sen from Bandra said, "We are Hindus who are consumers of beef, which is one of the nutrition sources and part of our diet...Hindu consumers of beef constitute a cultural minority and are entitled to preserve their dietary and cultural identity."
A division bench headed by Justice V M Kanade will take up this PIL along with another filed by a Jogeshwari resident who pointed out that while possession of leather made from bovine hide is not criminal, the possession of its flesh has been criminalized.
The Hindu duo's PIL said the ban on beef and criminalizing its sale and possession violated fundamental rights — the right to quality of life under Article 21 and Article 29 that bars discrimination against minorities by race, language, religion or culture.
They also questioned the Maharashtra government's powers to ban the slaughter of bulls and bullock, criminalize the sale or possession of beef and contested the claim that the Constitution of India allows for such a ban. The PIL referred to Parliament debates on the issue and pointed out that the provision for ban on slaughter of bulls, bullock and young livestock was expressly excluded from the Constitution.
The PIL further contended that the ban on slaughter affects farmers who have lost 50% value of their cattle, butchers and beef-sellers, besides consumers of beef. "Criminalizing possession or consumption of beef that is legally slaughtered is illegal," the PIL has said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City ... 627492.cms
MUMBAI: Two Mumbaikars have challenged the expanded beef ban in the Bombay high court and sought protection of their right to quality of life ingrained in their choice of source of nutrition and as a "cultural minority" among Hindus who have beef.
Claiming to be the first consumers of beef to challenge the ban, advocate Vishal Seth from Fort and student Shaina Sen from Bandra said, "We are Hindus who are consumers of beef, which is one of the nutrition sources and part of our diet...Hindu consumers of beef constitute a cultural minority and are entitled to preserve their dietary and cultural identity."
A division bench headed by Justice V M Kanade will take up this PIL along with another filed by a Jogeshwari resident who pointed out that while possession of leather made from bovine hide is not criminal, the possession of its flesh has been criminalized.
The Hindu duo's PIL said the ban on beef and criminalizing its sale and possession violated fundamental rights — the right to quality of life under Article 21 and Article 29 that bars discrimination against minorities by race, language, religion or culture.
They also questioned the Maharashtra government's powers to ban the slaughter of bulls and bullock, criminalize the sale or possession of beef and contested the claim that the Constitution of India allows for such a ban. The PIL referred to Parliament debates on the issue and pointed out that the provision for ban on slaughter of bulls, bullock and young livestock was expressly excluded from the Constitution.
The PIL further contended that the ban on slaughter affects farmers who have lost 50% value of their cattle, butchers and beef-sellers, besides consumers of beef. "Criminalizing possession or consumption of beef that is legally slaughtered is illegal," the PIL has said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City ... 627492.cms
-
ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Beef Banned By BJP Ruled State, But See Their Hypocrisy
Muslims earn peanuts, it’s govt, Hindus who benefit from cow slaughter
In India, well on track to become world’s largest bovine meat exporter, Muslims are earning just a peanut as against the general perception about the trade, and it is actually the government and non-Muslims who are benefiting the most from about 4.5 billion US dollar animal slaughter business, it was found in a study conducted by ummid.com.
The study also found that except for Allana Sons, a 1969 company which has a major share in frozen meat export from India, and few other smaller players who are Muslims, majority of meat exporters and owners of modern abattoirs, and those associated with other related industries like bone, leather, horn, farmers, transporters, animal blood and other raw materials are mainly non-Muslims, a fact acknowledged by Hindutva groups and also pointed at by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
The study has thus put a big question mark over the statement of Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, who had alleged that revenue earned from the animal slaughter business is used for terrorism. The study also puts a question mark on the exact motives of the protest against the trade by the VHP, Bajrang Dal and other right wing Hindu extremist groups affiliated to the BJP, and the consequent ban by the Maharashtra government on bulls, bullocks and calves slaughter – ninth state in India to do so.
Ummid.com, after talking to beef traders in various parts of the state, organisations working for them and going through the available records and data, found that animals are purchased in over 95% cases from farmers, majority of them being non-Muslims. Most of the transporters who ferry animals and meat from one place to another before and after slaughter are also not Muslims. Except for direct consumption, where also Muslims and non-Muslims both are at par in terms of taking benefits, in rest all associated business including meat export, bone crushing and powder industry, leather industry, horn processing industry, blood processing, animal fat and soap industry, except for few exceptions, each one is dominated entirely by non-Muslims.
Some prominent names are Arabian Export of Deepak Tijori, Al Kabeer Exports now run by Atul Subberwal, Al-Noor Export of Ajay Sud, Mahesh Jagadale and Co, Sujata Bones of MK Deore, Dode Industries, Fine Exports, SK Leather, Ramesh Juneja & Sons, Bharat Leather, Woodland, Raymonds, Datta Soap, BS International, Sixth Sense, Natural Craft, Bounty Fashion Export, Kochhar Brothers, Ravi Exports, Kalia International, and Hindustan Unilever Ltd. – all engaged in beef and the business of associated raw materials and products.
It is also found that some of those associated with the trade have different names and identities for different countries and regions. Like, Al Kabeer is ‘Samurai’ in Japan, ‘Falcon Foods’ in the UK, and ‘Tayebat Al Emarat’ in the UAE. It also owns other brands like Tabarruk, Cascade and Coral Reef.
It is also found that when comes to taking benefits from the trade the government too is not far behind. The findings showed that the state as an average charge Rs.120 for every animal purchased and Rs.150 per animal as slaughtering fees. It is found that in RSS bastion Nagpur alone, roughly around 1500-2000 animals were slaughtered every day before the government ban. In other parts of Maharashtra including Mumbai, Malegaon, Dhule, Aurangabad, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, Sholapur over 20,000 thousand animals were slaughtered every day.
The All-India Meat and Livestock Exporters Association lists 42 abattoir-cum-meat processing plants in the country and 32 meat processing plants are registered with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). These are over and above the municipal slaughterhouses which according to a rough estimates stand at 3,600.
India became the world’s biggest buffalo meat exporter in 2012, ahead of Brazil. A report by the US Department of Agriculture says buffaloes are inexpensive to keep. This makes their meat a dollar a kg cheaper than beef. The Indian government has invested heavily in abattoirs. Recently released Ministry of Food Processing data showed that India exported 1.89 million tonnes of beef in 2012-2013, which is a 50 per cent increase over five years ago.
The total value of India’s buffalo meat exports for the year 2010-11 was USD 1.9 billion which touched USD 2.3 billion during 2012-13. Exports have nearly tripled since 2009, rising to 1.65 millon tonnes in 2012, according to USDA figures.
According to data released by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under the Ministry of Commerce, Indian buffalo meat exports touched an all time high of Rs.13,917 crore in value terms in April-October 2013, representing an increase of nearly 58% over same period last year. In terms of quantity too, there has been 23% rise in buffalo meat exports from India.
Among Indian states, Uttar Pradesh (UP) has emerged as the biggest exporter of buffalo meat, followed by Punjab and Maharashtra. Besides having the country’s largest buffalo population, UP also has the highest number of abattoirs- cum-meat processing export units. The state has 317 registered slaughterhouses and, in addition, 24 export-oriented units for buffalo meat. Of the total Indian carabeef exports, 67% originates from this state.
Mumbai in Maharashtra has a distinction of having Deonar abattoir – Asia’s largest. It has a capacity of about 4000 animals and recruit over 1200 people besides 30 medical professionals.
It is also found that Gujarat, which is projected as a model Hindu state, the trade has flourished under the kind protection of the state. Data compiled by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry from Gujarat’s Pollution Control Board reveals that meat production in the State, when Prime Minister Modi was its chief minister, more than doubled in 10 years. It was the time when Modi was taunting the Congress-led UPA of promoting ‘Pink Revolution’.
