Vegetarianism Scientific And Spiritual Basis

Author(s): Jashwant B Mehta
Publisher: Jashwant B Mehta
Catalog link: https://jainqq.org/explore/034441/1

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Vegetarianism THE SCIENTIFIC AND SPIRITUAL BASIS Jashwant B. Mehta

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Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION "The bountiful earth offers you an abundance of pure food and provides for meals obtainable without slaughter and bloodshed." Pythagoras "The soul is the same thing is all living creatures, although the body of each is different - Hippocrates? While the vegetarianism in India is as old as the ancient religions of India viz. Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism, it will be of interest to learn that even in ancient Greece, it was preached and practiced by such great Pythagoras (585 B.C. - 495 B.C.). While most of us have known him because of his famous 'Pythagoras Theorem in geometry, very few of us are aware of the manifold achievements of this one of the most remarkable persons in the history of mankind Besides being a great mathematician, he was also a great philosopher and had a lot of political influence and large following. He preached the sanctity of all life and was among the earliest vegetarians in western hemisphere. He is also considered as the forerunner of dieticians and was the first to advocate the exact measurements of food and drink. It is quite a coincidence that this great scientist was a near contemporary of great spiritual master Lord Mahavir who also preached sanctity of all life (see page 36). 1 Hippocrates, the famous Greek physician, considered as the father of medicine. (460 B.C.-377 B.C.) His fame through the ages rests almost as mkuch on his moral stature as on his scientific genius. While there has been tremendous progress in the field of dietics since World War I, it hadits roots since the very dawn of medical science and Hippocrates made much of treating disease through diet and many of his speculations proved to be sound (Even today, upon graduation all medicos take oath of Hippocrates). It is quite likely that apart from ethical / spiritual aspects, it was also their knowledge of nutritional value of plant food which convinced Hyppocrates, Pythagoras and other Greeks to adopt vegetarianism Philosophers and writers like Plato, Pythagoras, Plutarch, Socrates and others

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In theory, the word vegetarianism means abstaining entirely from flesh food including meat of any animals or birds and fish: whereas in practice there are several different variations of the vegetarian diet e.g. lacto-ovo vegetarians do not eat meat of any animals or birds or fish as such a diet involves the killing of the animals but they include in their diet plant foods, all dairy products and eggs. There are lacto-vegetarians who exclude all animal products including eggs but include dairy products. Although eggs commonly available from the poultry farms do not carry any live embryos, the reason to exclude eggs is mainly the cruelty and torture inflicted on hens in normal poultry farming (see chapter V - Ethical / Spiritual Aspects). There are also vegetarians known as vegans who follow a diet mainly of plant based foods and do not even consume milk products. This would include curds, butter, cheese, ghee (popularly called butter oil in western countries), sweets and ice-creams made from milk. The reason for omitting the milk and milk products is mainly the cruel treatment meted out to the cows in most dairy farms. It is a common practice to inject hormones in cows to stimulate and increase milk supply and young calves are also deprived of mother's milk. Some of the vegetarians even do not eat honey as many bees are killed in the process of forced procreation to maintain the beehive and the sustained production of honey. Many vegetarians also shun the use of fur, leather, wool or silk. Their concern is that many living animals, birds and insects are killed or suffer for the manufacture of these products. There are four distinct arguments each of them convincing by itself in favour of vegetarianism viz. (1) Physiological (2) Health (3) Economic / Environmental and (4) Ethical /Spiritual / Religious. In fact, many nonvegetarians have switched over to vegetarian diet after having learned about these facts.

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Chapter II PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECT How humans are physically created to be vegetarians? The most logical argument in this regard is that our nearest ancestors the monkeys including the anthropoid apes who genetically resemble us so much are vegetarians. The prominent Swedish scientist Karl von Linne states, "Man's structure, external and internal, compared with that of the other animals, shows that fruit and succulent vegetables constitute his natural food." From the comparison shown below!, it is very clear that physiologically we are very close to herbivorous animals than carnivorous animals. Herbivorous / Humans 1. No claws 2. Perspire through skin pores Carnivorous 1. Have claws 2. Have no skin pores and perspire through the tongue 3. Have sharp front teeth for tearing, with no flat molar teeth for grinding. They can move their jaws only up and down. 4. Have intestinal tract that is only 3 times their body length so that rapidly decaying meat can pass through quickly without decaying and producing any toxic effects. The toxins can overload the kidneys and lead to gout arthritis, rheumatism and even cancer 4 3. No sharp front teeth but flat rear molars for grinding. They can move their jaws sideways as well as up and down. . Have intestinal tract 6-12 times their body length since plant foods decay more slowly than meat, the larger intestines are suitable for plant foods. This would also mean that meat and sea food would cling to the walls of the intestinal track much longer than normal period of 4 hours after which it starts putrefying Reference : Based on a chart by A.D. Andrews, Fit Food for Men, (Chicago: American Hygiene Society, 1970).

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5. Have strong hydrochloric acid in stomach to digest meat. 5. Have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a meateater. 6. Salivary glands in mouth not needed to pre-digest grains and fruits. 6. Well-developed salivary, which are necessary to pre-digest grains & fruits. 7. Saliva acidic with no enzyme ptyalin to predigest grains. 7. Saliva alkaline with ptyalin to predigest grains. The alkaline saliva does not act properly on meat. 8. They drink water by sucking it with their lips. 8. They lap up water with their tongues. Another logical argument in favour of the proposition that the humans are not meant to eat meat is the fact that all omnivorous and carnivorous animals eat their meat raw. When a lion kills a herbivore for food, it tears right into the stomach area to eat the organs that are filled with blood (nutrients). While eating the stomach, liver, intestine, etc., the lion laps the blood in the process of eating the dead animal's flesh. Even bears that are omnivores eat salmon raw. However, eating raw or bloody meat disgusts us as humans. Therefore, we cook it and season it to buffer the taste of flesh. However, in sharp contrast, a carnivorous animal will not eat flesh if it is cooked. Even circus lions have to be fed raw meat so that they will not starve to death. If humans were truly meant to eat meat, then like animals we would have preferred to eat all of our meat raw and bloody. The thought of eating such raw meat makes one's stomach turn sick as it is nauseating to the eater.

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Chapter III HEALTH ASPECT (a) Scientific information about food The function of food is to build up the tissues of the body and keep them in good repair, to yield energy in the form of heat, to keep the body warm and to create strength to enable it to do its work. A diet to accomplish all this must contain the necessary nutrients, water, nitrogenous substances or proteids (classified as protein), fats, carbohydrates (sugar, starch, cellulose, etc.), minerals, vitamins and fibres. Till a few years ago, it was generally believed that the non-vegetarian diet provides more strength because of its high protein contents and vegetarians are weak and fragile. However, the research and studies have proved that if enough care is taken, the vegetarian diet also provides all the required nutrients including the protein whereas the non-vegetarian diet has a lot more risks and is also a lot more prone to disease. In fact, it is the health aspect which has seen more number of people in Western world turning to vegetarianism in twentieth century than the earlier period. Calories It is the unit of energy. For any work we do, we need energy derived from the food in the form of calories. For a person carrying out normal activities, the requirement is about 1500 - 1750 calories. Even if you do not carry any activity and sleep throughout the day and night you will require 800 calories per day to sustain yourself. Those engaged in physical activities like manual labour, the requirement could go up as high as 3000 calories per day. Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are the foods that give us energy for our daily activities. They also aid in the utilization of body fats. The energy value of 1 gm of carbohydrate is 4 calories. Proteins The proteins form the muscles of the body. They are the main constituents of the wall of each cell in the body. They are also the major components of the nerve cells. Insufficiency of protein results in stunted growth. One gram of Protein provides 4 calories of energy. The Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein is 0.8 grams a day per kilogram of body weight.

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Athletes may require more protein ranging between 1.0 to 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight. Fats The fats form the energy storage of the body. Whenever there is an excess energy supplied to the body, it will get converted into fats and get stored inside the body. Excess fat storage creates extra burden on heart and other organs. One gram of Fat provides 9 calories. Vitamins Vitamins are the protective food items required in small quantities. They protect the skin, eyes, bones, nerves and the heart. Inadequate vitamins in diet will lead to many diseases like blindness, bleeding gums, weak bones and a degeneration of the brain. Minerals Minerals (like Calcium, Potassium and Sodium) help in bone formation, give strength to the structure of the body, form major portion of Haemoglobin and the digestive enzymes which help in breaking the foodstuff (metabolism). About 4-6% of body weight is formed of minerals. The largest concentration is found in bones and teeth. Most of the minerals are present in natural fruits, vegetables and milk. Fibres Fibres help in relieving constipation and prevent the absorption of cholesterol thus preventing heart disease. Fibres are very important for reduction of weight and control of diabetes. They also add roughage which in turn aids digestion. Vegetarian diet consisting of raw and cooked vegetables, fresh fruits with skins provide sufficient fibre. Dietary fibre also helps in regulating blood pressure. As the non-vegetarian diet like meat, chicken lacks fibre it has to be supplemented by a vegetarian diet. Water Water does not have any calorific value but is the most important part of our food. It helps in excretion of toxins from the body through kidney and intestine, regulates temperature of the body and helps most in carrying oxygen to all the parts of the body. Approximately, 55 to 70% of body weight is formed of water. The requirement depends on factors like environmental temperature, humidity, occupation and diet. In general, around 1.5 - 2 ltrs. of water per day is enough (apart from water obtained through food which one may eat).

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Vegetarian diet This would mainly consists of (i) Cereals (ii) Vegetables (iii) Legumes (iv) Fruits, Nuts and Oil Seeds (v) Milk and Milk Products. (i) Cereals : They are by far the most widely consumed plant foods of man. The major cereals are wheat, corn, rice, barley, rye, jowar and millet. One or more of the cereals is adapted to each type of climate that supports agriculture. Cereals are a principal source of carbohydrates, although they also contain proteins, fats, some vitamins and minerals. (ii) Vegetables : Many green vegetables valued for their minerals and vitamins come from the mustard family - cabbage, lettuce, kale, broccoli, escarole, cauliflower, kohlrabi, Chinese cabbage, brussel sprouts, and watercress. Others are spinach, okra, globe artichoke and asparagus. Root vegetables include the potato, turnip, carrot, celeriac, rutabaga, cassava, taro, sweet potato, and yam. The "onion" family, most important for its flavoring, includes garlic, onion, leeks, shallots, and chives. (iii) Legumes :- In terms of protein food value, they match the animal flesh. In India where large majority of the population is vegetarian, lentils form the staple diet to provide required proteins. In China and the oriental countries, soyabean and its products are widely eaten. In fact, soyabean is the richest in food value among all the vegetables. In Mexico and other Latin American countries, the frijole (a variety of bean) is the staple food next to maize. The protein content of legumes varies while Bengal Gram has 17%, tofu (soyabean) has as high as 43%. Indian diet has the choice of a variety of pulses which when taken in rotation besides providing the required protein also caters to a variety of different tastes. In fact, by eating legumes what vegetarians don't get is the excess protein of traditional non-vegetarian diet that leads to kidney overload and mineral deficiency diseases and the high cholesterol found in animal flesh. (iv) Fruits, Nuts and Oil Seeds :- As distinguished from vegetables, which are usually considered to be the edible nonfloral or vegetative growths of plants, fruits are, technically, the ripened ovaries of a flower. The edible portion of a fruit is usually the fleshy covering over the seeds. Some fruits, such as pumpkins, cucumbers, and tomatoes are eaten as vegetables and therefore are often considered as such. They do, in fact, closely resemble

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the vegetables in food value and other properties and are sometimes called fruit vegetables. Tree fruits may be divided into two groups: those from the so-called deciduous fruit trees that shed their leaves in the fall, such as the apple, pear, peach, plum, cherry and apricot; and those from trees that shed leaves in the spring but are considered evergreen, including the orange, grapefruit, lemon and other citrus fruits. Strawberries, blueberries, gooseberries, cranberries, currants, blackberries and raspberries are also important fruits, combining the virtues of high nutritional value and pleasing taste. Finally, melons and grapes must be included among the fruits widely consumed by man. A nut is a hard-shelled fruit. Cashewnuts, walnuts, almonds and pistachio nuts have high proteins and fat content. Oil Seeds such as groundnuts also contain high proteins and fat. (v) Milk and milk products: They are utilized to produce varieties of food products such as cheese, paneer, sweets, ice-cream and various other desserts. Despite water content of 85% milk is one of the most varied and valuable sources of essential nutrients including protein, fat and minerals such as calcium. Food Stuff Cereals 1. Bajra Table of Nutritive values of Vegetarian Diet1 (All the values are per 100 gms. of edible portion) 2. Barley (jau) 3. Jowar Moisture (g) 12.4 12.5 11.9 Protein (g) 11.6 11.5 10.4 Fat Carboh Fibre Energy (g) (g) (Kcal) 8 5.0 1.3 1.9 yd (g) 67.5 69.6 72.6 1.2 3.9 1.6 361 336 3349 Source: Food for Reversing heart disease by Dr. Bimal Chhajer (well-known Cardiologist)

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Food Stuff Moisture Protein Fat (g) Carbo Fibre Energy hyd (g) (Kcal) 11.1 6.8 1. Maize (makai) 2. Rice 3. Wheat (whole) 4. Brown Bread 5. White Bread 14.9 13.7 12.8 39.0 39.0 3.6 0.5 1.7 1.4 0.7 12.1 8.8 66.2 78.2 69.4 49.0 51.9 2.7 0.2 1.9 1.2 0.2 342 345 341 244 7.8 245 60.9 | 3.9 0.9 Pulses 1. Bengal gram whole 2. Black gram dal 3. Green gram (dal) 4. Red gram dal (masoor) 5. Lentil 6. Rajmah 7. Soyabean 9.8 10.9 10.1 13.4 17.1 24.0 24.5 22.3 5.3 1.4 | 1.2 1.7 59.6 59.9 57.6 360 347 348 335 1.5 0.7 12.4 12.0 25.1 22.9 43.2 59.0 60.6 20.9 0.7 4.8 3.7 343 346 432 8.1 | 19.5 1.8 1.0 Leafy Vegetables 1. Cabbage 2. Lettuce 3. Spinach 91.9 93.4 92.1 0.1 0.3 0.7 4.6 2.5 0.5 2.1 2.0 21 2.9 0.6 1.7 8.8 0.9 87.1 86.0 84.3 Roots & Tubers 1. Beet root 2. Carrot 3. Onion 4. Potato 5. Sweet potato 6. Turnip 7. Garlic 8. Radish 74.7 0.9 1.8 1.6 1.2 0.5 68.5 91.6 62.0 94.4 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.1 10.6 12.6 22.6 28.2 6.2 29.8 3.4 1.2 0.6 0.4 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.8 59 97 120 29 145 120 6.3 4.0 Other Vegetables 1. Brinjal 2. Cauliflower 3. French beans 4. Parwar 4.0 92.7 90.8 91.4 92.0 1.4 2.6 1.7 2.0 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.3 1.3 1.2 1.8 3.0 4.5 2.2

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Food Stuff 5. Pumpkin 6. Tinda 7. Lady's fingers 8. Tomato (green) Nuts & Oilseeds 1. Almond 2. Cashewnut 3. Groundnut 4. Pistachio nut 5. Walnut 6. Coconut (dry) 7. Coconut (fresh) 8. Coconut (tender) 9. Coconut water Fruits 1. Apple 2. Apricot, fresh 3. Banana 4. Grapes 5. Lemon 6. Sweet-lime 7. Mango 8. Water melon 9. Pineapple 10. Custard Apple 11. Figs 12. Plum 13. Dates, fresh 14. Lichi 15. Orange 16. Papaya 17. Peaches (aarhoo) 18. Pears (nashpati) 19. Strawberry 20. Tomato Moisture (g) 92.6 93.5 89.6 93.1 5.2 5.9 3.0 5.6 4.5 4.3 36.3 90.8 93.8 84.6 85.3 70.1 79.2 85.0 88.4 81.0 95.8 87.8 70.5 88.1 86.9 59.2 84.1 87.6 90.8 86.0 86.0 87.8 94.0 Protein Fat (g) (g) 4499 20.8 21.2 25.3 19.8 15.6 6.8 4.5 0.9 1.4 2027 1.0 1.2 0.5 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.2 0. 1.6 1.3 0.7 217 1.2 1.1 0.7 0.6 O2O79 1.2 0.6 0.7 0.9 10 Carbo Fibre Energy hyd (g) (Kcal) (g) 4.6 0.1 0.2 3.4 0.2 6.4 0.1 3.6 58.9 10.5 46.9 22.3 40.1 26.1 53.5 16.2 64.5 11.0 62.3 18.4 41.6 13.0 1.4 6.3 0.1 4.4 0.7 1.0 1.2 0.7 1.7 1.3 3.1 2.1 2.6 66.6 3.6 1.0 1.1 0.4 2.9 25 21 35 23 655 596 567 626 687 662 444 41 24 0.5 13.4 0.3 11.6 0.3 27.2 0.3 16.5 0.9 11.1 1.7 0.3 9.3 0.5 0.4 16.9 0.7 0.2 3.3 0.2 16 0.1 0.4 10.8 0.5 46 23.5 3.1 104 7.6 2.2 37 0.4 52 0.4 33.8 3.7 0.2 0.5 11.1 144 0.2 13.6 0.5 61 0.2 10.9 0.3 48 0.1 7.2 0.8 32 0.3 10.5 1.2 50 0.2 11.9 1.0 52 0.2 9.8 1.1 0.2 3.6 0.8 20 59 53 116 71 57 43 74 E 44

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Food Stuff Moisture Protein Fat Carbo Fibre Energy (Kcal) (9) hyd (a) Milk & Milk Products 1. Milk, buffalo's 2. Milk, cow's 4.3 6.5 5.0 87.5 89.1 97.5 3.2 3. 1 0.8 117 67 60 4 .0 1.1 3.0 0.5 4. Buttermilk Fats & Oils 1. Butter 2. Ghee/Oils 19.0 729 900 Sugar 1. Sugar 2. Honey 0.4 0.1 0.3 - - 99.4 79.5 398 319 20.6 - Non-Vegetarian Diet Food Stuff Moisture Protein Fat Carbo Fibre Energy (Kcal) - Meat 1. Beef 2. Pork 3. Lamb 4. Chicken 5. Eggs 6. Tuna 53.0 48.0 54.0 61.0 74.0 60.0 27.1 21.2 25.9 27.1 13.0 29.4 18.7 28.3 18.7 10.6 12.0 8.5 280 350 280 210 165 1.0 - 200 It will be observed that food value of non-vegetarian diet consists mainly of fat and protein. They do not contain fibre or carbohydrates. Cholesterol : the main culprit Cholesterol especially LDL i.e. Low Density Lipo-protein cholesterol is the so called bad cholesterol and is considered the main culprit leading to blockages in arteries and heart and is the cause of heart attacks. It is recommended to maintain total cholesterol level upto 200 per ml. of blood. HDL cholesterol is the so called 'good' cholesterol. It has a high affinity to bind cholesterol and can remove cholesterol from the blockages. HDL cholesterol level in the blood should be maintained above 40. All kinds of meats including yellow of eggs are rich source of cholesterol.

