Now Religion Will Decide What A Child Should Eat!

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 8 March 2024 "An entire sect of Hinduism doesn't consume onion, garlic and all root vegetables just because some silly books stated that these things triggered dirty and sinister thoughts and contained bacteria (this sect doesn't even kill bacteria!). The hardcore and foolishly devout followers (though not all) follow these hoary-old dietary diktats and deprive themselves of the unique taste and flavour of an array of vegetables..." Trevor Fishlock in his travelogues (he called Jainism, a sect of Hinduism and wasn't very wrong on this count) The controversy around including eggs in mid-day meals has resurfaced once again, with the Maharashtra government amending a government resolution (GR) that mandated students in the state be served eggs once a week. The move comes in wake of opposition from religious outfits like the Shree Mumbai Jain Sangh Sangathan (SMJSS), an organisation representing the city’s Jain community, and members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spiritual (!) cell, Midday reported. Now, eggs will not be served to anyone in a school if 40% of the students there do not consent to consuming them. This is outright unfair. Religious outfits have no right to dictate terms as regards the dietary preferences of a child. Let a child decide what he or she wants to eat. Religion, elders and even parents have no right to impose dietary preferences and prejudices on an impressionable child. Agreed, the sight of meat, whether raw or cooked, may be uncomfortable to a few, but the sight of an innocuous boiled egg is not offensive even to the vegetarians or vegans, unless they make a fetish of their idiosyncrasies. Children, who don't eat eggs, will eat something else. Why should religious outfits interfere? Food is a matter of personal choice and preference. I'm a pure vegetarian and I've never tried eggs as well despite growing up in Iran, Ireland and England. My medico father was a hardcore non vegetarian who (fortunately) never suggested that I should also eat non veg. Nor did my teachers in Iran ever force me to eat meat. Non-veg never appealed to me but that's my personal choice and perception. Why should others follow my dietary habits and predilections? Many of my Jain friends and acquaintances love to gorge on various egg preparations, mutton, beef, pork, chicken and what not. At the same time, I've Muslim friends who don't even eat cakes that contain eggs! They're strict vegetarians. Tomorrow, these (Jain) outfits will say that children shouldn't be served khichdi because it has onion and garlic! This is ridiculous as well as exasperating. Moreover, eggs offer significant nutritional value as they provide high-quality protein. While it’s possible to replace them with plant-based proteins, such alternatives may be costly and impractical. A single egg can easily fulfil a child’s daily protein requirements. Remember that famous advice given by a dietician in the late 70s, whose name I can't recall at the moment. She famously said, " If you don't give an egg to a child, he or she cannot become an egghead." Religion has completely paralysed this country. ------ A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/religion-child-eat-meat-jain/d/131873 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism