No meat allowed?

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Learn about the first city in the world to have banned meat consumption and production completely. Understand the reason behind this decision.

Who doesn’t like eating good food? Through the years and many generations, our ancestors have worked hard to create a variety of delicious cuisines and delicacies. And these are sprinkled all over the world. Every place you go to will have a different food culture. This is one of the things which makes traveling so fun.

Now imagine you are traveling in a new city. You feel very hungry and sit down in a restaurant. You grab the menu, open it, and as your eyes hover over all the food items listed, you notice one thing. There are no non-vegetarian options listed! Huh? How can that be? Only in imagination, right? Actually, no. This is not just stuff of dreams (or some people’s nightmare) now.

You read it right! There is now one city in the world which has completely banned the sale and consumption of meat. Even eggs! How did this come to be? Let’s find out!

Vegetarianism in India

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India is a big, diverse country with several communities co-existing together to create a beautiful blend of culture, religion, and food. Amongst these many communities, we also have some which believe strictly in vegetarianism. This is why India is one of the few countries in the world where vegetarianism is adopted by a significant population, and the market is also shaped accordingly. Unlike many other countries, you can find vegetarian food very easily in India which is a food haven for both vegans and vegetarians.

While more people eat meat there now, very old records made by wandering travelers also explain how people in India consume very less non-vegetarian food. One such excerpt is from the Record of Buddhistic kingdoms written by a Chinese traveler, Faxian. It recounts how ‘the people do not kill any living creature, nor drink intoxicating liquor, nor eat onions or garlic. The only exception is that of the Chandalas. That is the name for those who are (held to be) wicked men, and live apart from others. … In that country they do not keep pigs and fowls, and do not sell live cattle; in the markets there are no butchers’ shops and no dealers in intoxicating drink’.

Many vegetarians in the country adhere to a vegetarian diet. 81% of the population limits the consumption of meat in their diet while 39% confidently describe themselves as vegetarians. More recently, there was even talks about making ‘vegetarian-friendly’ markets. Many vegetarians from Mumbai asked for meatless avenues for shopping and eating. This form of aggressive vegetarianism has been rampant in the country for a while now and affects a lot of decisions regarding food and produce in the areas these people live in.

Why ban meat?

In 2014, in a very popular city in Gujarat, India, 200 Jain monks started protesting. Jainism is an important part of Indian diversity and heritage. This religion originated in India thousands of years ago and there’s a good number of people who adhere to its philosophies. A Jain is expected to follow eight basic rules of behaviour. One of these maintains that they can’t eat anything that has life. This includes meat, honey, wine, some types of fruits, and even roots.

So, it is obvious that the Jain population didn’t like the production and consumption of meat in Palitana, the popular city in Gujarat, which was also home to about 800 temples. This place held immense importance to the monks who had started protesting and demanded the government shut down 250 butcheries in the city.

To pay their respects to the Jain community and their rich history and heritage, the government decided to ban the sale of meat, eggs, and killing of animals. They placed penalties on all of these actions, and Palitana became the first city in the world to become purely vegetarian.

What do the people think?

Just like every other policy, philosophy, and decision ever made in the past, this ban also met its fair share of support and criticism. The Jain community and some Hindu sects readily supported this decision. They all agree that this decision aligns with their beliefs and culture, and is respectful to their heritage.

On the other hand, we have groups which consume and produce meat. The decision came at the cost of the jobs of local butchers, fishermen, and other animal rearing industries. A significant number of people had to give up their source of income. Then, there are also people who liked eating meat and felt like this was an obstacle to their right to eat freely. Both have concerns regarding their rights and job security which is also valid.

Hence, where one community is happy, the other has complaints.

Resources

Vegetarianism in India