Tirupati Ka Laddoo Jo Khaya Woh Pachtaya, Jo Na Khaya Woh Bhi Pachtaya!
Tirupati Ka Laddoo Jo Khaya Woh Pachtaya, Jo Na Khaya Woh Bhi Pachtaya!
Tirupati Ka Laddoo Jo Khaya Woh Pachtaya, Jo Na Khaya Woh Bhi Pachtaya!
Posted on 1st October, 2024 (GMT 20:30 hrs)
CARTOON COURTESY: SATISH ACHARYA
ABSTRACT
The article critiques political and religious hypocrisy in India, focusing on the controversy surrounding the sacred Tirupati laddoos. Allegations arose that these laddoos contained animal fats, triggering a political debate between the YSR Congress Party and opposition leader Chandrababu Naidu. The Supreme Court criticized Naidu for his premature claims without concrete evidence. The broader discussion touches on cow vigilantism, Hindu nationalism, and irony in political alliances, especially involving beef exporters. It highlights contradictions in religious politics and cultural practices.
Aryan Mishra, a Class 12 student, was shot dead by cow vigilantes in Faridabad, Haryana, on August 24, 2024, after being mistaken for a cattle smuggler. The incident occurred when Aryan and his friends were returning from dinner. A group of five vigilantes (religious fanatics ignorant about their own heterogenous religious traditions) pursued their car for about 30 kilometers and fired shots, killing Aryan at a toll plaza. CCTV footage captured the chase, and all five accused are now in judicial custody. They claimed to have received “incorrect and mislead information” about cattle smugglers operating in the area.
SOURCE: Haryana student Aryan Mishra shot dead by cow vigilantes VIEW HERE ⤡ (As reported on 3rd September, 2024 ©India Today)
It is a matter of joke in this tragic state of affairs that the name of the victim is “Aryan” (Arya), a term so eulogized by the Saffron Brigade in their attempts to retreat back to the “sanatana” Bharat of the “Aryans”.
We remember what Mr. Narendra Modi (hypocritically) said about such increasing events of “cow vigilantism” in India:
India PM Narendra Modi condemns murder in cow’s name VIEW HERE ⤡ (As reported on 29th June, 2017 ©BBC)
However, his own party members are involved in such violent acts of “beef lynching” under the name of “cow protectionism” (gau raksha):
In India, Support for Lynching of Alleged Beef Eater Spurs Fears of Rising Hindu Nationalism VIEW HERE ⤡ (As reported on 5th October, 2015 ©Time)
From 2016 to 2020, there were over 140 reported incidents of cow-related vigilante violence across India, with 64 reported fatalities. The violence escalated in 2017, coinciding with a rise in Hindu nationalist politics and tougher cow protection laws. In 2018, India accounted for 10% of global cattle slaughter, despite so-called “laws” restricting it in many states. Vigilante groups often act with impunity, targeting religious minorities under the guise of cow protection.
SOURCE: Cow Protection Legislation and Vigilante Violence in India VIEW HERE ⤡ (As reported on 3rd May, 2021 ©ACLEDDATA)
Amidst all this, we have observed a recent controversial uproar regarding the Tirupati Temple’s Laddoos as allegedly containing the so-called censored “animal” components as part of the ingredients.
A lab report “confirmed” that the ghee used in making these Tirupati laddoos contained foreign fats, including beef tallow, lard, and fish oil. This sparked controversy, with Chandrababu Naidu accusing the previous/erstwhile ruling YSRCP of using such “substandard” ingredients in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The YSRCP dismissed the allegations as politically motivated, while opposition figures demanded further investigation. The issue has drawn concern from religious groups and politicians, as the laddoo is considered as a “sacred” offering at the Tirumala temple. The thing is, Mr. Naidu knew this fact in July itself, but only reported it in September— why is it the case?
SOURCE: Tirupati laddoos contain beef fat, fish oil, confirms lab report VIEW HERE ⤡ (As reported on 20th September, 2024 ©India Today)
Recently, the Supreme Court has strongly criticized Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for making public allegations about the use of animal fat in the preparation of the Tirupati laddus, which are sacred prasadam offered at the temple. The court emphasized that such statements, which could deeply affect the religious sentiments of millions, should not have been made before any official investigation was concluded.
The issue arose from claims that substandard ghee, possibly containing animal fat, had been used during the YSR Congress Party’s previous administration. Naidu’s statement was made before an official Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe was even initiated, which the court found inappropriate. The bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan remarked, “At least the Gods should be kept away from politics,” stressing that the investigation process should proceed without political interference or public speculation.
The court noted that lab tests did not conclusively support the claim that adulterated ghee had been used, and it questioned why such serious allegations were made without solid proof. The SIT investigation is ongoing, and further hearings are expected soon.
Tirupati laddu row: Nothing to show, as of now, lard was used in laddus, says Supreme Court VIEW HERE ⤡ (As reported on 30th September, 2024 ©The Hindu)
Now, what can one do about this overt “Holy Mother Cow” obsession of the Hindutvavadins?
Profaning Gomātā: Save Mother Cows From Atrocities— An SOS From The Children Of Gomātā CLICK HERE ⤡
One will be astonished to note that in the so-called “sanatana” times so hailed by the Sangh Hindutva camp, the perception of cow or the bovine species was far from being “sacred” or “holy”. Let us cite a few references to this end.
Dr. Ambedkar’s work, The Untouchables: Who Were They and Why They Became Untouchables? ⤡ (1948), mentions the following:
“…The adjective Aghnya applied to the cow in the Rig Veda means a cow that was yielding milk and therefore not fit for being killed. That the cow is venerated in the Rig Veda is of course true. But this regard and venerations of the cow are only to be expected from an agricultural community like the Indo-Aryans. This application of the utility of the cow did not prevent the Aryan from killing the cow for purposes of food. Indeed the cow was killed because the cow was regarded as sacred. As observed by Mr Kane: “It was not that the cow was not sacred in Vedic times, it was because of her sacredness that it is ordained in the Vajasaneyi Samhita that beef should be eaten.”
