Friends,
I hardly write anything, and when I do write them, they are hardly read. But yet I take the pen today to share my mann ki baat as I believe the Parivar is being unfairly targeted over beef politics.
I will tell you a story first.
Once upon a time, many, many years ago, a child was asked to write an essay on floods. But the boy had prepared to write on cow. He very smartly wrote: ‘The floods ravaged our village, bringing down homes and trees. It also took our cows away from us. The cow is a very useful animal. It gives us milk. It gives us dung, which can be used as manure. It also gives us urine which can cure cancer.”
What did you learn from that essay?
Repeat after me.
The cow gives us milk, dung which is good manure, and urine which cures cancer.
Please note this point, the baalak didn’t say cow gives us meat.
I will be blunt with you. Yes, there is beef policing. It is far too evident to be denied. But there is a reason for that. Often things are not as simple as 2 + 2 = 4. Ask a financier, he will add interest and make it 5. Ask a tax consultant, he will add depreciation and make it 3. Beef policing to communalise the polity, as argued by our critics, is far too simple an analysis. No, we don’t do it for votes. No, we don’t want to impose a uniform diet on the population, this when we haven’t been able to impose a uniform civil code.
I will give you some numbers to chew on. Nearly 40% of India ’s population is vegetarian. That in our electoral system would make up a majority, we won power with 38.5% vote share.
Convinced? If not, here are a few more numbers.
Four per cent rural households get their proteins from beef and buffalo meat, just 2% less than mutton. Among urban households, the number goes up to 5% as against 10% for mutton.
Our consumption of meat has increased, and even if it hasn’t, even the present percentage given our huge population adds up to a sizeable amount.
You all , as global citizens, must be aware of global warming. Livestock production contributes to 18% of greenhouse gas emissions as per some studies, second only to energy production. Every bit of meat we eat sends carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and a few other unnameable gases into the atmosphere. So much so, a science journal says, production of a hamburger emits as much gas as a car that travels 10 miles. In fact a study says the global livestock industry emits more gases than all the world's cars, buses, trains, buses and ships combined.
I will explain it further. If global gas emissions are cut in a significant way, say for example by cutting meat consumption by half, it would fetch you air miles enough for a world tour. Better still, you could get a car each. We want our bhais and behens to own a car, think of this, a car per family. Is that a crime?
I know it is a lot of gas, but that is the truth.
Seriously, this is no jhumla.
Sabka saath, sabka vikas
Jasoos Narayanan Kutty
If you are still not convinced, I can tell you a story about a dog people threw stones at
I hardly write anything, and when I do write them, they are hardly read. But yet I take the pen today to share my mann ki baat as I believe the Parivar is being unfairly targeted over beef politics.
I will tell you a story first.
Once upon a time, many, many years ago, a child was asked to write an essay on floods. But the boy had prepared to write on cow. He very smartly wrote: ‘The floods ravaged our village, bringing down homes and trees. It also took our cows away from us. The cow is a very useful animal. It gives us milk. It gives us dung, which can be used as manure. It also gives us urine which can cure cancer.”
What did you learn from that essay?
Repeat after me.
The cow gives us milk, dung which is good manure, and urine which cures cancer.
Please note this point, the baalak didn’t say cow gives us meat.
I will be blunt with you. Yes, there is beef policing. It is far too evident to be denied. But there is a reason for that. Often things are not as simple as 2 + 2 = 4. Ask a financier, he will add interest and make it 5. Ask a tax consultant, he will add depreciation and make it 3. Beef policing to communalise the polity, as argued by our critics, is far too simple an analysis. No, we don’t do it for votes. No, we don’t want to impose a uniform diet on the population, this when we haven’t been able to impose a uniform civil code.
I will give you some numbers to chew on. Nearly 40% of India ’s population is vegetarian. That in our electoral system would make up a majority, we won power with 38.5% vote share.
Convinced? If not, here are a few more numbers.
Four per cent rural households get their proteins from beef and buffalo meat, just 2% less than mutton. Among urban households, the number goes up to 5% as against 10% for mutton.
Our consumption of meat has increased, and even if it hasn’t, even the present percentage given our huge population adds up to a sizeable amount.
You all , as global citizens, must be aware of global warming. Livestock production contributes to 18% of greenhouse gas emissions as per some studies, second only to energy production. Every bit of meat we eat sends carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and a few other unnameable gases into the atmosphere. So much so, a science journal says, production of a hamburger emits as much gas as a car that travels 10 miles. In fact a study says the global livestock industry emits more gases than all the world's cars, buses, trains, buses and ships combined.
I will explain it further. If global gas emissions are cut in a significant way, say for example by cutting meat consumption by half, it would fetch you air miles enough for a world tour. Better still, you could get a car each. We want our bhais and behens to own a car, think of this, a car per family. Is that a crime?
I know it is a lot of gas, but that is the truth.
Seriously, this is no jhumla.
Sabka saath, sabka vikas
Jasoos Narayanan Kutty
If you are still not convinced, I can tell you a story about a dog people threw stones at
