One of the reason because I decided to come to India was that this is the home-land of vegetarianism.
There are millions of vegetarians in India, and the Indian cooking is mostly vegetarian, so I decided to use this month as my "trial period" of vegetarianism, to see how my body and my thoughts reacted to this changement.
Consequently, I have been thinking about this topic a lot in these days.
Like everyone else, I was fascinated by the "myth" of the Holy Cow, that in India is supposed to be revered by Hindus as a sacred animal...
Also, I expected people here to have a different attitude towards animals, due to the massive presence of vegetarians here.
After three weeks in this country, though, I realised that it's not so linear as it seems.
India is the land of contradictions, and the attitude towards animals isn't an exception.
Yesterday, for example, we were driving on a road in West Tamil Nadu, and we saw a crowd of people preciously dressed.
We stopped and as we looked a little more, we saw many stalls with porks hanging dismembered and covered in blood.
This view became even more disgusting when we saw a big quiet pig being dragged by four cruel looking guys, surrounded by dozens of excited others, and by some women that poured flowers on the floor, and other men playing drums.
They explained us that this was a tribal celebration, contemplating animal sacrifice.
A few years ago the Hindus wanted to forbidden this practices, but the tribal people took it as a threat to their credences, and refused.
This view was very shocking for me, particulary looking at the cruel stare of the executioners.
There are millions of vegetarians in India, and the Indian cooking is mostly vegetarian, so I decided to use this month as my "trial period" of vegetarianism, to see how my body and my thoughts reacted to this changement.
Consequently, I have been thinking about this topic a lot in these days.
Like everyone else, I was fascinated by the "myth" of the Holy Cow, that in India is supposed to be revered by Hindus as a sacred animal...
Also, I expected people here to have a different attitude towards animals, due to the massive presence of vegetarians here.
After three weeks in this country, though, I realised that it's not so linear as it seems.
India is the land of contradictions, and the attitude towards animals isn't an exception.
Yesterday, for example, we were driving on a road in West Tamil Nadu, and we saw a crowd of people preciously dressed.
We stopped and as we looked a little more, we saw many stalls with porks hanging dismembered and covered in blood.
This view became even more disgusting when we saw a big quiet pig being dragged by four cruel looking guys, surrounded by dozens of excited others, and by some women that poured flowers on the floor, and other men playing drums.
They explained us that this was a tribal celebration, contemplating animal sacrifice.
A few years ago the Hindus wanted to forbidden this practices, but the tribal people took it as a threat to their credences, and refused.
This view was very shocking for me, particulary looking at the cruel stare of the executioners.
As a contrast with this episode, I recalled the memory of the workshop on veganism that my brand new friend Jamey took in Sadhana Forest, starting by the idea of AHIMSA: the pursuit of a life non violence, central in every Yoga practice.
In a vegan life-style AHIMSA can be spelled as follow (quotation from Jamey):
Abstinence from animal product
Harmless with reverence for life
Integrity of Thought, world and actions
Mastery over oneself
Service to humanity, nature and compassion
Advancement of understanding and truth.
This is the life that I really would like to practice, doing the very best that I can (I will be vegetarian, but not vegan, I'm afraid).
But in India there is more then animal sacrifice, talking about animal treatment.
For instance, there's the issue of the treatement of animal products to be sell in the Western market.
First of all, one must remember that India is a poor country. 800 million of people here are poor. The rich people are 10 milions (1% of the total population), and they alone are able to make India one of the laregest consumer luxury market in the world.
But still, in many aspects, Indian economy depends on Western demand.
And one of the most request Indian product abroad is leather. Leather shoes, bags, and boots.
India is the world largest exporter of leather.
But, as the cow is "Holy", killing of cows is banned in all States except two.
Still, Western demand of leather leads to illegal leather trade in India.
It is forbidden to bring cows across State borders, but the traders bribe officials to look on the other side while they pass with veicles packed with suffocating cows.
Other thousands of cows are made to walk forcefully, without food or water, to cross the state border and be killed into the Slaughterhouses.
Once there, they are dismembered whilst still conscious, and in full view of one another.
One could ask: what am I suppose to do to prevent this to happen? I live very far away from there.
This is a fake answer: I am part of the world, I am not an individual, I am connected to every person in the world.
The way I spend my money is very important.
We, Westerns, have the most powerful mean to stop this inhuman treatment: boycotting Indian leather and leather in itself, and stop wearing the skin of dismembered animals.
I've often wondered if the leather used for clothing, are derived from the same animals which we eat meat. It would be very smart to do, because, in my opinion, being vegetarian is not the best way to stop the barbarism against animals. Being omnivores in our nature, we should just learn to do it in a humane way and less cruel as possible.
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