Mysuru: Beef-eating marked the opening of a conference, here on Sunday.
Litterateur and thinker Prof. K.S. Bhagawan (who also tasted beef) has criticised the Centre for imposing restrictions on eating habits of the people. Terming it unconstitutional, he said that the Government cannot come in the way of what people should eat and not eat.
He was speaking after inaugurating a three-day conference and interaction programme on ‘Eating habits and freedom of the individual,’ jointly organised by Charvaka Social and Cultural Trust, Kannada and Culture Department and AVSS, at Maneyangala in Kalamandira premises, here on June 25.
The very fact that there is a discussion on eating habits itself is very unfortunate. Choosing to eat food of one’s choice is an individual’s right and to impose restrictions is against democratic rights of the individual and against the Constitution. To see that even one’s eating habits is being politicised is a sad reflection in the society today, he regretted.
‘Hindulida Vargagala Jagruti Vedike’ State President K.S. Shivaram said that nowhere in the Constitution it is mentioned that one should eat a particular kind of food. By imposing restrictions on eating habits of the people, there is a conspiracy to meddle with the Constitution, he charged.
The Pejawar Seer on the one hand hosts Iftar meet, then takes out a padayatra in Dalit colonies. However, when it comes to Krishna Math, he makes caste discrimination. This is nothing but misleading the society, he said.
Urilingapeddi Mutt Seer Sri Jnanaprakash graced the occasion. Former Mayor Purshotham presided. Thinkers Nanda Halemane and Prof. Shabbir Mustafa, Prof. Mahesh Chandra Guru, Prajna Trust President Sosale Siddaraju, H. B. Raghotham and others were present.
Beef-eating: On this occasion, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food had been arranged. The dignitaries began the programme by consuming beef. While a few ate non-vegetarian food, the rest ate vegetarian dishes.
Protest against meat-eating
Taking a strong exception to beef-eating at Kalamandira premises, a group of protesters belonging to ‘Mysuru Kannada Vedike’ staged a protest at Kuvempu Park in front of the Gun House, here on Sunday.
Kalamandira is like a temple for Art and Culture and in such a place consuming meat, brings down the dignity of the place. By hiring it to such people, the Kannada and Culture Department is trying to convert the place into a non-vegetarian hotel, they charged.
Kannada and Culture Department imposes all kinds of restrictions for those organising functions at Kalamandira including for serving of eatables. However, by giving permission to serve non-vegetarian food, it has compromised on the sanctity of the place. In order to gain cheap publicity, a few people have organised such functions, the upset activists of the Vedike charged.
Cow urine sprinkled
About 30 Yuva BJP activists staged a protest in front of Maneyangala on Monday morning condemning the eating of beef at a function held there. They sprinkled cow urine on the closed door of the auditorium to symbolically cleanse the area. Later, they tried to gherao H. Channappa, Assistant Director, Department of Kannada and Culture. However, DCP Dr. H.T. Shekar and other Police personnel arrived at the spot and pacified the agitators.
This post was published on June 27, 2017 6:48 pm