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Cholesterol content of food Food Quantity (g) Cholesterol Content (mg) Meat & Its Products Yellow of eggs 100 g Chicken (broiler) 100 g Mutton (goat) (Medium fat/lean) 100 g Liver Kidney Brain Pork Oysters Shrimps Crab Pork ribs Lamb Animal fat Milk & Milk Products Whole milk Skimmed milk Cream Butter Cheese Plain ice cream 100 g 100 g 100 g 100 g 100 g 100 g 100 g 100 g 100 g 100 g 100 g 100 g 100 g 100 g 100 g 100 g 420 60 65 300 150 250 70 230-470 150 145 12 105 70 90 11 2.4 100 240 16 375 Some beneficial effects of fruits and vegetables. 1. Banana has high percentage of alkali salts (especially potassium which is good for health). Hence, it is especially valuable for production of quick energy. In India, it is the best value for money as a fruit. 2. Garlic is a classic example of a combination of food and folk medicines. It boosts immune response and increases resistance against various diseases. It also has antibacterial, antifungal and antithrombotic effects. 3. Lemon is an excellent source of vitamin C and also contains some amount of calcium, phosphorus, potassium and carotene. It also is found to be an antiseptic. It can be easily used as a low calorie salad dressing. Besides, lemon, all other citrus fruits viz. sweet-lime, orange and guava are also rich source of vitamin C. 4. Mushrooms are fungi rich in potassium, phosphorus, copper and iron. They are also a good source of vitamin B1 and B2. They are known to be beneficial in reducing blood fat levels, have antibiotic properties,

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antitumour activity and boost immune system action against disease producing microorganisms. 5. Onion, along with its culinary properties, helps prevent blood clot and heart attacks. It has also shown to lower high blood pressure and cholesterol levels. 6. Papaya is known for its ability to aid digestion. It contains enzymes that helps to digest proteins. Papaya is a rich source of beta-carotene and vitamin B & C. 7. Potato is a good source of vegetable protein, potassium, vitamin C, iron, phosphorus and enzymes. It relieves water retention and can sometimes be used to reduce hypertension and promote intestinal flora. 8. Pumpkin is a good source of beta-carotene, calcium, iron & some vitamin B. It helps to regulate blood sugar levels and is thus beneficial to hypoglycaemics. 9. Spinach is an excellent source of iron, calcium, chlorophyll, beta-carotene, vitamin C, riboflavin, sodium and potassium. It also has a diuretic and laxative effect. 10. Sprouts are rich in chlorophyll, vitamin A, C, D, E, K, B complex and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and iron. They are diuretic, appetizers and detoxify the body. It may be mentioned that i. Turmeric : It also has unique antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It retards age related diseases by preventing free radical damage, inhibits growth of cancer cells, protects liver from cholesterol level, alleviates joint swellings, reduces menstrual pain and has a beneficial effect in the treatment of AIDS. ii. Mustard : Mustard is a popular culinary herb that stimulates the appetite and helps digestion. iii. Curd : Nutritional benefit of curd is to reinforce the intestines with additional friendly bacteria promoting the growth of intestines flora. (b) Advantages of a vegetarian diet Vegetarian diets are lower in saturated fats, cholesterol, and animal protein. They are also high in folate, anti-oxidant vitamins like C and E, carotenoids, and phytochemicals. Overall, vegetarians have substantially reduced risks for obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, and some forms of cancer-particularly lung cancer and colon cancer. Research has clearly established a link between meat eating and cancer of the colon, rectum, breasts, and uterus. Vegetarian diets that are low in saturated fats have been successfully used to reverse severe coronary artery disease. Those vegetarians who regularly take such vegetables have a good natural source of supply of calcium and therefore they suffer less from osteoporosis (a deficiency of calcium that leads to weak bones). 13

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The International Conference on Vegetable Nutrition, a major conference on the subject held in 2002 at California has included some encouraging findings of the beneficial effects of vegetarian diet: that a predominantly vegetarian diet may have beneficial effects for kidney and nerve function in diabetics, as well as for weight loss; that eating more fruits and vegetables can slow, and perhaps reverse, age-related declines in brain function and in cognitive and motor performance - at least in rats; that vegetarian seniors have a lower death rate and use less medication than meat-eating seniors; that vegetarians have a healthier total intake of fats and cholesterol.1 Studies have shown that vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters and vegetarians visit hospitals 22% less often than the meat-eaters and when they do visit, they trend to spend a similarly reduced time at the hospital. The vegetarians run lesser risk of contracting bacterial infections like salmonella, listeria, cambylobacer and E-coli. Ptomaine poisoning is a type of food poisoning which is a result of highly toxic substances due to putrefaction or metabolic decomposition of animal proteins. As soon as an animal is slaughtered, its flesh begins to putrefy, and after several days it turns a sickly grey. The meat industry masks this discoloration by adding nitrites, nitrates, and other preservatives to give the meat a bright red color. But research has now shown that many of these preservatives are carcinogenic (cancer causing). Although these drugs will still be present in the meat when you eat it, the law does not require that they be listed on the package. The Mad Cow Disease in Britain was caused by consuming contaminated beef because the source of meat was from the cattle who were fed unnatural diet of meat. The Bird Flu was transmitted from infected chickens to humans due to which over a million chickens had to be destroyed in Hong Kong. Meats are frozen for long period of time. Some meats (especially poultry) are frozen upto 2 years. Cold temperatures do not kill all species of bacteria. Worst than this, as it is shipped and stored, meat frozen is thawed and refrozen many times. This is almost unavoidable. One study of 25000 Californians carried out over a 20-year period showed that meat consumption was associated with higher incidence of heart attacks in both men & women. This was mainly due to the high cholesterol and fat found in animal flesh. An elaborate statistical analysis has indicated that 1 'Should you be a vegetarian?' Time magazine - July 15, 2002. 14

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these effects were not due to differences in exercise habits between the vegetarians and non-vegetarians, nor were they due to differences in tobacco use, obesity or the consumption of other foods besides meat and poultry. The results suggest a close response relationship between meat consumption and heart disease: the more meat is eaten, the more is the incidence of the heart disease. The American Dietetic Association has proclaimed that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, are nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases." Plants, grains and legumes contain phytoestrogens that are believed to balance fluctuating hormones, so vegetarian women tend to go through menopause with fewer complaints of sleep problems, hot flashes, fatigue, mood swings, weight gain, depression and a diminished sex drive. In the 1970's in a number of studies were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute it has been reported that there is not a single population in the world with a high meat intake which does not have high rate of colon cancer. Osteoporosis and the Protein Connection, Loss of calcium The non-vegetarians end up having excess protein and are prone to battle bone disease. The Researchers attribute this to the fact that excess protein interferes with the absorption and retention of calcium prompts the body to excrete calcium making them prone to Osteoporosis in old age. Reducing your intake of Pesticides In an analysis carried out by the FDA it was found that meat contains approximately 14 times more pesticides than do plant foods, a dairy product 5.5 times more. Thus, by eating foods of animal origin, one ingests greatly concentrated amounts of hazardous chemicals. Analysis of various food by the FDA shows that meat, poultry, fish, cheese and other dairy products contain level of these pesticides more often and in greater amount than other foods. Time magazine, ibid

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The danger of contamination A study of the non-vegetarian food items such as chickens and prawns available in Mumbai city reveal the abnormal risk factors for health. Here are the extracts from the news report appearing in the Indian Express, a leading English daily newspaper published from Mumbai, confirming this. "Mumbai's Chicken, Prawns Unsafe For Eating The white prawns were freshly plucked What newsline found from the sea. Professionally cut chicken . Bacteria 100-200 times in excess was weighed and wrapped at a clean, * Lead 2-24 times in excess not so smelly counter. * Mercury 8-10 times in excess We assumed we had bought healthy, * Salmonella, E-coli, that should be safe food from Crawford Market. absent. But over a week spent in petri dishes, the chicken and prawns failed to match their appetizing looks during lab tests at SNDT University. The tests are based on random, limited samples, but results indicate there are quality problems the authorities must address. Submitted to tests immediately after purchase, the prawns flunked shelling and washing-the shell absorbs most of the heavy metal from polluted marine waters. The good-looking chicken played foul, packing in a count of 1,49,00,000 bacteria-over 100 times the norm. Found laced with toxins and dangerous organisms, the chicken and prawns revealed lead content over 20 times above European standards. That's also uncomfortably close to the 2.5 mg/kg limit set by the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA)". According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest in the US, which has stringent food standards, 25 per cent of all chickens sold in the United States carries salmonella bacteria and, the CDC estimates, 70 percent to 90 percent of chickens contain the bacteria campy-lobacter (some strains of which are antibiotic-resistant), approximately 5 percent of cows carry the lethal strain of E.coli 0157:H7 (which causes virulent diseases and death), and 30 percent of pigs slaughtered each year for food are infected with toxoplasmosis (caused by parasites).

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Fish : Is it really good? Fish oil has been said to protect against coronary heart disease as it helps in decreasing the tendency of the blood to clot. It therefore slows down the coagulation. However, fish oil also contains fairly high level of cholesterol as it is an animal source. It has almost 500 mg. Cholesterol/ 100 gm. which is quite high for a heart patient. Further, any oil always has an additional risk factor because of triglyceride and therefore the advantage of fish oil is more than nullified due to these risk factors. Seventh-Day Adventists The Adventists movement was founded by William Miller in the U.S.A. The followers of this faith practice abstinence from smoking, alcohol, drugs and practice vegetarianism. A major study was carried out in the U.S. between 1976-1988 on the general health and mortality of the Adventists. It was found that of the 34,192 participants, all members of the Seventh-Day Adventist church: Compared to the non-vegetarians, the total no. of persons suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes and colon cancer were 50% less and the no. of rheumatoid arthritis and prostate cancer were 66% less. Harry Shoerats among the longest living persons in the world (111 years) was a vegetarian who worked as a craftsman till he was 104 years old and cycled to work daily until he was 100. The Lowest and Highest Life Expectancies in the World After World War II, scientists began for the first time to compile comprehensive statistics correlating the diet-styles and health of all the populations in the world. One of the facts that emerged consistently was the strong correlation between heavy flesh-eating and short life expectancy. The Eskimos, the Laplanders, the Greenlanders and the Russian Kurgi tribes? stood out as the populations with the highest animal flesh consumption in the world - and also as among the populations with the lowest life expectancies, often only about 30 years. Source - Website of 'The Indian Vegetarian Congress' 2 It is most unfortunate that being born and brought up and forced to live in areas where there is hardly any other food, available except the meat, they are left with no choice.

