Who decides what one eats?
A big controversy has erupted as to whether a beef festival can be held on a university campus; will it not vitiate the academic climate, will it not send wrong signals to future employers, does it not create law and order problems.These questions were not raised when a similar event took place earlier. The change obviously is the change in the context. Today, social forces are more polarised than ever before. This raises a more fundamental question of freedom that the university community and the campus are entitled to. It is indeed surprising that similar questions were not raised when university campuses were deeply involved in the separate Telangana state movement. The political parties were too happy with the students’ participation.I recall the time when the district collectors in Andhra region were openly advising sometimes even coercing the students in the universities of that region to oppose the Telangana movement.
The question one should debate is the degree of freedom of the campus, if we agree that campus is a democratic space where ideas and actions are put to constant test which in turn pushes the frontiers of societal freedoms to newer heights, then the community has the freedom to challenge the establishment and the status quo. This argument for those who are status quoists sounds radical and disturbing the peace and peaceful pursuit of knowledge. It is always difficult to define the limits of freedom. J.S. Mill in his book On Liberty talks of unrestrained freedom as a hall mark of democracy. The present dilemma of rulers is their confusion of the notion of democracy itself.
There is hardly a politician who is genuinely liberal not even of a Nehruvian kind. It is in the nature of power to prevent any challenge, it is genuine liberals who see the forces of change and welcome them. The present controversy has to be located in this broad value frame work. Who decides what people should eat or not eat? Should not individuals decide for themselves? Assuming that culturally a dominant ideology believed or imposed certain food, a time always arrives in history when it would be challenged. After all, Buddha 2,600 years ago had the courage to say that God is a non question. Freedom does mean not only freedom of religion but freedom from religion. In my very recent visit to China, several young boys and girls said that they have no religion.
It is not that China is in any anarchy. In fact, it looks as a better organized society. In India, we have had no serious renaissance, nor enlightenment which could have created better social relations rooted in equality and justice. It is such a hierarchical society that we have hierarchised even food. That one food is inferior to another food is nothing but reinforcing the superior subordinate relation. This is exactly the root of the present controversy. Osmania University is known for its long tradition of struggle. Even during my student days in the university there was a full blown confrontation with the then Chief Minister Brahmanada Reddy when he tampered with the university’s freedom.
-Professor G. Haragopal, Visiting Professor, Bangalore National Law School
It’s provocative for communities
Festivals are meant to unite people. Let’s celebrate festival of ideas... no beef or pork festival. As temples of education, Universities must act as forums for insightful academic debates on issues that lead to the advancement of intellectual scholarship and scholastic aptitude. It is unfortunate that Osmania University, which was the quintessential rallying force in the Telangana movement is in the news this time for the wrong reasons. One expects University students to celebrate festivals of ideas and provoke each other with new thoughts that seek to advance humanity but it is unfortunate that some students chose to waste their creative and critical abilities on contentious issues.
One certainly does not expect them to get mired in regressive debates over beef or pork “festivals” or on Gomata Puja. Food is an individual choice and every individual has the right to eat the choice of his/her food. This is a fundamental right of every Indian citizen and any view that challenges this is fundamentally illiberal. Article 48 of the Indian Constitution specifically aims at prohibiting the slaughter of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle and in 1977, the legislators of a unified AP drafted a law that prohibits the slaughter of cows, calves of cows and calves of She-Buffaloes. However neither the Constitution nor the law bans consumption of the meat of any such animal prohibited from slaughter. Similarly there is no ban on eating pork. Thus these “festivals” are nothing but provocations to communities whose faith prohibits or frowns at the consumption of meat of certain animals.
Food was never contentious in Hyderabad and the popularity that Haleem has during the Ramzan season among Hindus is evidence of this diversity. In fact, some restaurants prepare smaller quantities of Haleem on Saturdays during Ramzanas most Telugu Hindus do not eat meat on that day. Why then do we have such needless controversies? These “festivals” are not symbolic expressions of protest but are attempts at provoking Hindus and Muslims and further polarise them for vested political interest. The University has clarified that no permission has been granted for any festival and they are justified in not giving permission to events that have a dubious agenda.
A large number of students, who study in Osmania, irrespective of their ideological affinities, come from underprivileged sections. Their success will directly benefit the progress of their families and communities that they represent. If any community or an individual feels discriminated, the best way to protest is to build envious career for themselves and contribute to the emancipation of their communities.
University students should be protesting for better amenities to pursue quality higher education but certainly not waste their precious time in needless controversies. Finally, in India festivals are meant to bring people together in order to bridge cultural and social chasms and promote harmony amongst people. The proposed festivals in the university are antithetical to the traditional Indian notion of celebration of festivals.
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