With Eid ul Azha 2021 round the corner, criticism of Qurbani, meat-eating & everything related to it, is going to flare-up soon. Debates on benefits & harms of non-vegetarian & vegetarian food will hit the media in the coming days. It would be interesting at this stage to take a look at the culinary habits of the country’s population in general. 

The general belief that India is a vegetarian country, is the biggest Myth. 

In a 2014 nationwide survey conducted by the Office of Registrar General & Census Commissioner, it was revealed that 71% of Indians over the age of 15 are non-vegetarian. Telangana topped the list with 98.8% male & 98.6% female being meat-eaters followed by West Bengal 98.55%, Andhra Pradesh 98.25%, Odisha 97.35% & Kerala 97%. 

Among the Vegetarians, Rajasthan took the first slot with 73.2% men and 76.6% women declaring themselves to be vegetarian. Haryana with 68.5% men & 70% women took the second slot and Punjab stood third with 65.5% men & 68% women being veggies. 

New researches conducted by US-based anthropologist Balmurli Natrajan and India-based economist Suraj Jacob, have estimated that these figures on vegetarianism are probably highly over-reported because of ‘cultural & political pressures.’ People tend to under-report meat-eating, particularly beef. If these factors are taken into account, they conclude, only about 20% Indians are actual vegetarians.                      

Hindus, who make up 80% of the Indian population, are major meat-eaters. Only a third of the privileged, upper-caste Indians are vegetarian.

To cater to the huge percentage of meat-eaters, millions of Chickens, Goats & Buffalos are slaughtered everyday and no eyebrows are raised, no criticism mounted and no TV debates launched. This itself proves that the onslaught at the time of Eid ul Azha is more because of unwanted and unnatural hatred towards Islam & Muslims, than because of any love for vegetarianism.