Once upon a time, in the coastal, Tulu-speaking area of Karnataka, farmers raised many cattle heads for intense paddy cultivation. Some were used for draughts; some for milching; and many others for preparing the compost used in the fields. Some of these animals become old and invalid, some were infertile, and some had completed their reproductive age. A member of a specific community used to visit the farmer – sometimes on invitation –, and he was respectfully called Saayiber. He would assess the value of the cattle to be sold, pay the money, and take the cattle with him. Both benefited; the farmer got some money and the Saayiber made a living trading cattle. What he did with the cattle he bought; nobody knew or bothered.
Ten to fifteen ago, certain fringe groups with aggressive postures emerged. These groups took over the responsibility of protecting cattle as their life’s mission. They attacked those who transported cattle, beat up cattle traders, filed police cases against them, and harassed them in various ways. Then, the heads of some religious orders joined in. They opened Gooshalas (cow shelters) and, with the full glare of camera flashlights, worshipped the cows on Diwali. The veneration of the cattle was published in the newspapers. For the rest of the year, these bovines were fed, washed, and given water. Their cowsheds were cleaned by someone lower in the caste pyramid. This is the genesis of the present problem related to eating meat. Perhaps, one of the reasons why BJP lost the last assembly election in Karnataka is the adverse publicity it got because of these fringe elements. Some state governments behave as if protecting cattle is more important than protecting its people and their way of life.
No community has the right to decide what other communities should eat. Food habits are a part of a culture; you cannot force people to change these habits, unless there are medical reasons. To eat or not to eat meat or any other food item is left to the individual.
