With the citizens gearing up to celebrate the New Year with picnicking and delicious food, a group of people on Sunday urged people to avoid non-vegetarian food, which leads to killing of thousands of animals and birds.
Citizens from different religious groups, social organisations and intellectual class gathered at Elbert Ekka Chowk to highlight the ill-effects of consuming non-vegetarian food.
They also recited Gayatri Mantra, Navkar mantra and Japuji Sahib for peace of the soul of animals and birds who would be killed for consumption in the coming days.
“We appeal to people not to welcome the New Year with meat and liquor but with bhajan, satsang and delicious vegetarian food,” said a participant and employee of Birsa Agriculture University Pankaj Vatsal. The participants also highlighted the fact that consuming non-vegetarian food accentuates the factors causing stress, diabetes, blood pressure and even cancer in humans. While referring to researches, Suresh Chandra Bothra president of All India Jain Minority cell Jharkhand unit stated that during slaying brain of birds and animals release large amount of stress-related hormone which reaches their tissues. He added eating their meat consequently leads of consumption of harmful stress hormones.
Speakers also pointed out that about 100 crores birds and animals would be slaughtered on December 31 and January 1 in the world.
They stated the programme has all the more relevance for Jharkhand as according to Government of India report 2014, around 97 percent of population in state is non-vegetarian. They added that state has one of the largest percentages of non-vegetarian population in country.
The participants also appealed for a ban on liquor consumption and sacrifice of animals and birds at religious places during the New Year. They pointed out that intoxication leads to accidents and fights during New Year celebrations.
The programme was organised jointly by Adhyatma Foundation and Jain Samaj. Among the participants were president of Federation of Jharkhand Chambers of Commerce and Industries Deepak Maru, swami Divyagyan and professor Harminderveer Singh.
