Secular India and meat bans…

My article might be considered out of date for people who think that this intolerance topic and meet bans started two or three months back. But, if you see in a long run, I am too early to write about this because the New Year is nearing and the government would have to start the ban all from the first for the same festival will be celebrated next year too. And no way can the media remain silent about this. How could that happen? They would nag some unknown faces representing the right, left and center, gather some filthy comments from all of them and run those comments again and again until the viewer believes that it was the view of the entire party.

Small and sensible

India is a secular country, said my Civics book when I was in 10th grade. I was also explained what secular really means. As far as I understood, we live together with our Muslim, Christian and Buddhist, Jain, Parish and many other counterparts. It was said that Indian constitution treats all the religions equally and the beliefs of one should not be a great concern for the other. I also remember studying about one of the fundamental rights, 'Right to freedom of religion’.

Before my Civics book, it was my school which always insisted that we should say the prayer of other religions on any one of the days and we did, because there were no big concerns about what God we prayed to. It was about the unfinished home works from which we always wanted to escape. I never felt a difference between a Diwali and Ramzan or Pongal and Christmas as every festival gave me holidays and there were new films on the Television which hooked me to it. 

There were friends, whose believes were different from mine, on God and food. They still chatted with me and laughed with me and my Tiffin box was stolen sometimes for it was packed with some really delicious vegan foods. I have seen my childhood friend, who was supposed to be a vegan like me, ate non-vegan foods from other friends who brought it. The food was not shared based on religion. It was really based on which Tiffin box carried the delicious food. There was no big drama about what should be eaten by whom, as long as everybody had something good to eat.

Right to food

As and when seen in my personal opinion, what others tongue loves to taste is in no way a concern for a person next to him. I have learned that the freedom of one person ends at the tip of the other person's nose. A tongue lies at a far distance according to this point. 

To those who ruled

We think that this meat ban started this September, when the Maharashtra government tried to ban beef for 8 days during the Jain festival. People forget history. This ban was put during the same festival by the once ruling, now opposition party led government too, which talks about the intolerance among people.

To those who are ruling

Politics and vote banks play their dirty games everywhere, forgetting the fact that the head of a party (ruling or opposition) or a state or a nation should respect the fundamental rights of every citizen, ‘Right to life’ upon every other rights, especially in this case. The present ruling party has to learn this lesson before anything else. They were not voted majority for nothing.

To the artists and rationalists
Returning awards is a way of showing your concern in any matter. But who are getting affected? This pressure placed on the government would not be enough. There are people, who really need to understand that all have equal rights to practise their religion or taste of food. An article in one of the famous newspaper about the people community in Mumbai stuck me hard, when it portrayed how some people really exhibited their bitterness and prohibited establishment of meat shops or hotels and restaurants of non-vegan foods in their locality. How would returning awards change those people?

Real concern

And don’t forget the media. They have a great part in blowing up things to improper proportions.  No end to this. The constitution will remain the same and promises will be made in the next election by parties to create a secular India, a less intolerant one and probably with no meat bans. Oh! Yeah. We were, by the way, never secular in past. Were we?

There are bigger problems to concentrate. I hope the party; whichever is in power (in the state or central) or comes to power, understands that and acts according to it.