Gujarat produced 22,000 tonnes of meat in 2010-11 against 10,600 tonnes of meat in 2001-02. During the same period, India’s meat production grew from 18,59,430 tonnes to 48,69,000 tonnes, or by 163%. With 39 abattoirs, which slaughters over 1,000 animals a day, Gujarat is amongst the top 10 States in India in terms of the number of slaughterhouses.
Among the important buyers of Indian bovine and other meat are Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. India exports both frozen and fresh chilled meat. China is a big market for Indian meat. Currently, one third of the total buffalo meat is exported to Vietnam.
Records show that buffalo meat export to Vietnam has seen a surprising growth in the recent period. Between April-October 2013, buffalo meat exports to Vietnam rose by 229% in value terms, and more than 100% in quantity terms over the same period last year. Vietnam accounts for close to 40% buffalo meat exports from India.
It is also found that, barring some 2% that can be called illegal, most of the slaughtering at these places were done at government approved, state owned or private, abattoirs, and in the presence of the government appointed qualified medical professionals. Interestingly, it was found that a doctor was appointed by the government but the payment is borne by the owners of the respective slaughter houses.
Ummid.com also found that in state like Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat where slaughter of bulls, bullocks and calves are banned, animals are purchased on cheap prices, and are ‘smuggled’ to neighbouring states especially Maharashtra and sold on ten times the purchase cost. Situation in the border areas in the states like Gujarat and Rajasthan is even stranger where a good number of animals are pushed towards other side of the country.
To encourage and support the industry which earns the state handsome revenue, the centre provides a transport subsidy of Rs.70 a kg for buffalo meat exports. It also gives grants of 50 per cent for general areas and 75 per cent for hill areas up to Rs.15 crore for setting up and modernising abattoirs. Between 2006-07 and 2011-12, the Centre’s total subsidy for setting up abattoirs was Rs.240 crore, another Rs.300 crore went into buffalo rearing.
In India, cow is considered as sacred and its slaughter is banned since 1976. However bulls, bullocks and calves slaughter was allowed in most of the Indian states including Maharashtra. But, Maharashtra passed an amended legislation banning cow slaughter this month banning also bulls, bullocks and calves slaughter. Buffalo meat is treated in India as beef, and its export is flourishing under the government patronage.
Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), one of the outfits having affiliation with RSS and BJP, is of the view that the campaign to halt all cow slaughter and limit buffalo-meat exports is for the good of the country and isn’t targeting Muslims or Christians. It also acknowledges the fact that many of the main beef export businesses are owned by Hindus.
Despite this reality, Muslim beef traders are targeted and harassed in most part of the country – with worsening situation at the time of Eid-al-Adha – the Muslim festival when the community members sacrifice animals.
Attacks on the country’s beef industry, seizing trucks with cattle bound for abattoirs and blockading meat processing plants in a bid to halt the trade in the world’s second-biggest exporter by Hindu extremist groups stepped up after BJP came to power in New Delhi and Maharashtra.
An official at a beef transport group in Maharashtra state said around 10 vehicles travelling to Mumbai had been stopped, the animals taken forcefully and drivers beaten by members of Hindu nationalist groups despite carrying valid documents February last week.
Tired of harassment and violent protests against the trade by Hindutva organisations, beef traders in Maharashtra went on an indefinite strike in February this year. They called off their strike after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured them of government protection. About a week after the assurance by none other than the chief minister of the state, the BJP-led state came out with an amended law banning along with cow, slaughter of bulls, bullocks and calves as well.
Interestingly, in its bid to quell the beef shortage in Goa following the ban in Maharashtra, the state, also ruled by the BJP, officially announced last week that it is considering to selling beef on its own. Lyndon Monteiro, chairman of the Goa Meat Complex, a government agency which runs the only legal service abattoir in Goa, said the government was in the process of “finalising modalities” for selling beef in Goa on its own, in order to come to the assistance of the beef-eating population.
Against this backdrop, it will be interesting to see how the state will go ahead with the actual implementation of the law as the government is not only being criticised by the Muslims but also by a good number of non-Muslim groups, industry giants, celebrities and individuals including farmers.
- See more at: www.ummid.com
In India, well on track to become world’s largest bovine meat exporter, Muslims are earning just a peanut as against the general perception about the trade, and it is actually the government and non-Muslims who are benefiting the most from about 4.5 billion US dollar animal slaughter business, it was found in a study conducted by ummid.com.
The study also found that except for Allana Sons, a 1969 company which has a major share in frozen meat export from India, and few other smaller players who are Muslims, majority of meat exporters and owners of modern abattoirs, and those associated with other related industries like bone, leather, horn, farmers, transporters, animal blood and other raw materials are mainly non-Muslims, a fact acknowledged by Hindutva groups and also pointed at by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
The study has thus put a big question mark over the statement of Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, who had alleged that revenue earned from the animal slaughter business is used for terrorism. The study also puts a question mark on the exact motives of the protest against the trade by the VHP, Bajrang Dal and other right wing Hindu extremist groups affiliated to the BJP, and the consequent ban by the Maharashtra government on bulls, bullocks and calves slaughter – ninth state in India to do so.
Ummid.com, after talking to beef traders in various parts of the state, organisations working for them and going through the available records and data, found that animals are purchased in over 95% cases from farmers, majority of them being non-Muslims. Most of the transporters who ferry animals and meat from one place to another before and after slaughter are also not Muslims. Except for direct consumption, where also Muslims and non-Muslims both are at par in terms of taking benefits, in rest all associated business including meat export, bone crushing and powder industry, leather industry, horn processing industry, blood processing, animal fat and soap industry, except for few exceptions, each one is dominated entirely by non-Muslims.
Some prominent names are Arabian Export of Deepak Tijori, Al Kabeer Exports now run by Atul Subberwal, Al-Noor Export of Ajay Sud, Mahesh Jagadale and Co, Sujata Bones of MK Deore, Dode Industries, Fine Exports, SK Leather, Ramesh Juneja & Sons, Bharat Leather, Woodland, Raymonds, Datta Soap, BS International, Sixth Sense, Natural Craft, Bounty Fashion Export, Kochhar Brothers, Ravi Exports, Kalia International, and Hindustan Unilever Ltd. – all engaged in beef and the business of associated raw materials and products.
It is also found that some of those associated with the trade have different names and identities for different countries and regions. Like, Al Kabeer is ‘Samurai’ in Japan, ‘Falcon Foods’ in the UK, and ‘Tayebat Al Emarat’ in the UAE. It also owns other brands like Tabarruk, Cascade and Coral Reef.
It is also found that when comes to taking benefits from the trade the government too is not far behind. The findings showed that the state as an average charge Rs.120 for every animal purchased and Rs.150 per animal as slaughtering fees. It is found that in RSS bastion Nagpur alone, roughly around 1500-2000 animals were slaughtered every day before the government ban. In other parts of Maharashtra including Mumbai, Malegaon, Dhule, Aurangabad, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, Sholapur over 20,000 thousand animals were slaughtered every day.
The All-India Meat and Livestock Exporters Association lists 42 abattoir-cum-meat processing plants in the country and 32 meat processing plants are registered with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). These are over and above the municipal slaughterhouses which according to a rough estimates stand at 3,600.
India became the world’s biggest buffalo meat exporter in 2012, ahead of Brazil. A report by the US Department of Agriculture says buffaloes are inexpensive to keep. This makes their meat a dollar a kg cheaper than beef. The Indian government has invested heavily in abattoirs. Recently released Ministry of Food Processing data showed that India exported 1.89 million tonnes of beef in 2012-2013, which is a 50 per cent increase over five years ago.
The total value of India’s buffalo meat exports for the year 2010-11 was USD 1.9 billion which touched USD 2.3 billion during 2012-13. Exports have nearly tripled since 2009, rising to 1.65 millon tonnes in 2012, according to USDA figures.
According to data released by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under the Ministry of Commerce, Indian buffalo meat exports touched an all time high of Rs.13,917 crore in value terms in April-October 2013, representing an increase of nearly 58% over same period last year. In terms of quantity too, there has been 23% rise in buffalo meat exports from India.