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It was found further that this was not due to the severity of their climates alone. Others peoples, living in harsh conditions, but subsisting with little or no animal flesh, had some of the highest life expectancies in the world. World health statistics found, for example, that an unusually large number of the Russian Caucasians, the Yucatan Indians, the East Indian Todas and the Pakistan Hunzakuts have life expectancies of 90 to 100 years. The cultures with the very longest life spans in the world are the Vilcambas, who reside in the Andes of Ecuador, the Abkhasians, who live on the Black Sea in the USSR, and the Hunzas, who live in the Himalayas of Northern Pakistan. Researchers discovered a "striking similarity" in the diets of these groups, scattered through they are in different parts of the planet. All three are either totally vegetarian or close to it. Particularly striking to researchers who have visited these cultures is that the people not only live so long, but that they enjoy full, active lives through their many years, and show no signs of the many degenerative diseases that afflict the elderly in our culture. Dr. Neal Bernard is among a host of experts who have research findings on their side to prove that being a veggie is in ... As the President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a US-based group of 6,000 physicians that promotes preventive medicine, Dr. Bernard quotes from his own research and those of cardiac rehabilitation gurus like Dean Ornish on the role of a vegetarian diet in reducing heart ailments, diabetes, cancer, blood pressure, kidney stones and even osteoporosis. Dr. Dean Ornish has proven angiographically that a reversal of heart disease is possible by the comprehensive lifestyle changes which includes dietary modifications. Dr. Bimal Chhajer, a Delhi based Cardiologist and a disciple of Dr. Dean Ornish strongly recommends a vegetarian diet for his patients undergoing treatment of preventive medicine for cardiac ailments. Precautions for a vegetarian diet What vegetarians have to do to prevent the high incidence of heart disease, and obesity is to reduce the high intake of fats in the form of oils, ghee (butter oil), milk and milk products. Milk being an animal product has high cholesterol and fat. It is advisable to remove the fats before consuming the milk or milk products. Skimmed milk or double toned milk is very suitable for consumption for all sedentary adults.

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A diet that consists too much of root vegetables, which are mainly starch, can cause the serious condition of kwashiorkor (lack of protein), which prevents proper growth in children. It should be noted that some vegetables must be cooked first as they are difficult to digest. Examples are the starchy root and seed vegetables. Some must be peeled, too, because the skins contain poisons, examples are the bitter cassava and green-skinned potatoes. Increasing trend towards vegetarianism Apart from the ethical and the spiritual considerations, the health aspect of the diet is also playing its part in the increasing trend towards vegetarianism. It is estimated that in US alone where meat eating is among the highest, every year nearly 2 million people are switching over to vegetarian diet, most of them due to the health factor. "Vegetarian food sales are savoring doubledigit growth. Top restaurants have added more meatless dishes. Trendy "living foods" or "raw" restaurants are sprouting up".! In the last three decades, large number of Indian restaurants have come up in many parts of the World. They offer abundant varieties of delectable vegetable cuisine and are becoming increasingly popular with the local population especially for those who prefer vegetarian diet. Time magazine, ibid

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Chapter IV VEGETARIAN SPORTS PERSONALITIES & ANIMAL KINGDOM a) Vegetarian Sports Personalities At one point of time, it was widely believed that vegetarian diet is not suitable for sportsmen. However it is now well established that a balanced vegetarian diet provides the required proteins, carbohydrates and required nutrition and is less hazardous for the health, more and more sportsmen and women have switched over to vegetarianism and the list includes several world record holding sportsmen some of whom are even vegans who do not even consume dairy products i.e. milk, cheese etc. Martina Navratilova, the famous tennis ace, joined the international animal rights organization called People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) as a result of which she took to vegetarianism. Boris Becker, who has to his credit several tennis titles including the Wimbledon, is a vegetarian. Chris Campbell, who was the world wrestling champion in 1981, is a vegetarian. We might not generally expect to find a vegetarian in world championship body-building competitions. But Andreas Cahling, the Swedish body builder who won the 1980 Mr. International title, is a vegetarian, and has been for over ten years in the highest level international competitions. Former champion body builder, Bill Pearl is also a vegetarian.

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The world record for distance butterfly stroke swimming is held jointly by James and Jonathan deDonato. They are both vegetarians Kalpana Chawla, the first woman US astronaut hailing from India, when checked by a NASA doctor in America was found to have 'very clean innards' as she was vegetarian. Robert DiCostella, the Olympic marathon champion, is a vegetarian. Sally Eastall, a vegan, stood 13th in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics Women's Marathon. RS Gangadhara, a vegetarian researcher, has spent winter months at Maitri, the Indian research station in Antarctica. There is a wide-spread belief that for cold climate, vegetarian diet is not suitable. However, by taking adequate precautions it is possible to withstand the extreme cold conditions. Roy Hilligan, who won the title of Mr. America' is a vegetarian. Dave Scott, universally recognized as the greatest Triathlete in the world by winning the Hawaii's legendary Ironman Triathlon four times which no one has ever won is a vegetarian. The event consists, in succession, of a 2.4 mile ocean swim, a 112 mile cycle, and then a 26.2 mile run. Dr. Ruth Heidrich, a vegan, holds the World Champion Triathlete title having won 60 races (highest annual total) during 1997. Thomas Hellriegel, the first German Ironman winner (1997), is a vegetarian. Carl Lewis, winner of nine Olympic gold medals, is a vegetarian.

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The late Katherine Monbiot, a vegan, was the women's arm wrestling champion and nutritional advisor to Chelsea First Division Football Club. The famous Indian Test Cricketer, Anil Kumble who holds the record of highest number of wickets in Test matches for India is a vegetarian. No man in the history of sports has ever dominated an event as Edwin Moses has done in the 400 metre hurdles. The Olympic gold medallist went eight years without losing a race. Edwin Moses is a vegetarian. The legendary 6-8" 320 lb. wrestler Killer Kowalski is a vegetarian. The Olympic ski champion, Anton Innaver, is a vegetarian. Richard Abele, weighing only 97 pounds, recently won the United States Karate Association Championship, getting his fifth degree black belt. Abele, who has won eight US championships, is a vegan not eating flesh, eggs, or dairy products. Aaron Pryor, welter weight world boxing champion, is a vegetarian. Paavo Nurmi, the 'Flying Finn' set twenty world records in distance running, and won nine Olympic medals. He was a vegetarian. Murray Rose, one of the greatest swimmers who won three gold medals in 1956, Melbourne Olympics and also became four years later the first man in history in 1960 Olympics to retain his 400 meter freestyle title was a vegetarian since childhood. Stan Price holds the world record for the bench press in his weight class. Stan Price is a vegetarian. Pat Reeves, a vegan, was the British Women's power-lifting champion for eight years. The entire Japanese baseball team Seibu Lions won the Pacific League Championship consecutively for 2 yrs after switching over to a vegetarian diet. Joginder Singh, world's oldest active sportsman, is a vegetarian. At the age of 105 years, he is able to run 100 metres in 20 seconds.

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Emmil Watson, gladiators' athlete, is a vegetarian. Pierreo Verot holds the world's record for downhill endurance skiing. He is a vegetarian. Judith Shakeshaft, a vegan, is the Welsh Masters Mountain Bike and Welsh Cyclo-Cross champion b) The sturdy, strong and energetic vegetarians from the animal kingdom RS Burly vegetarians from the animal kingdom include bulls, rhinos, hippopotamus, gorillas and of course the mightiest of all the animals, the elephants. Although known as the king of jungle, when the question of strength comes, the lion is no match for the elephant. Such is a might of the elephant that in a fight between these two, many a times, the lion is bodily lifted by the elephant with its trunk and crushed under its feet. So scared is the 'king of jungle" of mighty elephants that it even avoids the path treaded by the elephants and prefers to take a different route. The author has witnessed this during his trip to Masaimara Park in Kenya when seeing a herd of elephants numbering 4 from a distance, the lions numbering 4 or 5 silently changed the route and quietly escaped. georgia motorsports.com One of the most popular and energetic animals the horse is also a vegetarian. In fact, the unit for measuring the energy i.e. horsepower is named after this animal. Camel, among the most useful desert animals, not only known for its stamina but also for its endurance can even stay without water for days together in the desert is also a vegetarian. An interesting similarity among all the plant eating animals is that they never fight among themselves and inspite of sharing the same territory they meet on friendly terms. They are all docile and peace-loving. They never attack any other living creatures including the humans. Even the mighty Gorilla which is considered the 'hulking monster of humour tales' is in reality among the gentlest and most peaceable of animals. In 2000 hours of direct observation it had shown only 5 minutes of aggressive behaviour'. 1 Source :- Our magnificent wild life' - A Readers Digest publication 23

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Chapter V ECONOMIC / ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS (a) A misplaced belief There is a misconceived belief that if entire population of the world were to be vegetarian, there could be shortage of food as there may not be enough of grain left for everybody to eat. In fact, the author himself was also carried away by this false notion during his childhood. However, this is contrary to the actual facts. The reality is that meat or poultry industry is mainly dependant on the animals or birds who are raised specially to provide the source of food either meat or chicken. The word 'farm is popular for such an activity in the same manner as the farms where grains or vegetables or fruits are grown. The USA is the most striking example in this regard. As many as 10780 million birds and animals raised in these farms in the year 2008 were killed for food (of which nearly 600 million were mammals). The animals raised on these farms are fed with grains, most of which is suitable for human consumption. The amount of grains fed to these animals is such a huge quantity that it can sustain a lot many more people than those sustained from the meat available by killing of these animals raised in these farms. Most of the livestock in the USA i.e. pigs, cattle, lambs, goats etc. are raised specifically to supply meat. The Americans are among the biggest meat consumers in the world. As many as 150 lbs. of meat is consumed by an average American per annum of which beef and pork constitute 93%. The U.S.A. is also one of the largest producers of the grains in the world. However, most of the grains including the corn, oat and barley etc. produced in the USA is utilized to feed the livestock. It produces 1.5 billion bushels of corn annually which is almost 55% of the world's total production. (1 bushel is equivalent to 8 gallons by volume). However, 80% of the corn produced is fed to the livestock and only 20% is consumed by the human beings. Similar, is the story of oat, which is one of the valuable cereal grains. Of the one billion bushels of oats produced per annum, as much as 85% is utilized for feeding the livestock. In the case of Barley, a cereal, which was chiefly used for making bread in Europe all through before it was gradually replaced by wheat and rye and whose nutritive contents are very similar to wheat and oats as much as 40% of the total 350 million bushels produced per year, is utilized as feed for feeding livestock raised in animal farms. So well regulated is the linkage between The total no. of animals & birds killed in the whole world during this period for food were staggering 58 billion!