That the Aryans of the Rig Veda did kill cows for purposes of food and ate beef is abundantly clear from the Rig Veda itself. In Rig Veda (X. 86.14) Indra says: “They cook for one 15 plus twenty oxen”.
The Rig Veda (X.91.14) says that for Agni were sacrificed horses, bulls, oxen, barren cows and rams. From the Rig Veda (X.72.6) it appears that the cow was killed with a sword or axe. […] The correct view is that the testimony of the Satapatha Brahmana (3.1.2.21) and the Apastamba Dharma Sutra in so far as it supports the view that Hindus were against cow-killing and beef-eating, are merely exhortations against the excesses of cow-killing and not prohibitions against cow-killing.
Indeed the exhortations prove that cow-killing and eating of beef had become a common practice. That notwithstanding these exhortations cow-killing and beef-eating continued. That most often they fell on deaf ears is proved by the conduct of Yajnavalkya, the great Rishi of the Aryans. … After listening to the exhortation this is what Yajnavalkya said :
“I, for one, eat it, provided that it is tender”
That the Hindus at one time did kill cows and did eat beef is proved abundantly by the description of the Yajnas given in the Buddhist Sutras which relate to periods much later than the Vedas and the Brahmanas.” ⤡
Manusmṛti (Chapter 5/Verse 30) says: “It is not sinful to eat meat of eatable animals, for Brahmā has created both the eaters and the edibles.” ⤡
The Caraka Saṁhitā also subscribes beef-eating habits for maintaining the right and balanced lifestyle. ⤡
The Sangh’s glorious “Hindu” leader (as per their perception, though Vivekananda himself was completely against religious bigotry in any and every form) Swami Vivekananda once contended: “You will be astonished if I tell you that, according to old ceremonials, he is not a good Hindu who does not eat beef. On certain occasions, he must sacrifice a bull and eat it.” ⤡
In fact, Acarya Kshitimohan Sen argued in his book Hindu Dharma that this overt fixation with cow protection came only to tackle the growing Jaina-Buddhist influence, the latter being completely vegetarians and/or vegans (and not selective vegetarianism and/or veganism), be it beef, pork, fish, mutton, chicken etc.
See also: Hinduism and its complicated history with cows (and people who eat them) VIEW HERE ⤡ (As reported on July 17, 2017 ©The Conversation)
In connection to the previously mentioned “Tirupati Affair”, the supposed “uniformity” in Hindu prasadas (or food offerings) across the Indian subcontinent is far from being an actual reality, given that many non-vegetarian items are often served to many of the deities in many regions, which are otherwise condemned in certain other regions:
“UNIFORM VEGETARIAN FOOD CODE” FOR ALL THE “HINDUS”??? VIEW HERE ⤡ @researchgate
Since it appears that the Hindutvavadins are attempting to enforce a vegetarian food code as part of their “Hindu Rastra” project, we cannot help but take their extremism to the extreme limits. Does not the Hindutva code as it stands imply a VEGAN food code? If it does, what do we have to say regarding Veganism per se?
According to our understanding, Veganism can be countered on the basis of the following chief grounds, among others:
a) Protein Accessibility: Vegan diets may not adequately provide affordable or accessible proteins, especially for poorer populations who rely on cheap meat such as beef for the essential nutritional values.
b) Field Animal Deaths: Large-scale plant farming for vegan diets leads to the death of many wild animals and disrupts land ecosystems, making it inconsistent with the otherwise “animal rights logic”.
c) Plant-based Ethics: Veganism unfairly excludes plants from moral consideration, creating a sentience-based hierarchy of ethical evaluation, which is indeed a discriminatory framework in so far as the multilayered, coordinated ecological agency is concerned.
d) Food Privilege/Food Fascism: Veganism (that often involves the consumption of highly expensive protein supplements and “organic” foods/products only affordable by leisure class consumers) imposes certain food choices as the only legitimate ones on underprivileged communities, ignoring their holistic survival needs. This amounts to an imperative-based dictate imposed from without.
Furthermore, we, paradoxically enough, have noticed that the largest beef-exporter company in India is owned by a Hindu.
Let us delve further into this aporia.
We then abruptly came in front of Al Kabeer Exports Pvt. Ltd., (later on, we came to know that this is the largest slaughter house and beef exporting company in India is spread over nearly 400 acres in Rudrak village in Telangana state). We were more or less sure that this was owned by a Muslim.
Actually, many have been misled by the “Islamic” name of the company. A Hindu business tycoon Satish Saberwal is the owner of the company. Al Kabeer did business worth nearly Rs 650 crore per annum!
Again, more appealingly, BJP has allegedly received huge donations from the largest beef exporter company in India: Allana Group, through the unconstitutional, crony electoral bonds scheme:
Moreover, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut accused the BJP of accepting ₹550 crore from beef exporters. Raut, speaking in Aurangabad, claimed this was part of a larger effort by the BJP to gain power and influence. He emphasized the irony of the BJP’s stance on cow protection while alleging involvement with beef exporters.
BJP Took 550 Crore from beef exporters: Sanjay Raut VIEW HERE ⤡ (As reported on 14th April, 2024 ©TOI)
Ironically enough, the colour of the laddoos is always a bright saffron, thus, related to the Hindutvavadins. The question is that: it is adulterated colour or non-adulterated colour? Hope anyone may find the industrial colour of “Saffron” in laddoos!
How do we, species-beings or earthians, tackle such uncontradictory contradictions of the so-called sanatani Hindutvavadins?
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