Among Indian states, Uttar Pradesh (UP) has emerged as the biggest exporter of buffalo meat, followed by Punjab and Maharashtra. Besides having the country’s largest buffalo population, UP also has the highest number of abattoirs- cum-meat processing export units. The state has 317 registered slaughterhouses and, in addition, 24 export-oriented units for buffalo meat. Of the total Indian carabeef exports, 67% originates from this state.
Mumbai in Maharashtra has a distinction of having Deonar abattoir – Asia’s largest. It has a capacity of about 4000 animals and recruit over 1200 people besides 30 medical professionals.
It is also found that Gujarat, which is projected as a model Hindu state, the trade has flourished under the kind protection of the state. Data compiled by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry from Gujarat’s Pollution Control Board reveals that meat production in the State, when Prime Minister Modi was its chief minister, more than doubled in 10 years. It was the time when Modi was taunting the Congress-led UPA of promoting ‘Pink Revolution’.
Gujarat produced 22,000 tonnes of meat in 2010-11 against 10,600 tonnes of meat in 2001-02. During the same period, India’s meat production grew from 18,59,430 tonnes to 48,69,000 tonnes, or by 163%. With 39 abattoirs, which slaughters over 1,000 animals a day, Gujarat is amongst the top 10 States in India in terms of the number of slaughterhouses.
Among the important buyers of Indian bovine and other meat are Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. India exports both frozen and fresh chilled meat. China is a big market for Indian meat. Currently, one third of the total buffalo meat is exported to Vietnam.
Records show that buffalo meat export to Vietnam has seen a surprising growth in the recent period. Between April-October 2013, buffalo meat exports to Vietnam rose by 229% in value terms, and more than 100% in quantity terms over the same period last year. Vietnam accounts for close to 40% buffalo meat exports from India.
It is also found that, barring some 2% that can be called illegal, most of the slaughtering at these places were done at government approved, state owned or private, abattoirs, and in the presence of the government appointed qualified medical professionals. Interestingly, it was found that a doctor was appointed by the government but the payment is borne by the owners of the respective slaughter houses.
Ummid.com also found that in state like Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat where slaughter of bulls, bullocks and calves are banned, animals are purchased on cheap prices, and are ‘smuggled’ to neighbouring states especially Maharashtra and sold on ten times the purchase cost. Situation in the border areas in the states like Gujarat and Rajasthan is even stranger where a good number of animals are pushed towards other side of the country.
To encourage and support the industry which earns the state handsome revenue, the centre provides a transport subsidy of Rs.70 a kg for buffalo meat exports. It also gives grants of 50 per cent for general areas and 75 per cent for hill areas up to Rs.15 crore for setting up and modernising abattoirs. Between 2006-07 and 2011-12, the Centre’s total subsidy for setting up abattoirs was Rs.240 crore, another Rs.300 crore went into buffalo rearing.
In India, cow is considered as sacred and its slaughter is banned since 1976. However bulls, bullocks and calves slaughter was allowed in most of the Indian states including Maharashtra. But, Maharashtra passed an amended legislation banning cow slaughter this month banning also bulls, bullocks and calves slaughter. Buffalo meat is treated in India as beef, and its export is flourishing under the government patronage.
Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), one of the outfits having affiliation with RSS and BJP, is of the view that the campaign to halt all cow slaughter and limit buffalo-meat exports is for the good of the country and isn’t targeting Muslims or Christians. It also acknowledges the fact that many of the main beef export businesses are owned by Hindus.
Despite this reality, Muslim beef traders are targeted and harassed in most part of the country – with worsening situation at the time of Eid-al-Adha – the Muslim festival when the community members sacrifice animals.
Attacks on the country’s beef industry, seizing trucks with cattle bound for abattoirs and blockading meat processing plants in a bid to halt the trade in the world’s second-biggest exporter by Hindu extremist groups stepped up after BJP came to power in New Delhi and Maharashtra.
An official at a beef transport group in Maharashtra state said around 10 vehicles travelling to Mumbai had been stopped, the animals taken forcefully and drivers beaten by members of Hindu nationalist groups despite carrying valid documents February last week.
Tired of harassment and violent protests against the trade by Hindutva organisations, beef traders in Maharashtra went on an indefinite strike in February this year. They called off their strike after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured them of government protection. About a week after the assurance by none other than the chief minister of the state, the BJP-led state came out with an amended law banning along with cow, slaughter of bulls, bullocks and calves as well.
Interestingly, in its bid to quell the beef shortage in Goa following the ban in Maharashtra, the state, also ruled by the BJP, officially announced last week that it is considering to selling beef on its own. Lyndon Monteiro, chairman of the Goa Meat Complex, a government agency which runs the only legal service abattoir in Goa, said the government was in the process of “finalising modalities” for selling beef in Goa on its own, in order to come to the assistance of the beef-eating population.
Against this backdrop, it will be interesting to see how the state will go ahead with the actual implementation of the law as the government is not only being criticised by the Muslims but also by a good number of non-Muslim groups, industry giants, celebrities and individuals including farmers.
- See more at: www.ummid.com
-
ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Beef Banned By BJP Ruled State, But See Their Hypocrisy
I'm vegan, I work for animal rights and I oppose Maharashtra's beef ban
http://m.firstpost.com/india/im-vegan-w ... 83609.html
http://m.firstpost.com/india/im-vegan-w ... 83609.html
-
ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Beef Banned By BJP Ruled State, But See Their Hypocrisy
Beef ban just the beginning, Maharashtra government tells Bombay high court
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Monday told the Bombay high court that the beef ban law may just be the beginning, indicating that a ban on slaughter of other animals might follow. Maharashtra advocate general Sunil Manohar made the statement while justifying the new state law that banned the slaughter of bulls and bullocks and criminalized possession of beef (slaughter of cows and calves was banned in 1976).
"We have made a start with cows and its progeny. At least we have made a beginning. The state might consider others."
The HC has directed the state to file an affidavit explaining its stand, especially with regard to section 5D, which is at the root of the challenges in the petitions heard by the court. The 5D provision makes it a crime to possess the flesh of bulls, bullocks and cows, even if they are slaughtered outside Maharashtra.
Senior advocates Aspi Chinoy and Navroze Seervai, who represented one of the petitioners, senior advocate Haresh Jagtiani, claimed that the new law was a serious invasion of fundamental rights and did not fit in with the stated purpose of the law. "The Act seeks to protect cows, bulls and bullocks from slaughter in Maharashtra because of their contribution to the agrarian economy, but there is no rationale to ban the import of beef from outside Maharashtra where they have been legally slaughtered," said advocate Chinoy. They urged the court to strike down section 5D which criminalizes even possession of beef, claiming that the right to eat was a part of the right to privacy, which in turn was a part of the right to life guaranteed under the Constitution.
Lawyers Firoze Bharucha and Pratap Nimbalkar, who represented Jogeshwari resident Arif Kapadia, pointed to the fact that while meat of cows, bulls and bullocks were banned, there was no similar ban on the hide of these animals being brought into the state to make leather products.
Advocate Mihir Desai, counsel for a group of residents planning to file a petition on the issue, argued that the state law was tantamount to entering a person's kitchen and telling them that they could not eat a particular food item.
Read More :
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 824954.cms
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Monday told the Bombay high court that the beef ban law may just be the beginning, indicating that a ban on slaughter of other animals might follow. Maharashtra advocate general Sunil Manohar made the statement while justifying the new state law that banned the slaughter of bulls and bullocks and criminalized possession of beef (slaughter of cows and calves was banned in 1976).
"We have made a start with cows and its progeny. At least we have made a beginning. The state might consider others."
The HC has directed the state to file an affidavit explaining its stand, especially with regard to section 5D, which is at the root of the challenges in the petitions heard by the court. The 5D provision makes it a crime to possess the flesh of bulls, bullocks and cows, even if they are slaughtered outside Maharashtra.