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the grain production and the supply of meat that the prices of beef and pork is directly linked to the prices of grains. Price of 100 pounds of pig flesh is linked to 11.5 to 15 bushels of corn. Thus, if prices of corn goes down, the prices of pigs go down. Some protagonists of non-vegetarian diet try to justify their stand that if animals now regularly slaughtered were allowed to breed unchecked there would be far too many left and the world would be overrun by them. This argument has obvious answer in the fact that the nature always has its own checks and balances. Even the mighty dinosaurs met their own fate and when any species overgrows the check is automatically provided by the nature. Even in such a scenario, where there are too many stray dogs found on the streets and likely to create problem for the citizens, it is human to have them sterilized to control their population rather than killing them. (b) Criminal wastage Now look at the further statistics of the wastage of precious grains being utilized to produce meat or chicken in an animal farm in the U.S.A. 1. 10 kgs. of grains is required to be fed to cattle to produce 1 kg. of beef. The energy value of this 10 kgs. of grains is nearly 12 times higher than 1 kg. of beef. 2. 5 kgs. of grains has to be fed to pigs for obtaining 1 kg. of pork. This 5 kgs. of grains has 5 times higher energy value than 1 kg. of pork. 3. 2.5 kgs. of grains needed to be fed to poultry to produce 1 kg. of chicken, will provide 4 times more energy than 1 kg. of chicken. While the pigs are raised by solely feeding them with grains viz. corn, the cows are raised by being fed with fodder or forage in combination with grains. There are vast areas of land reserved for raising this fodder or forage. This land could very well be utilized for better use for producing more grains for human consumption. 40-60 million in the world die of starvation every year and nearly a quarter of the human population is suffering from malnutrition. If only part of the edible grain which is fed to the livestock in the USA and other countries is to be utilized for human consumption, there would be no malnutrition and hunger in any of the developing countries of the world. It is nay certain that if the vegetarianism is propagated vigorously, the planet earth will have enough food to sustain not only the present human population but also the increased number for many more years for future.

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(c) Supporting green earth movement While so much is being discussed about 'green earth' movement, it is indeed surprising that there is hardly any talk or discussion on the lavish misuse of natural resources due to animal and birds farming. Water that is becoming scarce, or land that can be used for growing forests or for sustaining grain production for feeding increasing world population and fossil fuels which are desperately needed to supply our energy needs are all squandered and grossly misused by the practice of animal farming and nonvegetarian diet. The production of 1 kg. (2.25 lbs) of wheat requires 250 litres (60 gallons) of water whereas to produce 1 kg. (2.25 lbs) of meat requires 2500 litres (600 gallons) of water! In the U.S.A. alone, more than half of all the water used for all purposes is used for livestock production. The U.S.A. is the most striking example of devastation of forest due to promotion of non-vegetarian diet. For each acre of American forest that is cleared to make room for parking lots, roads, houses, shopping centres, etc. seven acres of forest are converted into land for grazing livestock and/or growing livestock feed. (d) Fishery products While the arguments for feeding the livestock from the edible grain may not apply to fish, the fact remains that a part of fish production itself is actually utilized for animal and poultry feeding. The supply of fish directly consumed for human food is less than one percent of the world's diet and 50% of the total fishery products are actually lost in manufacturing and processing. It will be interesting to know that a square mile of sea produces on an average 13000 tonnes of vegetation annually which is 5 times the production of vegetation on land. A time may come when harnessing this tremendous source of food might open up new vistas for the mankind. (e) Preserving fish population: Because of our voracious appetite for fish, 39 percent of the oceans' fish species are overharvested, and the Food & Agriculture Organization reports that 11 of 15 of the world's major fishing grounds have become depleted.

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Chapter VI ETHICAL / SPIRITUAL ASPECTS (a) The suffering of the animals and the birds before the act of slaughter Besides the inhumanity involved in the act of slaughter itself, there are countless other cruelties that precede the final killing of animals. The suffering involved in the transport of slaughter of animals is well known, being a common sickening sight. Animals transported by trucks, are loaded so closely that their movement is impossible and suffocation result. Loading/unloading itself is done with shocking callousness. Animals are prodded in the sensitive parts of their bodies with pointed instruments or electric prods and their tails are mercilessly twisted to get them moving. Very often, they are bodily picked up and thrown into the truck, on top of other animals. Unloading requires a similar ritual resulting in further injuries. Even when transported long distances, the animals are not given water, leave alone food. Some reach their destination dead and many with fractured bones. Legs are sometimes intentionally broken to aid easy handling. The agony they undergo till they are ironically relieved of it at the end, is simply unspeakable. Any sort of cruelty that one can imagine is perpetrated on them. The treatment of live chickens during transport to selling points and butcheries is an everyday sight. They are transported to far away cities in overcrowded lorries, without food and water and often subjected to the hot sun or rain for long hours. They can also be seen being carried upside down in bunches hanging from the handlebars of bicycles, their legs tied together, or crammed into baskets in suffocating conditions and kept by the roadside for sale. They are sometimes taken directly to restaurants where they await slaughter upon orders received from customers. (b) Glimpses into a poultry farm? The layers (the egg-laying chickens) are crowded in small cages made of wire-mesh in which they can hardly move or spread their wings. This lack of space to stretch their limbs causes their legs to get deformed. Artificial lighting round the clock simulates daylight and thereby tricks chicken into laying more eggs. Painful de-beaking is done to prevent them from injuring themselves and others during fights that break out as a natural consequence Source : "Vegetarian Life Style Pub : Beauty Without Cruelty (Pune based NGO) 2 Ibid

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of their close and stressful confinement. They are fed yellow colour, antibiotics, and hormones daily. Everything fed is for a specific production advantage such as the coloured dye for darker yellow egg yolks. The chicks are separated from their mothers at birth. Excess male chicks not to be raised as broilers are generally killed by crushing whereas the female ones are raised for egg production. Like poultry farms, there are also farms for raising Ostrich, Turkey and Turtles. Even snails are bred so that they can be converted into 'gastronomic delights.' As many as two thousand snails are packed into a one square meter tray without any nourishment for two to three days for their final journey to be killed for food. With the opening of the Indian economy, non-vegetarian foods are widely introduced in the country and market is bring created for exotic meats of animals such as that of turkey, oyster, snail, quail, partridge (tittar), migratory birds, ostrich, kangaroo, wallaby, pangolin, peacock, rabbit, hare, deer, porcupine, wild boar, bison, dolphin - name them and they are made available as novelty foods. One doesn't need much imagination to realize the conditions under which these poor creatures are specially bred, housed and slaughtered. For example, in America exotic meats served include those of ratite (cassowary, emu, ostrich, kiwi, rhea), bear, lion, zebra, alligator, rattle snake and squirrel brain. (c) Fishing: The list of cruel and unnatural methods and materials used by the fishing industry is endless; for example, fish removed from water and placed on ice gasp for air for about fifteen minutes before they die. The treatment of shellfish is indeed most cruel. They are commonly boiled alive and sometimes living crabs and lobsters are cut up and the flesh is scraped out of the live creature. The Queen conch meat is removed by making a hole in the shell, inserting a blade and detaching the animal; this meat is then removed by freezing or boiling to avoid damaging the shell. Live mussels' beards are pulled off and steamed. Crabs are considered fresh if claws move when pressed between the eyes; they are often made immobile by twisting off and breaking their legs and pincers, then killed by boiling alive in salt water or court-bouillon (stock), but for better quality crab meat they are smashed between the eyes with a heavy object like a pestle. And, as sharks' fins are sliced off, they linger and die Ibid

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(d) Views/Opinions of eminent scientists/philosophers/thinkers Apart from the great philosophers and eminent thinkers of ancient Greek civilization, as mentioned in Chapter I, many other eminent philosophers, thinkers and prominent personalities from almost all the fields belonging to modern times have expressed themselves strongly against the killing of animals for one's diet on ethical ground. "He will be regarded as a benefactor of his race who shall teach man to confine himself to a more innocent diet. Whatever my own practice may be, I have no doubt that it is a part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating animals as surely as the savage tribes have left off eating each other. The faintest assured objection which one healthy man feels will at length prevail over the arguments and customs of mankind..... No human being past the thoughtless age of boyhood will wantonly murder any creature which holds its life the same tenure that he does." - Henry David Thoreau "The question is not, "Can they reason?" nor "Can they talk?", but they suffer?" - Jeremy Bentham "The time will come when people such as / will look upon the murder of (other) animals as they now look upon the murder of human beings." - Leonardo da Vinci "But for the sake of some little mouthful of flesh we deprive a soul of the sun and light, and of that proportion of life and time it had been born into the world to enjoy." - Plutarcho One of the most well known American philosophers, poets & naturalists (1817-1862) 2 Well-known English jurist, economist and philosopher (1748-1832). His pursuit of legal reforms made him one of the most influential 19th century thinkers. 3 The legendary Italian painter, sculptor, scientist and inventor (1452-1519). His painting Mona Lisa is perhaps the World's most famous. Renowned Greek philosopher, biographer and essayist (46 A.D. - 127 A.D.)

