5/7/2017 DidyouknowourHinduancestorsatebeef?

Did you know our Hindu ancestors ate beef?

Is the diet of our people going to be decided by quasi-religious and majoritarian
reasons?

POLITICS | 3-minute read| 05-05-2017 Print|Close

KAMALMITRACHENOY @kamaichenoy

ThehistoryofbeefeatingisancientinIndia.Mostpeoplearenotawareofthe
discussionsanddebatesonthisissueinHindutexts.Forexample,beefeating
isapprovedintheRigVedaaswellasinoldertextsexaminedbytheancient
IndianhistorianProfessorDNJha.

TheHindutvabacklashagainsthimwassostrongsome50yearsagothathe
hadtohaveasecurityguard.Yet,thedebatesareinterestingastheyreflectthe
politicsofthetimes.

RelyingontheearlierHindu/Brahminicaltexts,theShankaracharyaadmitted
thattheskeletonsofjawsoflargedomesticanimalshadtobeexplained,tobe
abletodecideonwhethertheseweretheskeletonsofcowsoranyotherlarge
animal.

TheShankaracharyadeftlyarguedthattheskeletalremains,especiallythejaws,
werethoseofcamels.OtherHindus,includingmanyBrahmins,insistedthat
thejawswereclearlyofaspecificshapewhichmadeitclearthattheanimals
eatenwerecattle.

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Thisdebateoncowslaughter/beefeatingcontinuedforcenturiesintothe
Constitutiondebatesfrom194649intheConstituentAssembly.Someofthe
religiousmemberspreparedadraftoncowslaughter,asfamoushistorianof
theConstituentAssemblyBShivaRaohasobservedinhisthreevolumehistory
onthemakingoftheIndianConstitution.

RaowasprivilegedbecausehisbrotherBNRauwastheconstitutionaladviser
totheAssembly.Thedraftbasedonreligiousprincipleswasnotacceptableto
NehruorAmbedkar.

ThereviseddraftofwhatbecameArticle48oftheConstitutionhasnoreligious
connotations.ThetitleofArticle48refersto"animalhusbandry".Itclearly
statesthereasonofthebanontheslaughterofcows/calves"andallmilchand
draughtcattle"isinorder"topreserveandimprovethebreeds".

Thereferencetomilchanddraughtcattleincludesallbovines:cows,buffaloes,
mithuns,yaks,etc.Butwhatarethe"gaurakshaks"andtheSanghParivar
doingto"preserveandimprovethebreeds"?

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Arethereanywherenearenoughcowbreedingcentresinourcountry?Photo:IndiaToday

Arethereanywherenearenoughcowbreedingcentresinourcountry?Inany
case,sinceArticle48isaDirectivePrincipleit,unlikeaFundamentalRight,is
notbinding.ThosewhomisreadthisArticlehavelittletosayaboutArticle44
on"auniformcivilcodeforallwomen".ApparentlyforHinduzealots,cowsare
moreimportantthanwomen.

Article39(c)laysdown"thattheconcentrationofwealthintheeconomyshould
notbetothecommondetriment".Butthisisjustwhathashappened,especially
fromthe1960sonwards.NopoliticianexceptfromthediminishedLeftspeaks
aboutthisasaDirectivePrinciple.

Concentrationofwealthleadingtoincreasedpovertyisnotanissueatall.Prof.
AmartyaSenin2013calculatedpovertytobe68.7percentinIndia.

TheNITIAayog,apaleimitationoftheerstwhilePlanningCommission,hasyet
toarriveatanacceptablemethodologyevenontherealextentofrural
electrification,insteadofacceptingafewhoursadayasgenuineexamplesof
electrification.TheGovernmentofIndia'sestimatesofpovertyarenottaken
seriouslybymostinternationalscholars.

Themoreseriousissueismajoritarianism.Canlessthan80percentofthe
IndianpopulationwhichisHindu,fragmentedintohundredsofcastes,sub
castes,tribes,gender,classes,regions,languages,claim"unityindiversity?"

Muslims,Christians,Jews,etc,arenotbannedfromeatingbeef.Butisthediet
ofourpeoplegoingtobedecidedbyquasireligiousandmajoritarianreasons?

Tragically,thoughnotunusually,theCongressafterthe1950splayedthebeef
card.CongressleaderslikeDigvijayaSinghtakeprideinboastingofhaving
imposedthemaximumcowslaughterbansinalargenumberofstates.

ThisshowstheopportunismoftheCongressamajorreasonforitssteady
decline.ButwillotherpartiesalsolineuptomakelawsforthediverseIndian
communities'foodhabits?

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5/7/2017 DidyouknowourHinduancestorsatebeef?

Alsoread:HowHinduskilledaMuslimoverbeefandmurdered
India'ssecularism

#SanghParivar,#Beefpolitics,#Hinduism,

Theviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisarticlearethoseoftheauthorsanddonotnecessarilyreflecttheofficialpolicyor
positionofDailyO.inortheIndiaTodayGroup.Thewritersaresolelyresponsibleforanyclaimsarisingoutofthe
contentsofthisarticle.

Writer
KAMAL MITRA CHENOY @kamaichenoy
The writer is an academic and activist.

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rakshak/story/1/17040.html

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