Full disclosure: I am a Hindu, I
eat beef but not frequently, as I haven’t developed much of a taste for it. However, I
don’t have any problem with anyone else (Hindu or not) eating it in front of
me, behind my back or indeed, anywhere in the world. I’m not as well-versed
with Hindu scriptures as say, a Baba Ramdev-style “godman” but I have read
several translations of the Bhagavad Gita, which many believe is the definitive
text on Hindu philosophy. And that’s where I got the fundamental belief of
Hinduism that appeals most to me – tolerance.
The Gita says that there are many
paths to God/Truth/Infinite Wisdom (call it whatever you will) and none is
better than the other. Everyone is free to choose for themselves but not for
others. This is also the founding belief of modern India as a nation – a “secular”
republic that gives its citizens the right to practice their beliefs without
imposing them on others who choose differently. Right or wrong, it’s in our Constitution.
Whoever tries to impose a different view of this is going against the law. Be
they President or Prime Minister or political goon or even ordinary man/woman
on the street.
So what’s with the beef ban? Is there
a section of society really concerned about cow slaughter? If we believe this,
we must believe that a mother would never harm her own child and live in a
Rajshri movie. Game of Thrones is more like it. Indrani Mukherjee’s shocking
story was dominating the headlines lately till the media gagged. Now we don’t
hear anything further about this case, by accident or design or something more
nefarious. Will we know the full truth or is what’s out there, so complex,
accidental and subjective that it’s incomprehensible?
A sociology student I know once
told me a story. In the ancient India plagued by droughts and starvation, a
king decreed that cows must not be slaughtered and eaten. He believed this
would save weak & vulnerable children’s lives as they would have milk to
drink. To ensure people followed his decree, he likened cow’s milk to mother’s
milk and put the bovine on the pedestal of mother. I don’t know if this story
is true but it’s as plausible as any other creation myth I’ve heard.
Living in the Kalyuga, we need to
accept that we have no kings or leaders looking out for us and must learn to develop
our own judgement. It’s all politics and self-interest today. If killing a cow
is like killing a mother than what is killing another human being like? Like killing
someone like yourself over a simple difference of opinion. Like killing a
writer or a cartoonist because they offended your sensitive principles or held
you up to ridicule so no one would take you seriously any more.
Let’s remove the blinders that
allow us to live in a parallel dimension, untouched by the chaos around us. Examine
motives. Yours, mine, his, hers, the people we support, the people we oppose –
everyone’s. Chances of overlap are slim – unless we choose to believe in either
tolerance or quid pro quo. Quid pro quo is a never-ending spiral of corruption
& violence, always having to ensure we hold enough cards to make the others
do what we want them to. Tolerance means giving up interference and trusting
others to respond and reciprocate. It’s no more risky than the other option and
it gives us a comfortable place to rest our conscience.
Killing a cow and eating it doesn’t
necessarily make a bad person. Killing a person should. I’m not vouching for
cannibalism but killing for food is the only type of killing that makes some
sort of sense to me. Any other killing is cruel, immoral &
criminal. Certainly not something any religion should support.
And as for politically-motivated violence
– let’s start seeing it for what it is and give the offenders a real reason to
stop. If it didn’t work for them, they wouldn’t do it.