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"Let the advocate of animal food force himself to a decisive experiment of its fitness. Tear a living lamb with his teeth and plunging his head into its vitals, slake his thirst with the steaming blood; when fresh from the deed of horror let him revert to the irresistible instincts of nature that would rise in judgement against it, and say, Nature formed me for such work as this. Then, and then only, would he be consistent." - Percy Shelley "Vegetarian food leaves a deep impression on our nature. If the whole world adopts vegetarianism, it can change the destiny of humankind." - Albert Einstein "Where the strong and the weak are face to face, all the rights are on the side of the weak and the duties on the side of the strong. People say, "We have rights over animals. They are given to us for use." You have no rights over them. You have duties towards them." - Annie Besant? "To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being. I should be unwilling to take the life of a lamb for the sake of the human body. I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to the protection of man from the cruelty of man." - Mahatma Gandhi" Mahatma Gandhi "We manage to swallow flesh only because we do not think of the cruel and sinful thing we do. There are many crimes which are the creation of man himself, the wrongfulness of which is put down to their divergence from habit, custom, or tradition. But cruelty is not of these. It is a fundamental sin, and admits of no arguments or nice Rabindranath distinctions." Tagore - Rabindranath Tagore A well-known 19th Century English poet and humanist. 2 One of the most well-known scientists of 20th century (1879 - 1955) He won the Noble prize for physics in 1921. 3 English theosophist and founder of the theosophist movement in India. (1847-1933) She was also the President of Indian National Congress. 4 Hailed as the architect of India's freedom through non-violence. Also a spiritual leader (1869-1948) 5 Among the most respected and well-known Indian poets (1861-1937). He was awarded the Noble Prize in literature in 1913. Also known for devotion to peace and love.

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The long list of illustrious vegetarians also includes some most prominent names such as Albert Schweitzer, Ralph Waldo Emerson, George Bernard Shaw3, Bertrand Russel1 and Count Leo Tolstoy5. In fact, there is a very interesting story about Tolstoy. A non-vegetarian lady who was invited by him to dinner had stipulated that meat must be served. As he escorted her to the dinner table, she found a live chicken tied to her chair. When asked the meaning of this, the great man replied: "My conscience forbids me to kill it; as you are the only guest taking meat, I would be greatly obliged if you would undertake the killing first." It is reported that the meal served in the end was strictly vegetarian! Count Leo Tolstoy The endless list of the well-known present day personalities who are vegetarians include Amitabh Bacchan, India's most popular Film Star who besides being a staunch vegetarian is also a strong supporter of the movement for vegetarianism. Sir Paul Mc Cartney, Bryan Adams, Pamela Anderson and well-known Indian actresses, Juhi Chawla and Hema Malini, are few of the other well-known personalities who are vegetarians. Among some of the other most prominent Indians who were vegetarians are Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Deputy Prime Minister of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, who succeeded him and the popular former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and the Ex-President, Dr. Abdul Kalam. Among the staunchest promoters of Vegetarianism as a part of its animal welfare activities is Maneka Gandhi, the daughter-in-law of late Smt. Indira Gandhi. 1 Well-known German theologian, philosopher and musician. Recipient of Noble Peace Prize in 1953 for his humanitarian work in Africa. 2 Eminent American poet and philosopher (1803-1882) 3 One of the most famous journalists and dramatists of 20th century (1856-1950) 4 One of the most well-known philosophers, sociologists and mathematicians of the twentieth century. 5 Russia's most well-known novelist, social reformer and moral philosopher (18281910). 31

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(e) Religious / Spiritual aspect Religion is probably the most important reason that supports and protects vegetarianism in India. All the major Indian religions-Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism preach, in greater or lesser degrees, ahinsa (non-violence) and reverence for all life as the sacred principles to be adhered to in the conduct of life. Hinduism "Meat can never be obtained without injury to living creatures, and injury to sentiment beings is detrimental to the attainment of heavenly bliss: let him therefore shun the use of meat." "Having well considered the disgusting origin of flesh and the cruelty of fettering and slaying of corporeal beings, let him entirely abstain from eating flesh." - Manu -Samhita (The Vedic scripture of India) "The heart of the man that tasteth flesh turneth not towards good, even as the heart of him that is armed with steel". - Saint Tiruvalluvar A large segment of Hindu community especially the Brahmins and Vaishnavs are predominantly vegetarians. Even among the followers of Sikh religion, there is Nirankari sect which is strictly vegetarian. Among the Kshatriyas - a martial community - which mainly constituted the ruling class in Hindu community, non-vegetarian diet is quite common as it was supposed to give more strength and energy required for fighting a battle whereas by and large the Brahmins and Vaishnavs, the other major communities in Hindus involved in other trades and professions are vegetarian. As far as vegetarian food is concerned, no other country provides such a choice of exquisite vegetable cuisine as found in India. Well-known Tamil poet & sage (around 200 B.C.) 2 While Islam has forbidden pork, all sects of Hindus exclude beef on religious grounds. However, the considerations seem to be more out of respect for the tremendous services provided by the cow family including the bull. Apart from providing milk, the cowdung has been widely used for manure and due to its antiseptic properties many of the rural houses in India still use cow-dung for floor finish. Bullocks have been doing all the hard work for the rural population in India including tilling of the farms and bullock-cart is still one of the important modes of transport in villages. Undoubtedly, no other animal has served rural India more than the cow family and as such it is looked upon with reverence. It is also now well established that cow-urine has also lot of medicinal properties.

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Even in remote areas, it is common to find a vegetarian restaurant. So widespread was the belief about additional strength and vigour provided by the non-vegetarian diet that even a person like Swamy Vivekanand', the great spiritual and Hindu leader of late nineteenth century was also carried away by this notion. While admitting that taking life is undoubtedly sinful and endorsing vegetarianism, he also believed that vegetarian food did not provide enough strength and was responsible for weakening of the Hindu population in India and was one of the reasons for Hindus to have ended up on losing side against foreign invaders and suggested non-vegetarian food on this count. Apart from being a Saint, Swamy Vivekanand was also a great patriot like Mahatma Gandhi and this suggestion was perhaps made out of his intense patriotic feelings. Had he being aware of the present day research and findings, he would have undoubtedly been among the staunchest supporters of vegetarianism. Yoga and Non-Violence Yoga is an integral part of Hindu religion. Vegetarian food is strongly recommended for those who follow the path of yoga, peace and meditation. One of the necessary conditions enjoined upon the person seeking to be a yogi is the attitude and practice of non-injury. A Yogi must not think of injuring anyone, by thought, word or deed. The Vedic scriptures of India stress vegetarianism as the ethical foundation of non-violence. All Hindu religious leaders and saints have therefore followed strict vegetarian diet. Jainism "All beings are fond of themselves, they like pleasure, they hate pain, they shun destruction, they like life and want to live long. To all, life is dear; hence their life should be protected." - Lord Mahavir Lord Mahavir 101863-1902). Vivekanand's visit and lectures in Europe and the USA helped a great deal in removing many misconceptions about Hindu religion in the western world. 2 Reference :- 'Selections From The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda - Page 530, (Advaita Ashrama). Lord Mahavir (599-527 B.C.). Last (24th) of the enlightened masters of Jain religion.

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Of all the religions in India, Jainism among the most ancient religions in the World is undoubtedly the most emphatic and forthright in preaching ahimsa (non-violence) and reverence for all life including that of all animals, birds and insects. Jainism teaches that life has same sacred quality in all creatures right down to the tiny ant and vegetarianism finds explicit mention in the Jain religion. For more than a thousand years till the ninth century A.D., Jainism had a very large following in several parts of India and undoubtedly it is the influence and impact of Jainism which has resulted in vegetarian diet being lot more common and popular in many regions and communities in India among the Hindu population. In fact, in a State like Gujarat where Jain population is still significant, almost the entire Hindu community is predominantly vegetarian. Similarly, in Rajasthan too where there is sizeable Jain population, the Brahmins and Vaishnav communities in Hindus are strictly vegetarian. Special mention must also be made of Bishnoi sect in this state who are not only strict vegetarians but do their utmost to protect the birds and animals considering it their sacred duty. They also avoid cutting a tree. The popular 'Udippi' vegetarian restaurants which are so well-known in serving authentic South Indian vegetarian cuisine are owned and operated by Shetty community who are themselves strict vegetarians hailing from the State of Karnataka which is known for the famous Jain temple of Shravan Belgola. This State too had a large Jain population in the past. While fully appreciating the fact that principle of vegetarianism is most emphatic in Jainism than any other religion, in author's personal opinion the unfortunate part of this great religion is that the principal of non-killing or sanctity of life has been extended to the extreme and is supposed to cover all living organisms including those not visible to the naked eyes. Jain monks do not even use the vehicle and walk bare-footed even in extreme heat or cold. They refrain even from the use of electricity. Normal Jain food excludes even root vegetables such as potatoes, onions, carrot, ginger, garlic etc. as they are supposed to contain micro organisms not visible with naked eyes. Because of these severe restrictions and the extreme austerity practiced especially by the monks, this religion whose basic doctrines have been applauded even by the followers of other religions including eminent philosophers from Western world has remained confined to a few million followers in India only. It should be mentioned in support of root vegetables such as potatoes, onions, carrots, garlic etc. that they are the best value for money for a common man as compared to other vegetables as far as 'energy aspect' is concerned. Besides value for money, the root vegetables like carrot, garlic, ginger and onions have also lot of medicinal properties and it is certainly preferable to include them in regular diet rather than having allopathy or homeopathy medicines many of which are made out of nonvegetarian products. It is also possible to store them for a long time in normal temperature unlike other green vegetables whose shelf life is limited to a day or two unless refrigerated.