Senior advocates Aspi Chinoy and Navroze Seervai, who represented one of the petitioners, senior advocate Haresh Jagtiani, claimed that the new law was a serious invasion of fundamental rights and did not fit in with the stated purpose of the law. "The Act seeks to protect cows, bulls and bullocks from slaughter in Maharashtra because of their contribution to the agrarian economy, but there is no rationale to ban the import of beef from outside Maharashtra where they have been legally slaughtered," said advocate Chinoy. They urged the court to strike down section 5D which criminalizes even possession of beef, claiming that the right to eat was a part of the right to privacy, which in turn was a part of the right to life guaranteed under the Constitution.
Lawyers Firoze Bharucha and Pratap Nimbalkar, who represented Jogeshwari resident Arif Kapadia, pointed to the fact that while meat of cows, bulls and bullocks were banned, there was no similar ban on the hide of these animals being brought into the state to make leather products.
Advocate Mihir Desai, counsel for a group of residents planning to file a petition on the issue, argued that the state law was tantamount to entering a person's kitchen and telling them that they could not eat a particular food item.
Read More :
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 824954.cms
-
ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Beef Banned By BJP Ruled State, But See Their Hypocrisy
'In my religion, meat is Ma Kali’s prasad': A Shakto Hindu objects to enforced vegetarianism
A Hindutva group demands a meat ban during the Durga Puja festival even though animal sacrifice is an important ritual for some Bengali Hindus.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will enforce a two-day ban on the sale of meat and shut its slaughter-house during the Jain festival of Paryushan. Gurgaon in Haryana also has such a ban. Thankfully, I live in the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, where chickens, goats and cows can be slaughtered all the time and sold throughout the city without sensitivities being ruffled. However, the meat bans put into place in several other Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states in response to the demands of their political backers are worrisome to my faith and me.
I belong to a clan of Shaktos (devotees of the Mother Goddess or Shakti) and we worship Ma Durga and Ma Kali. It’s my fortune that I live in Kolkata’s Chetla locality that is across the nearly-dead Adi Ganga (the original flow of the Ganga) river from the powerful divine seat of Ma Kali called Kalighat. This Shaktipeeth is one of the holiest sites of our Shakto universe. Here, our people have always offered animals as sacrifice to our divine mother. We consider this meat as Ma Kali’s prasad. For those who can’t afford to sacrifice a whole goat, the meat of animals that have been offered to the goddess are sold from small outlets near the temple.
When parts of Ma Sati’s dead body fell onto earth, each of those sites became a Shaktipeeth. Of the 51 Shaktipeeths on earth, Bengal is blessed with 16, of which West Bengal has 11. Some are in Assam and Nepal. At most of the Shaktipeeths, animal sacrifices are almost a daily affair. It‘s a part and parcel of our faith. By pushing a certain Hindi-belt consensus of certain communities on the question of animal slaughter and meat-eating, people like us are being reduced to second-grade Hindus. This is also why our practices need to be protected from this brand of virat Hinduism that privileges certain religious practices over others.
Animal sacrifice
In a few days, I will travel from my city home in Kolkata to my desh in Patuligram village of West Bengal’s Hooghly district. Our clan has been Bengali shakto for as long as we can remember. Ma Durga, the mother goddess, will come alive in Patuligram as "Moter Ma" – the name by which she is known there. Many traditional Durga pujas or religious rites in Shakto families or out-of-turn personal offerings to the goddess have animal sacrifice as an integral part.
Does one not have the right to observe Shakto religious rites during the time of Paryushan of the Jains if one happens to live in of these slaughter-ban zones? When certain religious people deliver patronising sermons on vegetarianism, are our religious sensitivities not hurt? Why is that acceptable? Is it because in the virat Hindu conception of religious practice, our practices are second-class? When we are judged on the basis of other people’s attitudes towards meat and their religious sensitivity, are we to understand that our faith is something that perturbs the religious sensitivity of others?
Who are these first citizens of the Indian Union whose sensitivities take precedence over the practices of others? This Savarna-Jain halalisation of the public sphere is a creeping danger because they exert political influence far beyond their numbers. What does that tell us about the ideological currents at play in India? In this land of "unity in diversity", some diversities are silenced or are labeled superstitious. Some diversities retain elements that bite back when trampled upon. They go much beyond the Dilli Haat sort of showcase diversities.
Eggless cake
The regions that do not have meat bans must realise the long-range political aim of the Hindi-Hindu-Hindustani multi-headed hydra of homogeneity. It has many faces – some are about the beef ban, some are about cosmo-liberal “idea of India” and so forth. The government-run Air India serves eggless cake and onion-less paneer puffs to general passengers like me on a flight to Srinagar from Delhi. Kashmir is home to a largely meat-eating non-Muslim culture. What’s the message here? I Kolkata, I recently visited a private hospital, part of a chain owned by a vegetarian Krishna-worshipping business family. In that health-care facility, no eggs or meat or fish is allowed. Even if they are medically indicated, nutritionists working there never prescribe anything non-vegetarian. Does religious sensitivity also allow one to molest the lifestyle, health and food choices of one’s customers? What’s the nature of this emergent politics that empowers a business group to enforce its religious beliefs in health-care facilities and deny fish to a convalescing Bengali in Bengal?
The new nation-state is evolving and is attempting to beat the subcontinent into a new consensus. Our gods and goddesses aren’t unaffected and are being replaced by a set of “eternal values” – a mishmash of practices deemed to be acceptable to the lifestyle demands of an urban consumer society. These positions have wide currency among the rootless urban folk dreaming up a unified Hinduism with a national pantheon. A community is being created whose religious pantheon is dictated by that pathetic yearning for uniformity that only a non-confident nation-state continuously fans. This is where portable religion, meat bans and “Hindi nahi aati?” (Don’t you speak Hindi?) come together as symptoms of the same disease. I thank Ma Kali that this disease hasn’t yet afflicted Kolkata and I believe that my benevolent and powerful divine mother will keep it that way. We Shaktos are not worshippers of man-made gods or of dead gods. Our goddesses are alive and are on guard. As they’ve always been.
http://scroll.in/article/755412/in-my-r ... etarianism
A Hindutva group demands a meat ban during the Durga Puja festival even though animal sacrifice is an important ritual for some Bengali Hindus.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will enforce a two-day ban on the sale of meat and shut its slaughter-house during the Jain festival of Paryushan. Gurgaon in Haryana also has such a ban. Thankfully, I live in the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, where chickens, goats and cows can be slaughtered all the time and sold throughout the city without sensitivities being ruffled. However, the meat bans put into place in several other Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states in response to the demands of their political backers are worrisome to my faith and me.
I belong to a clan of Shaktos (devotees of the Mother Goddess or Shakti) and we worship Ma Durga and Ma Kali. It’s my fortune that I live in Kolkata’s Chetla locality that is across the nearly-dead Adi Ganga (the original flow of the Ganga) river from the powerful divine seat of Ma Kali called Kalighat. This Shaktipeeth is one of the holiest sites of our Shakto universe. Here, our people have always offered animals as sacrifice to our divine mother. We consider this meat as Ma Kali’s prasad. For those who can’t afford to sacrifice a whole goat, the meat of animals that have been offered to the goddess are sold from small outlets near the temple.
When parts of Ma Sati’s dead body fell onto earth, each of those sites became a Shaktipeeth. Of the 51 Shaktipeeths on earth, Bengal is blessed with 16, of which West Bengal has 11. Some are in Assam and Nepal. At most of the Shaktipeeths, animal sacrifices are almost a daily affair. It‘s a part and parcel of our faith. By pushing a certain Hindi-belt consensus of certain communities on the question of animal slaughter and meat-eating, people like us are being reduced to second-grade Hindus. This is also why our practices need to be protected from this brand of virat Hinduism that privileges certain religious practices over others.
