Beef no taboo for Kerala Hindus

Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

Bengaluru, November 2

God’s own country has many a surprise in store for newcomers from other parts of the country. One such surprise is the total absence of any taboo among the Hindus there as regards eating of beef. Even in the Assembly hostel, where maintenance of appearance is considered a must, beef is available on the menu.

A section of the Hindus—especially womenfolk—stick to a strictly vegetarian diet in Kerala. Those who are not vegetarian, however, have no problem eating beef which they treat just like any other meat.

In residential areas of Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala, beef is sold on Sundays just like mutton is sold from makeshift counters set up for holiday customers. Usually, the severed head of the bovine is put on display at these shops to attract buyer. There are proper shops where beef is sold throughout the year.

Hindus, it must be noted, do not practice their religion in Kerala with any less vigour than their counterparts in other parts of India. The state is dotted with temples, including famous ones such the Padmanabha temple at Thiruvananthapuram, Vishnu temple at Guruvayur, Ayyappan’stemple at Sabarimala and so on.

Male devotees have to wear “mundus” (resembling a dhoti) and women saris for paying obeisance at Kerala temples. People wearing stitched cloths are not allowed in temples. But beef is not an issue for even the devout among the Malayali Hindus more than eighty per cent of whom are non-vegetarians.

A recent survey by Meat Products of India Limited (MPIL), a state government agency, showed that 1,500 tonnes of beef was consumed in Kerala every day. Hindus partake in this fare along with Christians and Muslims. With no ban in place on slaughtering of cattle, Kerala beef merchants source their raw material from states as far as Bihar and Orissa. The way the animals are transported—often without food and water—has often drawn attention of animal rights’ activists.

“Farmers are unable keep male calves and raising them with costly fodder is unviable. Such calves, bullocks and cows past their utility find value only as a source of meat,” said MP John, MPIL managing director.