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Buddhism "He, indeed, is wise who does not hurt any creature, whether feeble or strong, who does not kill nor cause slaughter." - Lord Buddha1 Lord Buddha 'One who eats meat kills the seed of great compassion - O' Kasyapa! from now on, tell my disciples to refrain from eating any kind of meat.' - From Chapter 7 of Nirvansutra It is interesting to note that Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavir were both near contemporaries and led their spiritual lives in the same regions of India. Undoubtedly one finds so much similarity between the lives of both of them including the principles of both the religions. Like Jainism, Buddhism also strongly preaches love and respect for all creatures and also emphasizes against killing any creature and taking any life for food and for performing religious rituals. However, it is intriguing to find that while Jains are strict vegetarians a large majority of Buddhist are non-vegetarians. The reason for this sharp contrast according to Late Dr. Ramanlal C. Shah an eminent Scholar of Jainism and Buddhism, is that the Buddhist clergy while adhering to the principle of non-killing any creature and taking any life for food, did not object to nonvegetarian diet if the same was procured from the animals or birds who had died a natural death. They restricted meat eating if the same was made available by killing of any living creature. (This compromise was never made in Jainism). However, over a period of time, being used to taste of non-vegetarian diet, this distinction was soon forgotten by the followers of Buddhism and the killing of animals became a common practice for diet. It may be mentioned that of late there is an increasing trend towards vegetarianism among Buddhists and several of its followers especially those belonging to Mahayan Sect have switched over to vegetarian diet. There are large numbers of Buddhists who are vegetarians in China, Japan and other Asian countries. Judeo-Christian (Islam, Judaism and Christianity) If the lower animals, as we call them, were to formulate a religion, they might differ greatly as to the shape of the beneficent Creator, but they would nearly all agree that the devil must be very like a big white man. -William Inge 1 (563-483 B.C.). Founder of Buddhism. 2 Well-known English author and clergyman (1860-1954). Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral (1911-1934), London. 35

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There is not an animal that lives on the Earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but forms part of communities like you. Nothing have We omitted from the Book, and they all shall be gathered to their Lord in the end. - Al-Qur'an.6:38 While the kindness to all living creatures is advocated in all the religions, it may be mentioned that vegetarianism does not find explicit mention in the Judeo-Christian religions, viz. Islam!, Judaism and Christianity. The reason why vegetarianism is not explicit in the Judeo-Christian religions could be (1) the places where these religions originated viz. middle east region had vast areas under the desert and the growth of vegetables and plants was restricted e.g. Saudi Arabia where Islam originated and where the holy cities of Mecca and Medina are situated is mostly desert area. This was also true of region which constitutes present day Israel where Judaism and Christianity originated. (Only now with advances in science and technology, resulting in better irrigation facilities that the situation has improved). In contrast to this, India where Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism had their origins has tropical climate and there has always been an abundance of plants and vegetables unlike many other countries where the severe cold climate in winter restricts the availability of vegetables. It is only during later years with the improved technology of food preservation and quick transport which has made it possible to get vegetables and fruits round the year. (2) Till recently, after the research and study now has, scientifically proved beyond doubt the superiority and suitability of vegetarian diet from health angle, it was widely believed that non-vegetarian diet provided more strength and vigour due to higher protein and fat content and was considered a superior diet as compared to a vegetarian diet. However, more and more people outside the Indian sub-continent belonging to all the religions and in all parts of the world are turning to vegetarianism either due to feeling of compassion for all living creatures or for health reasons. The reasoning behind eating of pork being forbidden in Islam seems to be more for health reasons as pigs live and breed in dirty and filthy surroundings and eating its meat was obviously felt to be hazardous for health. When a particular suggestion is preached by the spiritual leaders in the name of the religion it is rigorously followed by large majority of their followers.

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Chapter VII RITUAL OF ANIMAL AND BIRD SACRIFICES PERFORMED IN THE NAME OF RELIGION "If a man lives a hundred years and engages the whole of his time and attention in religious offerings to the gods, sacrificing elephants and horses and other things, all this is not equal to one act of pure love in saving life". - Lord Buddha "All the acts of devotion will avail nothing to a man who sacrifices animals". - Kabir "It is not their flesh, nor their blood, that reaches Allah; nor yet their blood, but your devotion will reach him". - Quran 2:196; 2:28 . 35-37 "Whoever is kind to the creatures of God, is kind to himself". - The Prophet Muhammad? The practice of offering animals for sacrifices in the name of religion is still a tragic reality and common feature in our present day society. On the day of Bakri-Id, goats or sheep (or even camels in some countries) are sacrificed in large numbers as a part of their ritual tradition by Muslims in the name of religion. Over a period of time, it has become a socially imposed custom in most of the Muslim communities. (The flesh of slaughtered animals is eaten as a part of the festival). Is killing or sacrificing of innocent animals in the name of religion justified? The practice of offering animals for sacrifices to please deities was also common in ancient India among Hindus. It was the impact of teachings of Mahavira and Buddha which nearly put an end to these cruel rituals and changed the thinking of the Society. However, even now in few Hindu communities in rural areas as well as in some tribal communities, these rituals to sacrifice animals continue and are performed on certain festival days. The flesh of the animals sacrificed is eaten by many as a part of the festival. It is to the credit of Organizations like 'Beauty without Cruelty' A mystic Saint (15th century A.D.) equally revered by both the Hindus and Muslims in India. By Abdallah bin Amru, in Bukhari and Muslim collections.

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and 'Peta' that vigorous efforts are made to stop this inhuman activity in the name of religion. In this regard, especially concerning the Bakri Id festival, an article published in the Times of India, dated. April13, 1998 India's leading newspaper written by Firoz Bakht Ahmed is reproduced below. "Offering the sacrifice of the self" Eid-ul-Azha, which was celebrated last week, is also known as Eid-eQurban. The Urdu word qurban, meaning sacrifice, comes from the Arabic qurb, meaning closeness to God. This festival of sacrifice is intended to bring human beings and God closer to each other. It is also known as Eiduz-Zuha or Bakri Eid, the latter term having been coined in northern India, indicating the goat sacrifice. The true sacrifice that is offered on this occasion is not that of the symbolic goat, ram, camel or sheep, but that of one's own self. Qurbani is one of the major religious activities in Islam, and to sacrifice one's comforts and resources for those less fortunate is the basic essence of this festival. This sacrifice is also known as the Sunnat-eIbrahimi, as the tradition is traced back to the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham in the Bible). Indeed, Ibrahim belongs to three religious traditions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Each of these traditions reveres him as its ancestor; but each has a distinct understanding of what he stands for. Ibrahim was almost 90 and childless. After sustained prayers, God listened to him and blessed him with a child: Ismail. As the child grew, Ibrahim saw a dream in which Allah asked him to offer sacrifice. He sacrificed his favourite camel. But the dream came to him again. He then sacrificed all his camels. But the dream still repeated itself. Then Ibrahim understood that God wanted the sacrifice of that which he held dearest, his son Ismail. It was a near-impossible test of faith, but Ibrahim took his son away after the child had been bathed by his mother Hajra. Earlier, too, Ibrahim has been tested by God and left his devoted and pious wife and baby Ismail in an arid wasteland that had no water. The child has felt thirsty, but there was not a drop of water between the two hillocks of Safa and Marwa. She searched everywhere, without success; at length, to her amazement, she saw that a ceaseless spring of water has appeared, gushing with such force that Hajra had to say "Zam, Zam" (stop, stop). The water of this spring is as holy to Muslims as the water of the Ganga is to Hindus. Safa and Marwa became symbolic in the sense that the Haj pilgrims have to circumambulate these two hillocks. 38

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Now the knife of a father was going to slit the jugular of his only son! But Ibrahim's faith in God was unshakeable. When he asked for Ismail's consent, the child replied, "Oh father! please go ahead with God's will. I will be the fortunate one to be presented to God." Such was the boy's submission. On the way, Iblis (Satan) tried to lead Ibrahim astray, but father and son walked firm. At the sacrificial altar, the son gave his father a handkerchief to cover his eyes so that Ibrahim would not waver. As the father slashed his son's throat, the hearts of the angels in heaven were shattered. After having completed his heart-rending task, Ibrahim removed the cloth from his eyes - and what he saw was a miracle. His son Ismail was safe and sound, playing near the altar. What had been sacrified was a ram Faith had been vindicated. Through this, God had made it clear that He did not want a blood sacrifice. He wanted to test the love and steadfastness of His messenger. After this sacrifice. Ibrahim came to be known as 'Khalilullah', God's loved one. As the Surah-e-Kausar, in the Koran, says: "Fasalle le rabbeka wanhar". sacrifice is not to be made merely for one's own appeasement but for the sake of God. It is said that a sacrifice is accepted in heaven the moment it is made, even before a drop of blood falls to the earth. The revered Islamic scholar, Late Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, relates in his book - Eiden - that Eid-ul-Azha does not mean the sacrifice of animals for the satisfaction of one's ego or sense of custom. The inner sacrifice is that of one's own existence for the uplift of the needy, the weak, the aged, the downtrodden. That is the message to be learned from the example of Ibrahim and Ismail. Response to the above article : "Inner Sacrifice" I write to thank you for Mr. Firoz Bakht Ahmed's eye-opening article "Offering the sacrifice of the self" ("The Speaking Tree'. April 13). Islam is misunderstood on many counts, and the festival of sacrifice, Eid-ul-Zuha, is a case in point. Mr. Ahmed has helped us understand the real significance of the qurbani or sacrifice. In this context, I would like to offer a suggestion. If every Muslim would stop the killing of animals on the occasion and, instead, donate a sum equivalent to the price of the animal sacrificed to any charitable organization of their choice, s/he would do humanity a great service. At the same time, the inner spirit of Ibrahim's sacrifice would be preserved in the finest possible sense. R. Hoosein, Mumbai (The Times of India, April 20, 1998) 39