Animal sacrifice
In a few days, I will travel from my city home in Kolkata to my desh in Patuligram village of West Bengal’s Hooghly district. Our clan has been Bengali shakto for as long as we can remember. Ma Durga, the mother goddess, will come alive in Patuligram as "Moter Ma" – the name by which she is known there. Many traditional Durga pujas or religious rites in Shakto families or out-of-turn personal offerings to the goddess have animal sacrifice as an integral part.
Does one not have the right to observe Shakto religious rites during the time of Paryushan of the Jains if one happens to live in of these slaughter-ban zones? When certain religious people deliver patronising sermons on vegetarianism, are our religious sensitivities not hurt? Why is that acceptable? Is it because in the virat Hindu conception of religious practice, our practices are second-class? When we are judged on the basis of other people’s attitudes towards meat and their religious sensitivity, are we to understand that our faith is something that perturbs the religious sensitivity of others?
Who are these first citizens of the Indian Union whose sensitivities take precedence over the practices of others? This Savarna-Jain halalisation of the public sphere is a creeping danger because they exert political influence far beyond their numbers. What does that tell us about the ideological currents at play in India? In this land of "unity in diversity", some diversities are silenced or are labeled superstitious. Some diversities retain elements that bite back when trampled upon. They go much beyond the Dilli Haat sort of showcase diversities.
Eggless cake
The regions that do not have meat bans must realise the long-range political aim of the Hindi-Hindu-Hindustani multi-headed hydra of homogeneity. It has many faces – some are about the beef ban, some are about cosmo-liberal “idea of India” and so forth. The government-run Air India serves eggless cake and onion-less paneer puffs to general passengers like me on a flight to Srinagar from Delhi. Kashmir is home to a largely meat-eating non-Muslim culture. What’s the message here? I Kolkata, I recently visited a private hospital, part of a chain owned by a vegetarian Krishna-worshipping business family. In that health-care facility, no eggs or meat or fish is allowed. Even if they are medically indicated, nutritionists working there never prescribe anything non-vegetarian. Does religious sensitivity also allow one to molest the lifestyle, health and food choices of one’s customers? What’s the nature of this emergent politics that empowers a business group to enforce its religious beliefs in health-care facilities and deny fish to a convalescing Bengali in Bengal?
The new nation-state is evolving and is attempting to beat the subcontinent into a new consensus. Our gods and goddesses aren’t unaffected and are being replaced by a set of “eternal values” – a mishmash of practices deemed to be acceptable to the lifestyle demands of an urban consumer society. These positions have wide currency among the rootless urban folk dreaming up a unified Hinduism with a national pantheon. A community is being created whose religious pantheon is dictated by that pathetic yearning for uniformity that only a non-confident nation-state continuously fans. This is where portable religion, meat bans and “Hindi nahi aati?” (Don’t you speak Hindi?) come together as symptoms of the same disease. I thank Ma Kali that this disease hasn’t yet afflicted Kolkata and I believe that my benevolent and powerful divine mother will keep it that way. We Shaktos are not worshippers of man-made gods or of dead gods. Our goddesses are alive and are on guard. As they’ve always been.
http://scroll.in/article/755412/in-my-r ... etarianism
-
ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Beef Banned By BJP Ruled State, But See Their Hypocrisy
Unable to sell cattle, farmers have a beef with Modi's BJP
BELHE, India (Reuters) - A ban on the sale of cattle for slaughter in India's richest state is threatening to push millions of farmers into penury, deepening distress in the countryside and fanning resentment against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party.
Slaughter of cows, considered sacred in Hinduism, has historically been banned in most states but was rarely enforced in India, the world's largest exporter of beef.
But over the past year, states ruled by Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), such as Maharashtra, have broadened the ban to include other types of cattle, like bulls and bullocks, and Hindu vigilantes have stepped up attacks on traders to enforce the prohibition.
The stricter rules come as Modi and the nationalist BJP lay greater stress on India's Hindu faith, to which the majority of the population belongs. Minority groups, including around 180 million Muslims, have expressed concern over the implications.
The impact of the beef ban has been significant. Prices of cattle have fallen across the country, India's meat exports fell 13 percent in the April-December period and rival beef supplier Brazil is gaining from India's loss.
It has also left millions of farmers, already reeling from bad harvests due to back-to-back droughts and unseasonal rains, struggling to sell animals they can no longer feed or water.
"I wonder what the government wants - our survival or the cattle's?" said farmer Revaji Choudhary, standing next to a pair of bulls he has been trying to sell for weeks in a cattle market in Maharashtra.
Traditionally, farmers have sold cattle in a drought year to butchers, mostly Muslims, and bought new ones when their earnings rise after monsoon showers.
That cycle has been broken and could leave farmers with little money to buy seeds or fertiliser ahead of the next sowing season, starting in June. Farmer suicides have nearly doubled in the drought-hit Marathwada region of Maharashtra.
TO BAN OR NOT TO BAN?
Their predicament is causing concern within the BJP, which has been trying to bolster its credentials in the countryside, where most of India's 1.3 billion people live.
Rural distress contributed to an embarrassing defeat for the party last year in a state election, and more state polls are due over the coming year.
MILLIONS OF COWS
Maharashtra, home to India's financial hub Mumbai, has been particularly badly hit by drought.
In one district the government imposed rules that prevent assembly of more than five people around a water tanker or borewell to prevent riots. Cows and buffalos need 70 litres of water per day.
Many farmers are simply abandoning their cattle.
The state has opened hundreds of temporary shelters to house around 250,000 heads of cattle until their owners are ready to take them back, but experts say at least another 4 million animals need to be looked after in Maharashtra.
Hindu groups such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) that had promised to build shelters said they, too, were short on cash and the government should do more.
Laxmi Narayan Chandak, head of the Maharashtra unit of VHP's cow protection committee, said his organisation has been able to start only one facility that holds 150 cattle.
"Nearly 700,000 cows and bulls ... will starve to death or will be smuggled to slaughter houses. We have to save them," said Chandak.
He added that only pure Indian breeds "that are worthy of worship" should be sheltered.
Cattle prices in the state have fallen 40 percent to 60 percent.
Choudhary, who earns around 200,000 rupees ($3,000) in a good monsoon year, said he has incurred losses as his crops wilted due to drought.
He paid 40,000 rupees for his pair of bulls a year ago, and is willing to sell them for 20,000 rupees now. He still cannot find a buyer.
"We are forced to depend on tankers for drinking water. How can we supply water to cattle?" Choudhary asked.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/unable-se ... 11246.html
BELHE, India (Reuters) - A ban on the sale of cattle for slaughter in India's richest state is threatening to push millions of farmers into penury, deepening distress in the countryside and fanning resentment against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party.
Slaughter of cows, considered sacred in Hinduism, has historically been banned in most states but was rarely enforced in India, the world's largest exporter of beef.
But over the past year, states ruled by Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), such as Maharashtra, have broadened the ban to include other types of cattle, like bulls and bullocks, and Hindu vigilantes have stepped up attacks on traders to enforce the prohibition.
The stricter rules come as Modi and the nationalist BJP lay greater stress on India's Hindu faith, to which the majority of the population belongs. Minority groups, including around 180 million Muslims, have expressed concern over the implications.
The impact of the beef ban has been significant. Prices of cattle have fallen across the country, India's meat exports fell 13 percent in the April-December period and rival beef supplier Brazil is gaining from India's loss.
It has also left millions of farmers, already reeling from bad harvests due to back-to-back droughts and unseasonal rains, struggling to sell animals they can no longer feed or water.
"I wonder what the government wants - our survival or the cattle's?" said farmer Revaji Choudhary, standing next to a pair of bulls he has been trying to sell for weeks in a cattle market in Maharashtra.
Traditionally, farmers have sold cattle in a drought year to butchers, mostly Muslims, and bought new ones when their earnings rise after monsoon showers.
That cycle has been broken and could leave farmers with little money to buy seeds or fertiliser ahead of the next sowing season, starting in June. Farmer suicides have nearly doubled in the drought-hit Marathwada region of Maharashtra.
TO BAN OR NOT TO BAN?
