Kerala, where people have been protesting with beef festivals every time there is a lynching over the question of beef, and where a large number of people spoke out against the union government’s notification on cattle slaughter rules, is the home of a new drive: This time, it’s the RSS that’s on a campaign mode, unsurprisingly, for cow protection.
A handbook titled Madangam Gramathilekk, Gowilekku, Krishiyilekku, Prakrithiyilekku (Let’s return to the village, the cow, farming and nature) has been brought out by RSS Kerala for sensitising people on the need of protecting cows.
“Beef Eating Makes People Sick”
The book insinuates that beef eating makes people fall sick, claiming that the only people who have benefited from beef festivals are drug manufacturing companies. It says:
The turn-over of the drug manufacturing companies in the country in 1948 was Rs 12 crore. It rose to Rs 300 crore in 1971, and in 1990-91, the price of drugs sold across the country was to the tune of Rs 4,300 crore.
Also mentioned in the book:
Kerala, which is the land of people who eat beef the most in Bharatham, has now become patients’ own land. Hospitals have flourished like mushrooms and are still houseful.
What’s more, it even goes to the conclusion that the greed for beef is the cause for the ‘distress that we are going through now.’
Claims Made in the RSS Manual
Apart from sensitising on beef eating, it is an attempt to make one aware of cow protection. It is not that we oppose eating of beef, but there are certain issues one should be aware of.RSS Source to TNM
So what exactly are these issues?
Some of the Issues the Book Raises:
- Red meat causes colorectal cancer: As per American Institute for Cancer Research, the book says, the use of red meat increases the chance of contracting bowel cancer.
- The fat in the meat may cause plaques in the blood vessels to heart, and hence to hemorrhage and to stroke.
- Beef eating also increases the chance for type 2 diabetes.
It also goes into ‘cultural’ reasons for not eating beef. The book adds:
As per the report of the National Commission appointed by the union government in 2002, beef is not the cultural food of Islam, considering the fact that beef is not available in plenty in Saudi Arabia. There is legislation in England against selecting butcher as people’s representatives.
Then how did beef eating become a habit in India? Well, when in doubt, blame the British.
The book claims:
The British East India Company brought a new education system to India and taught us that Aryans used to eat beef. Before 1760, there was no slaughter house in India. Before this period, drinking, prostitution, and killing of cows were considered as sins in India.
With quotes by Swami Vivekananda, Amritanandamayi, and even the life experiences of Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro, the book stresses on the need to protect cows, and on their importance in human lives.
(This story was originally published on The News Minute and has been republished with permission)
(We all love to express ourselves, but how often do we do it in our mother tongue? Here's your chance! This Independence Day, khul ke bol with BOL – Love your Bhasha. Sing, write, perform, spew poetry – whatever you like – in your mother tongue. Send us your BOL at bol@thequint.com or WhatsApp it to 9910181818.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)