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Extracts from Author's letter (published in The Times of India, May 5, 1998). "A True Sacrifice" "I fully endorse Mr. R. Hoosein's views (April 20) suggesting that the ritual of animal sacrifice be replaced with that of donating a sum equivalent to the price of the animal to be sacrificed to any charitable organisation. I would say that such a gesture will be the single most important step in bringing the Muslim community closer to all other major religious communities in India especially the Hindus, Jains and Buddhists wherein killing of innocent animals in the name of religion is considered inhuman". Animal Sacrifice or Blood Orgy? Once again, Muslims around the world have "sacrificed" millions of animals in a three day period during the month of Eid-ul-Adha to please God. Sacrifice inherently means that you part with something that is very close to your heart and experience a certain degree of pain during the process. Abraham proceeded to sacrifice his son who was very close to his heart and with whom had great attachment. This act of Abraham can be seen as a spirit of true sacrifice. Today, if I say that I sacrificed an old sofa for a greater cause, I will be laughed at, since the sofa doesn't mean much to me. However, this hypothetical act of mine is not much different from someone slitting the throat of a goat to please God and call it a sacrifice, since the person has had no attachment to the goat except a few bucks that he would soon forget. I am just wondering if that is what God had in his mind when he asked us to follow a path in remembrance of Abraham's devotion to God. Today what we do on the streets of Karachi during the Eid-ul Adha is a mockery of Abraham's devotion to God. It is beyond my comprehension that our God, whom we regard as compassionate and merciful finds pleasure watching a helpless camel with one of his front legs tied off the ground and two of his hind legs so closely tied together that he becomes incapable of using those legs independently. And apart from that, his jaws are tied with a rope that he cannot even brawl. And then, a pious looking person sticks a knife into the camel's throat. The camel bleeds for tens of minutes and suffers excruciating pain until he dies. By Syed Rizvi! (Source - www.islamveg.com) Syed Rizvi is a physicist by profession and is the Founder and President of Engineers and Scientists for Animal Rights. Syed lives in Silicon Valley, California. 40

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Chapter VIII THE INTERNATIONAL VEGETARIANISM MOVEMENT Although vegetarianism does not find any explicit mention in the Christianity both in Europe and the USA which are predominantly Christian there has always been strong support for vegetarianism. This is obvious from the long list of eminent philosophers, scientists and thinkers narrated earlier. In Great Britain, vegetarianism was promoted by George Cheyne (1671-1743), a Scottish doctor. His treatise on vegetarianism was published under the title 'Essay on Regimen' in 1740. J.F. Newton's book "Return to Nature, or Defense of Vegetable Regimen' was published in 1811 & in 1847 the Vegetarian Society was founded at Manchester in Germany, Eduard Baltzer (1814-87), a German liberal, introduced the movement in Germany, and founded at Nordhausen in 1868 a "Verein von Freundender Naturlichen Lebensweise." His book 'Die Naturliche Lebensweise' reached a fourth edition. Other leading German pioneers of vegetarianism are Gustave von Struve (1805-70), author of 'Die Pflanzenkost, die Grundlage einer neuen Weltanschauung' (1869) and Theodore Hahn, author of 'Die Naturgemasse Diat' (1859) and 'Der Vegetarianismus' (1869). Among the chief French works on vegetarianism are the 'Thalysie, ou la nouvelle Existence' (1821) of Jean Antoine Gleizes (1773-1843) and 'Le Vegetarisme rationnel scientifique' (1889) of Dr. E. Bonnejoy. The early leaders of vegetarianism in America were Amos Bronson Alcott (q.v.); Sylvester Graham (1794-1851), author of 'The Science of Human Life' (1839) and Charles Lane, author of 'A Brief Practical Essay on Vegetable Diet' (1847). In the twentieth century, there has been a more organized universal movement in favour of vegetarianism. The International Vegetarian Union (IVU) was established in 1908 having its Headquarters in U.K. IVU is the apex body of the Vegetarian Societies in the world. Membership is only open to the Vegetarian Societies. The IVU organizes the World Vegetarian Congress every alternate year and gives the support for the promotion of the vegetarianism through the Society. The Indian Vegetarian Congress based in Chennai is affiliated to the IVU and has hosted 3 World Vegetarian Congresses in India. The Asian Vegetarian Union is the apex body of the Vegetarian Societies of Asia. It came into existence on the eve of the World Vegetarian Congress held in the year 1998 at Bangkok. These Societies publish guides for various cities around the world giving details of places Regimen - Prescribed course of exercise, way of life especially diet. 41

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where the vegetarian food is available. The vegetarian restaurants are now common in all major cities around the world. There is also The Indian Vegetarian Congress based at Chennai has its affiliated bodies in major Indian cities. There are also Vegan societies in several countries who also publish guides giving details of vegan food available in major international cities like New York, Paris, London, Berlin, Amsterdam etc. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is another international organization committed to promote vegetarianism as a part of their overall campaign for the Ethical Treatment to Animals. Among the other organizations promoting vegetarianism is Mumbai based Vegetarian Society (Reverence for Life). It will be of interest to note that the Ex-President of the Organisation 'Beauty Without Cruelty - India,' a Pune based Indian NGO which is solely committed to promoting non-violence towards all living animals in every aspect including the vegetarian diet is Akbar Ali Jetha, a Muslim, its Chairperson is Diana Ratnagar, a Parsee (Zoroastrian faith) and its Hon. Secy. Swamy Chetan Namito is a Hindu.

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BOOKS AUTHORED BY SHRI JASHWANT B. MEHTA I. II. III. Towards evolution of Better Democratic System for Governance for India 1. Presidential System - A Better Alternative? (English) pp - 80 2. Presidential Democracy - The Need of the Hour (English) pp - 66 3. Electoral Reforms (English) pp - 26 4. Quest for A Better Democratic Alternative (English) 2nd Edition - pp - 215 5. Pramukhiya Loktantra - Yogya Vikalp (Hindi) (Abridged) pp - 32 6. Pramukhiya Loktantra - Yogya Vikalp (Hindi) (Abridged) pp - 111 7. Pramukhiya Lokshahi - Yogya Vikalp (Gujarati) pp 110 8. Pramukhshashi Shasan Padhatti (Parichay Pustika) (Gujarati) pp-32 On Civil Engineering 1. High Rise Buildings (English) pp-212 (currently out of stock) 2. Bahumali Makanoni Samasya Parichay Pustika-(Gujarati) 2nd Edition - pp - 32 On Eye donation: 1. Eye Donation and Eye Banking in India (English) 4th Edition pp - 87 2. Chakshudan Ane Chaksubank Ni Karyavahi (Gujarati) 4th Edition - pp - 40 3. Netradaan Aur Netra Bank Ki Karya Pranali (Hindi) pp - 38 IV. Other topics 1. Vegetarianism - The Scientific & Spiritual Basis 4th Edition pp - 44 2. Shakahaar - Parichay Pustika (Gujarati) pp - 47 3. Ayodhya Entanglement-Lesson from Istanbul (3rd reprint) - pp - 16 43

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR .. An Architect and Consulting Engineer by profession obtained Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from India in 1962 and Master's Degree in Structural Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic in USA in 1964. Involved with design and construction of several residential, commercial and industrial projects. ... Active in Real Estate and Hotel Industry. * Contributed several papers and articles on Housing, Urbanisation and related topics in professional journals and other publications. Authored a book on Highrise Buildings' the first book on the subject in India (published in 1978). Presented papers on Tall Buildings in the 2nd, 4th & 5th World Congress & World Conference in Mumbai 2010 on High-Rise Buildings held at Paris, Chicago and Amsterdam in 1979, 1985 and 1995 respectively. Representative of Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat from 1983-1996. Former Executive Committee Member (1986-2000) of Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (MCHI) and Practising Engineers Architects and Town Planners Association (India) (PEATA) (1983-93). . Recipient of the Gold Medal awarded by the Institution of Valuers. Actively associated in the field of prevention and cure of blindness including eye donation and eye banking. Ex-President of Eye Bank Association of India (19982001) and is Chairman of Advisory Board and Managing Trustee of Eye Bank Coordination and Research Centre, Mumbai. Honoured by the International Federation of Eye Banks, U.S.A. in June, 1994 for "his selfless devotion to improving the future of the corneally blind of India" and also in May 2002 for "his dedication to Sight Restoration through Eye Banking," Authored a book on 'Eye Donation & Eye Banking in India'. . Among the other areas of interest is abiding passion for evolving a better democratic alternative than the current political set-up prevailing in our country. With this in view, authored a book "Quest For A Better Democratic Alternative", which has been widely acclaimed as making a substantive contribution to the debate on the issue. Also authored books on Electoral Reforms' and "Presidential System - A Better Alternative?" Convener of Forum For Presidential Democracy which aims to promote better governance for India (website : www.presidentialdemocracy.org). Several of his articles on this topic have been published in leading newspapers & magazines from time to time.

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"The animals you eat are not those who devour others; you do not eat the carnivorous beasts, you take them as your pattern. You only hunger for the sweet and gentle creatures which harm no one, which follow you, serve you, and are devoured by you as the reward of their service." -Jean-Jacques Rousseau [Famous French Poet (1671 - 1741)]