Both Bhakti and Sufi movements have had an impact in Gujarat. However, after the Swaminarayan movement, the number of vegetarian people increased in the state and Mahatma Gandhi has also spoken about not eating non-vegetarian food, especially eggs. He also tried to make the fishermen vegetarian but they did not succeed. Just as we cannot force non-vegetarian animals to eat straw and grass, it is very difficult to make non-vegetarians vegetarian. However, now due to the cost of non-vegetarian food, people are being forced to become vegetarian themselves. veg gujarat non vegetarians
I felt very strange when the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel talked about the emphasis on vegetarianism and vegetarian state in his state. Although I have given up meat long ago. Still, I believe that what one eats and how one prays to God is a very personal matter and no one should interfere in it. When I was very young and my father came to Kanpur from Jhansi after his transfer, the number of government bungalows there used to be very less. I was young but understood the conversation. I remember once my father said in the house that most of the houses here belong to Brahmins who are not giving us houses because they think we eat meat and eggs. After taking a few vows, we got a house on rent, but everyone was told that eggs and meat would not be made in the house. It was a different matter that the elder son of our landlord Shuklaji often came to our house and requested to make eggs and omelets. We used to feed him these things secretly.
Then when I got my daughter Vidhi enrolled in KG school, she belonged to Jains. One day, when I gave parathas and small potato vegetables in the school lunch box, I wrote in his diary that I should meet his class teacher immediately. When I went to meet him the next day, he said that this is a Jain school and we have a complete ban on non-vegetarian food. You should not give eggs etc. to the child.
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I told them that they are not boiled eggs but potatoes. With great difficulty he came to understand this point. I stopped drinking and non-vegetarian on Tuesday and Thursday. Now many years have passed since giving up both the things. I used to keep fast during Navratri and do not even eat food. I was very surprised when I saw Bengalis eating meat and fish during worship. Then found in the office that Jha Brahmins of Bihar eat fish. When a colleague’s father was cremated, he told that we had a whole goat for the Brahmins’ feast. Then it was understood that the food and drink is decided on the basis of the availability of food and drink at the local level.
Due to vegetarianism, the food business in Gujarat was not special earlier due to Kovid. It was closed, but after the situation became normal, there has been concern about the prevention of non-vegetarian food in all the restaurants. The leaders of the municipal corporations of cities like Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Ahmedabad, Vadodara have come out to declare their cities as vegetarian and to close the shops selling eggs and kebabs there. In Ahmedabad, Gujarat, a ban has been imposed on keeping eggs and non-veg street vendors at religious places and public roads. In Ahmedabad, there is a ban on keeping eggs and non-veg street vendors in religious places and on public roads. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation decided to implement this decision from November 16. Due to this controversy, the situation worsened so much that BJP state president CR Patil had to tell his people that there is no ban on non-vegetarian food in the state and people have every right to eat whatever they want. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is clarifying that there is no question of vegetarian and non-vegetarian but, the food being sold at the stalls should not be harmful. Also the stalls should not obstruct the traffic flow.
The conflict between non-vegetarianism and vegetarianism is old. It is pertinent to recall that after the communal riots of 2002, in 2005, Bhavin Seth, BJP MLA from Ellisbridge Assembly constituency of Ahmedabad, started talking of banning those selling non-vegetarian food at the behest of the then Minister of State for Home, Shri Amit Shah. Was. Most of the carts used to be outside IIM, Ahmedabad. The students studying there used to come there at night and have food. Remember, there is a lot of influence of Jains in this city, who do not consume meat and liquor and they have also had a special place in power. There, Jain Pizza and Bada Pav prepared without the use of onion and garlic were available. Swaminarayan food prepared without the use of these things also started being sold. Although people have been secretly using meat and fish in their personal food. But roadside dhabas insist on selling pure vegetarian food.
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Many sociologists of the state believe that it is wrong to think that Gujarat has been a vegetarian state from the beginning. But yes, a large number of people there are vegetarian. In a survey conducted in 2014, it was found that 40 percent of the people here are non-vegetarian. This number is much higher than Punjab and Rajasthan. Muslims and Christians, Parsis, tribal and scheduled caste people also eat meat. Gujarat is surrounded by a sea border of 1250 km long. Only then there are such tribals and fishermen in increased numbers whose main food is fish. The cuisine of South Gujarat is also different from the dry North Gujarat.
Before independence, Muslims and British came, due to which non-vegetarianism was encouraged in the state. His language was also influenced by the words of Parsi and Urdu. During the rule of the British, the Brahmins and Banias doing business were highly educated. They were considered different from the common people who used to eat non-vegetarian food. There, different classes such as Chauparidars, Kshatriyas, Banias and Brahmins were formed, in which there were also Brave Brahmins and Banias who worked as advisors in the royal family, who all ate and drank. Just like the Kayasthas learned by living with the Mughals.
A survey in 2016 found that the number of non-vegetarian people in the state has outpaced the vegetarians. Keep in mind that when Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister, he never emphasized on the issue of non-vegetarian and vegetarian. But now BJP is trying to cool the matter. BJP leaders believe that our vote bank should not be affected due to this frenzy of some people.
In Rajkot, the hometown of former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, the Mayor and some other party leaders have stunned the party by announcing that Rajkot will be made vegetarian. According to them, the smell coming from non-vegetarian food spoils the mind of children and vegetarians. All this has had a bad effect on the business of people selling eggs and poultry etc. on the side of the roads. However, BJP state president CR Patil has said in the press conference that anyone in the state is free to sell non-vegetarian food and we have not made any law to stop the sale of non-vegetarian food. All the mayors have been told that they should not take any action against those selling non-vegetarian food.
Both Bhakti and Sufi movements have had an impact in Gujarat. However, after the Swaminarayan movement, the number of vegetarian people increased in the state and Mahatma Gandhi has also spoken about not eating non-vegetarian food, especially eggs. He also tried to make the fishermen vegetarian but they did not succeed. Just as we cannot force non-vegetarian animals to eat straw and grass, it is very difficult to make non-vegetarians vegetarian. However, now due to the cost of non-vegetarian food, people are being forced to become vegetarian themselves.