Their predicament is causing concern within the BJP, which has been trying to bolster its credentials in the countryside, where most of India's 1.3 billion people live.
Rural distress contributed to an embarrassing defeat for the party last year in a state election, and more state polls are due over the coming year.
MILLIONS OF COWS
Maharashtra, home to India's financial hub Mumbai, has been particularly badly hit by drought.
In one district the government imposed rules that prevent assembly of more than five people around a water tanker or borewell to prevent riots. Cows and buffalos need 70 litres of water per day.
Many farmers are simply abandoning their cattle.
The state has opened hundreds of temporary shelters to house around 250,000 heads of cattle until their owners are ready to take them back, but experts say at least another 4 million animals need to be looked after in Maharashtra.
Hindu groups such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) that had promised to build shelters said they, too, were short on cash and the government should do more.
Laxmi Narayan Chandak, head of the Maharashtra unit of VHP's cow protection committee, said his organisation has been able to start only one facility that holds 150 cattle.
"Nearly 700,000 cows and bulls ... will starve to death or will be smuggled to slaughter houses. We have to save them," said Chandak.
He added that only pure Indian breeds "that are worthy of worship" should be sheltered.
Cattle prices in the state have fallen 40 percent to 60 percent.
Choudhary, who earns around 200,000 rupees ($3,000) in a good monsoon year, said he has incurred losses as his crops wilted due to drought.
He paid 40,000 rupees for his pair of bulls a year ago, and is willing to sell them for 20,000 rupees now. He still cannot find a buyer.
"We are forced to depend on tankers for drinking water. How can we supply water to cattle?" Choudhary asked.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/unable-se ... 11246.html
-
ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Beef Banned By BJP Ruled State, But See Their Hypocrisy
Cow Urine Can Sell for More Than Milk in India
India has spent 5.8 billion rupees on cow sheds since 2014
“The most difficult task is to collect cow urine because how do you know when an animal will actually do it?”
Urine from India’s indigenous Bos indicus cows, which are considered sacred by Hindus, is a hot commodity. That’s thanks in large part to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who’s introduced programs over the past two years to protect the milk-producing animals and support industries derived from their waste. His government has spent 5.8 billion rupees ($87 million) on cow shelters, intensified enforcement of beef-eating bans and tightened measures to stop the illicit sale of cattle to neighboring Bangladesh.
One enthusiastic cow-urine buyer is yoga guru Baba Ramdev, whose budding consumer goods empire is challenging local units of Colgate-Palmolive Co., Unilever and Nestle SA. The saffron-robe clad yoga teacher and anti-corruption campaigner pays 150,000 rupees a day for a steady stream of the raw material that his company Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd. uses to make into soaps, disinfectants to elixirs.
Patanjali’s bestseller is urine-based floor-cleaner Gaunyle, according to managing director Acharya Balkrishna. “We prepare 20 tons of Gaunyle a day and still can’t meet demand,” he said in a phone interview. Urine distillate sells for about 80-to-100 rupees ($1.20-$1.50) a liter, says Balkrishna of Patanjali.
Traces of gold are found in the urine of cows from the local Gir breed, scientists at Junagadh Agricultural University, in Modi’s home state of Gujarat, concluded in June after analyzing 400 specimens.
Two Muslim men were forced to eat dung by a cow protection group as punishment for allegedly transporting beef in the northern state of Haryana in June -- one of the latest cases of beef vigilantism that turned deadly on at least three occasions last year.
Modi’s government in May held an inaugural national conference on cow shelters, or “gaushalas” in Hindi, where two members of his cabinet encouraged thousands of attendees to monetize less savory bovine byproducts. The state of Rajasthan has gone further, creating a ministry of cow affairs to advocate for an animal, which some critics say, has more rights than the country’s 2 million homeless citizens.
India-trained veterinarian Navneet Dhand, who is an associate professor in veterinary biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of Sydney, points to three diseases prevalent in India that could potentially be transmitted to people in the raw urine of infected cows: leptospirosis, which can cause meningitis and liver failure; arthritis-causing brucellosis; and Q-fever, which can cause pneumonia and chronic inflammation of the heart.
READ FULL ARTICLE :-
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... k-in-india
India has spent 5.8 billion rupees on cow sheds since 2014
“The most difficult task is to collect cow urine because how do you know when an animal will actually do it?”
Urine from India’s indigenous Bos indicus cows, which are considered sacred by Hindus, is a hot commodity. That’s thanks in large part to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who’s introduced programs over the past two years to protect the milk-producing animals and support industries derived from their waste. His government has spent 5.8 billion rupees ($87 million) on cow shelters, intensified enforcement of beef-eating bans and tightened measures to stop the illicit sale of cattle to neighboring Bangladesh.
One enthusiastic cow-urine buyer is yoga guru Baba Ramdev, whose budding consumer goods empire is challenging local units of Colgate-Palmolive Co., Unilever and Nestle SA. The saffron-robe clad yoga teacher and anti-corruption campaigner pays 150,000 rupees a day for a steady stream of the raw material that his company Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd. uses to make into soaps, disinfectants to elixirs.
Patanjali’s bestseller is urine-based floor-cleaner Gaunyle, according to managing director Acharya Balkrishna. “We prepare 20 tons of Gaunyle a day and still can’t meet demand,” he said in a phone interview. Urine distillate sells for about 80-to-100 rupees ($1.20-$1.50) a liter, says Balkrishna of Patanjali.
Traces of gold are found in the urine of cows from the local Gir breed, scientists at Junagadh Agricultural University, in Modi’s home state of Gujarat, concluded in June after analyzing 400 specimens.
Two Muslim men were forced to eat dung by a cow protection group as punishment for allegedly transporting beef in the northern state of Haryana in June -- one of the latest cases of beef vigilantism that turned deadly on at least three occasions last year.
Modi’s government in May held an inaugural national conference on cow shelters, or “gaushalas” in Hindi, where two members of his cabinet encouraged thousands of attendees to monetize less savory bovine byproducts. The state of Rajasthan has gone further, creating a ministry of cow affairs to advocate for an animal, which some critics say, has more rights than the country’s 2 million homeless citizens.
India-trained veterinarian Navneet Dhand, who is an associate professor in veterinary biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of Sydney, points to three diseases prevalent in India that could potentially be transmitted to people in the raw urine of infected cows: leptospirosis, which can cause meningitis and liver failure; arthritis-causing brucellosis; and Q-fever, which can cause pneumonia and chronic inflammation of the heart.
READ FULL ARTICLE :-
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... k-in-india
-
ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Beef Banned By BJP Ruled State, But See Their Hypocrisy
How Violent Gau-Rakshaks And Police Work In Tandem
As violence by self-styled cattle vigilantes or gau-rakshaks swells across India, roiling the parliament and grabbing headlines, NDTV attempted to get a ringside view of how they are allowed to operate with impunity.
Police officials made little attempt to control the mob. Instead they were taking cues from a young man leading the gau-rakshaks. He identified himself to NDTV as Subhash Tayade, a member of the local Hindutva group, Samastha Hindu Aghadi.
A Facebook community page describes Mr Modak as a gau-rakshak, who has worked for "the BJP and RSS for 40 years".
We glanced in the room next to the Inspector's cabin. Inside were gau-rakshaks, helping the police draft the FIR or First Information Report.
Despite multiple attempts, the police inspector refused to comment. At the time of our report going to air, the truck has been seized, the animals sent to a cattle shelter, the driver arrested. Those who led the mob, attacked the truck, and created a near-riot like situation remain at large.
READ FULL ARTICLE :-
http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/exclusiv ... eststories
As violence by self-styled cattle vigilantes or gau-rakshaks swells across India, roiling the parliament and grabbing headlines, NDTV attempted to get a ringside view of how they are allowed to operate with impunity.
Police officials made little attempt to control the mob. Instead they were taking cues from a young man leading the gau-rakshaks. He identified himself to NDTV as Subhash Tayade, a member of the local Hindutva group, Samastha Hindu Aghadi.
A Facebook community page describes Mr Modak as a gau-rakshak, who has worked for "the BJP and RSS for 40 years".
We glanced in the room next to the Inspector's cabin. Inside were gau-rakshaks, helping the police draft the FIR or First Information Report.
Despite multiple attempts, the police inspector refused to comment. At the time of our report going to air, the truck has been seized, the animals sent to a cattle shelter, the driver arrested. Those who led the mob, attacked the truck, and created a near-riot like situation remain at large.
READ FULL ARTICLE :-
http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/exclusiv ... eststories
-
ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Beef Banned By BJP Ruled State, But See Their Hypocrisy
Pious mobs
India's vastness gives the gleeful violence of vigilantism a larger field on which to run amuck. Protecting the cow being now the main excuse for vigilantism, this violence finds its targets from Punjab to Karnataka - in both states people have been beaten up and arrested on the suspicion of skinning or killing cows. Laws banning cow slaughter differ from state to state. Killing cows, eating beef and possessing, storing and transporting cow meat are all different actions. The laws in different states may include some or all of these. Degrees of punishment differ too, the maximum so far being a prison term of 10 years - in a country where the conviction rate for rapists is abysmal. Mobs, however, do not bother about laws; their pleasure lies in turning on members of minority groups - caste, community or gender - in a frenzy of what they portray as a bewildering mix of religious devotion, cow worship, mother love and patriotism. The upheaval caused by the incident in Una has not disconcerted the vigilantes. They recently beat up two women in Madhya Pradesh for allegedly carrying cow meat - how did they know? - and mobbed the house of a Muslim neighbour in a village in Uttar Pradesh on suspicion that he had killed a calf.
The question is, why should cow slaughter be banned by law? Even without going into the not-too-subtle reasons behind this, it has to be asked if the lawmakers know where the violent divisiveness of such laws may lead. In its eagerness to ensure that the law banning cow slaughter is implemented, the political leadership is turning the concept of law on its head. The mobs attacking individuals from minority groups are not punished; the police are either arresting the alleged holders of beef or 'inquiring into' the allegations. The family of Mohammad Akhlaque in Dadri still has no peace, as though Akhlaque's death by lynching were not enough. Do those at the helm of the State believe that such disruption of social order will benefit them? Dalit anger is spreading. Yet leaders such as the Bharatiya Janata Party member of the legislative assembly, Thakur Raja Singh Lodh, take pride in encouraging ' gau rakshak' committees to teach minorities "a lesson". The game of polarization is so intoxicating that many leaders have forgotten that the BJP is simultaneously trying to project the unity of the majority religion. To eat the cake, one must have it first.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160802/j ... 6Zl-_l97IV
India's vastness gives the gleeful violence of vigilantism a larger field on which to run amuck. Protecting the cow being now the main excuse for vigilantism, this violence finds its targets from Punjab to Karnataka - in both states people have been beaten up and arrested on the suspicion of skinning or killing cows. Laws banning cow slaughter differ from state to state. Killing cows, eating beef and possessing, storing and transporting cow meat are all different actions. The laws in different states may include some or all of these. Degrees of punishment differ too, the maximum so far being a prison term of 10 years - in a country where the conviction rate for rapists is abysmal. Mobs, however, do not bother about laws; their pleasure lies in turning on members of minority groups - caste, community or gender - in a frenzy of what they portray as a bewildering mix of religious devotion, cow worship, mother love and patriotism. The upheaval caused by the incident in Una has not disconcerted the vigilantes. They recently beat up two women in Madhya Pradesh for allegedly carrying cow meat - how did they know? - and mobbed the house of a Muslim neighbour in a village in Uttar Pradesh on suspicion that he had killed a calf.
The question is, why should cow slaughter be banned by law? Even without going into the not-too-subtle reasons behind this, it has to be asked if the lawmakers know where the violent divisiveness of such laws may lead. In its eagerness to ensure that the law banning cow slaughter is implemented, the political leadership is turning the concept of law on its head. The mobs attacking individuals from minority groups are not punished; the police are either arresting the alleged holders of beef or 'inquiring into' the allegations. The family of Mohammad Akhlaque in Dadri still has no peace, as though Akhlaque's death by lynching were not enough. Do those at the helm of the State believe that such disruption of social order will benefit them? Dalit anger is spreading. Yet leaders such as the Bharatiya Janata Party member of the legislative assembly, Thakur Raja Singh Lodh, take pride in encouraging ' gau rakshak' committees to teach minorities "a lesson". The game of polarization is so intoxicating that many leaders have forgotten that the BJP is simultaneously trying to project the unity of the majority religion. To eat the cake, one must have it first.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160802/j ... 6Zl-_l97IV
-
ghulam muhammed
- Posts: 11653
- Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:34 pm
Re: Beef Banned By BJP Ruled State, But See Their Hypocrisy
A Brahmin's Cow Tales
Beef—it's the oldest shibboleth in the Indian mind. It is with textual evidence from Hindu, Buddhist and Jain canons that historian D.N. Jha takes on the sacred cow.
For over a month, the mild, balding professor of history, Dwijendra Narayan Jha, has been shuffling to his classroom in Delhi University escorted by a police constable. Teaching ancient history does not usually endanger one's health, but ever since Jha went public with the best-kept secret in Indian history—the beef-eating habits of ancient Hindus, Buddhists and even early Jains in a book titled Holy Cow—Beef in Indian Dietary Conditions—his phone hasn't stopped ringing. "The calls are usually abusive," says Jha, "but sometimes they demand to know what evidence I have, and one day late in July it was an anonymous caller threatening dire consequences if I ever brought out my book."
The calls had two effects on the 61-year-old historian: he called the police and braced himself for battle. "There is a cultural war going on and academics have a role to play," Jha says calmly. But it's not the kind of war that he had anticipated. Even before his book could hit the stands, the VHP exhorted its cadre to confiscate and burn copies. The BJP followed suit: one of its MPs, R.S. Rawat, wrote to the Union home minister demanding not only a ban on the book but also the arrest and prosecution of its author and CB Publishers. But before the book could be burnt or banned, the Jain Seva Sangh stepped in. Outraged by Jha's reported assertion that their founder Mahavira ate meat, the Hyderabad-based organisation sought a court injunction against the book, leaving the nonplussed historian without the words to fight his war. Anticipating controversy and debate, Jha meticulously scoured ancient texts, culling material from original sources for over two years. "If they want to ban my book, then they will have to ban the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Sutras and the epics. Where will they stop? I have given evidence, if they have counter-evidence, why don't they come forward with it? But they are so illiterate, they haven't even heard of those texts, let alone read them. I have texts and they go by blind faith," he says. "That is what a historian can and should do: counter faith with facts," he adds.
Jha's interest in dietary history began a few years ago after reading French historian Fernand Braudel's history of early modern European diet. But he soon became intrigued by the beef-eating habits of Indians which existed in Rig Vedic times and continued till the 19th century and after, despite repeated Brahminical injunctions against cow-killing. That ancient Hindus, including Brahmins, were beef-eaters, willing to incur the minor penalty that an agrarian society began imposing on cow-killers, and that this fondness for cattle meat had nothing to do with Islam or Christianity came neither as a shock nor surprise to this unconventional Brahmin, whose first name Dwijendra means "the holiest of Brahmins". "No serious historian, not even 'Hindu' ones like R.C. Majumdar or K.M. Munshi, has ever disputed that ancient Hindus ate beef," says Jha. However, convinced that repeated Brahminical injunctions not to kill cows reflected a popular proclivity for beef, Jha went further and unearthed irrefutable evidence of cow slaughter and consumption by Hindus of all classes, including Brahmins, until as late as the 19th century. "I was expecting this," says Jha, who tasted beef for the first time nearly 30 years ago at Cambridge. "It was difficult to believe Brahmins were laying down norms without a reason. I think there is much more evidence than I got."
The cow as a sacred animal, Jha believes, did not really gain currency until Dayanand Saraswati's cow protection movement in the 19th century". The cow became a tool of mass political mobilisation with the organised cow-protection movement," the historian points out. "The killing of cows stopped gradually with the agrarian society and caste rigidity. The Brahmins found it convenient to say that those who ate beef were untouchable. But they themselves continued to consume it, recommending it for occasions such as shraadh. Simultaneously, they trivialised the beef taboo by saying that eating beef is like cleaning your teeth with your fingers. It was never a sin to eat it, merely an indecorum. There was never a taboo, only discouragement."
With this discovery, culled from ancient scriptures, medical texts, the Manusmriti and religious commentaries, Jha impishly "decided to take the bull by its horns" and publish a book on his findings. "There is a saying in Hindi: Laaton ke bhoot, baaton se nahin maante (Those used to force are not persuaded by words). So I had to give them the shock treatment," he explains.
Only, Jha's "shock treatment" did not stop with Hindus. Buddhists, he claims, citing canonical texts like Mahaparinibbana Sutta and Anguttara Nikaya, also ate beef and other meat. "In fact, the Buddha died after eating a meal of pork," he says. "Vegetarianism was not a viable option for Buddhist monks in a society that loved meat of all kinds—pig, rhinoceros, cow, buffalo, fish, snake, birds, including crows and peacocks. Only camel and dog meat was taboo in India."
Similarly with the early Jains. Citing the Bhagavatisutra, Jha points out that Mahavira once ate a chicken meal to gain strength for a yogic battle with an adversary. "His only condition was to ask the woman who cooked the meal to find a chicken already killed by a cat instead of slaughtering a fresh one," says Jha. "This has upset the Jains, but why are they not upset with the texts that carry these stories? I found these in bookstores run by devout Jain booksellers like Motilal Banarsidass and Sohanlal Jain Dharam Pracharak Samiti."
"Indian society has come to such a juncture," says Jha, "that historians have to play an active role in countering superstitions and unreason." He took up cudgels during the Ayodhya dispute and even objected to the TV serialisation of epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. "It politicised the myths and propagated a value system and religiosity not in keeping with a state-run broadcaster," he says. "Ramanand Sagar's version of the epics is not real history."
"Old and tired out" Jha may call himself, but there's something irrepressible about him. Bans and fatwas haven't stopped him from beginning work on his next book. "It will be called," says Jha with deadpan face, "Adulterous Gods and their Inebriated Women".
http://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/st ... les/213159
Beef—it's the oldest shibboleth in the Indian mind. It is with textual evidence from Hindu, Buddhist and Jain canons that historian D.N. Jha takes on the sacred cow.
For over a month, the mild, balding professor of history, Dwijendra Narayan Jha, has been shuffling to his classroom in Delhi University escorted by a police constable. Teaching ancient history does not usually endanger one's health, but ever since Jha went public with the best-kept secret in Indian history—the beef-eating habits of ancient Hindus, Buddhists and even early Jains in a book titled Holy Cow—Beef in Indian Dietary Conditions—his phone hasn't stopped ringing. "The calls are usually abusive," says Jha, "but sometimes they demand to know what evidence I have, and one day late in July it was an anonymous caller threatening dire consequences if I ever brought out my book."
The calls had two effects on the 61-year-old historian: he called the police and braced himself for battle. "There is a cultural war going on and academics have a role to play," Jha says calmly. But it's not the kind of war that he had anticipated. Even before his book could hit the stands, the VHP exhorted its cadre to confiscate and burn copies. The BJP followed suit: one of its MPs, R.S. Rawat, wrote to the Union home minister demanding not only a ban on the book but also the arrest and prosecution of its author and CB Publishers. But before the book could be burnt or banned, the Jain Seva Sangh stepped in. Outraged by Jha's reported assertion that their founder Mahavira ate meat, the Hyderabad-based organisation sought a court injunction against the book, leaving the nonplussed historian without the words to fight his war. Anticipating controversy and debate, Jha meticulously scoured ancient texts, culling material from original sources for over two years. "If they want to ban my book, then they will have to ban the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Sutras and the epics. Where will they stop? I have given evidence, if they have counter-evidence, why don't they come forward with it? But they are so illiterate, they haven't even heard of those texts, let alone read them. I have texts and they go by blind faith," he says. "That is what a historian can and should do: counter faith with facts," he adds.
Jha's interest in dietary history began a few years ago after reading French historian Fernand Braudel's history of early modern European diet. But he soon became intrigued by the beef-eating habits of Indians which existed in Rig Vedic times and continued till the 19th century and after, despite repeated Brahminical injunctions against cow-killing. That ancient Hindus, including Brahmins, were beef-eaters, willing to incur the minor penalty that an agrarian society began imposing on cow-killers, and that this fondness for cattle meat had nothing to do with Islam or Christianity came neither as a shock nor surprise to this unconventional Brahmin, whose first name Dwijendra means "the holiest of Brahmins". "No serious historian, not even 'Hindu' ones like R.C. Majumdar or K.M. Munshi, has ever disputed that ancient Hindus ate beef," says Jha. However, convinced that repeated Brahminical injunctions not to kill cows reflected a popular proclivity for beef, Jha went further and unearthed irrefutable evidence of cow slaughter and consumption by Hindus of all classes, including Brahmins, until as late as the 19th century. "I was expecting this," says Jha, who tasted beef for the first time nearly 30 years ago at Cambridge. "It was difficult to believe Brahmins were laying down norms without a reason. I think there is much more evidence than I got."
The cow as a sacred animal, Jha believes, did not really gain currency until Dayanand Saraswati's cow protection movement in the 19th century". The cow became a tool of mass political mobilisation with the organised cow-protection movement," the historian points out. "The killing of cows stopped gradually with the agrarian society and caste rigidity. The Brahmins found it convenient to say that those who ate beef were untouchable. But they themselves continued to consume it, recommending it for occasions such as shraadh. Simultaneously, they trivialised the beef taboo by saying that eating beef is like cleaning your teeth with your fingers. It was never a sin to eat it, merely an indecorum. There was never a taboo, only discouragement."
With this discovery, culled from ancient scriptures, medical texts, the Manusmriti and religious commentaries, Jha impishly "decided to take the bull by its horns" and publish a book on his findings. "There is a saying in Hindi: Laaton ke bhoot, baaton se nahin maante (Those used to force are not persuaded by words). So I had to give them the shock treatment," he explains.
Only, Jha's "shock treatment" did not stop with Hindus. Buddhists, he claims, citing canonical texts like Mahaparinibbana Sutta and Anguttara Nikaya, also ate beef and other meat. "In fact, the Buddha died after eating a meal of pork," he says. "Vegetarianism was not a viable option for Buddhist monks in a society that loved meat of all kinds—pig, rhinoceros, cow, buffalo, fish, snake, birds, including crows and peacocks. Only camel and dog meat was taboo in India."
Similarly with the early Jains. Citing the Bhagavatisutra, Jha points out that Mahavira once ate a chicken meal to gain strength for a yogic battle with an adversary. "His only condition was to ask the woman who cooked the meal to find a chicken already killed by a cat instead of slaughtering a fresh one," says Jha. "This has upset the Jains, but why are they not upset with the texts that carry these stories? I found these in bookstores run by devout Jain booksellers like Motilal Banarsidass and Sohanlal Jain Dharam Pracharak Samiti."
"Indian society has come to such a juncture," says Jha, "that historians have to play an active role in countering superstitions and unreason." He took up cudgels during the Ayodhya dispute and even objected to the TV serialisation of epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. "It politicised the myths and propagated a value system and religiosity not in keeping with a state-run broadcaster," he says. "Ramanand Sagar's version of the epics is not real history."
"Old and tired out" Jha may call himself, but there's something irrepressible about him. Bans and fatwas haven't stopped him from beginning work on his next book. "It will be called," says Jha with deadpan face, "Adulterous Gods and their Inebriated Women".
http://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/st ... les/213159