Vegetarian Living in Mumbai

Posted by Victoria Anisman-Reiner Sep 21, 2007

An article in today's International Herald-Tribune follows Shailaja Hazare, an Indian woman who lives a double life as a secret meat-eater in a religiously vegetarian building in Mumbai, India. Sound like the plot of a satirical chick flick? I thought so, too.

From the article:

Denying someone the right to move into an apartment on the grounds of caste or religious affiliation is illegal in India, but vegetarian-only homes occupy a gray area under the law. Although the government does not record numbers, vegetarian leaders say thousands of such buildings are dotted around the city. No other city in India has such a concentration of vegetarian ghettoes.

As a Canadian, the concept of hiding what one eats to avoid persecution is almost unimaginable to me. I'm interested in health and spirituality and I eat poultry two or three times a week; naturally, I've been the only meat-eater in a circle of vegans and vegetarians on at least one occasion. It's garnered comment - mostly at my invitation ("Am I the only non-vegetarian here?") - but I've never been criticised for eating what I want. So the situation in Mumbai seems almost farcical:

"The real estate agent told me 'You don't look vegetarian. You won't be able to live here', "

Pieces of eggshell swept out to her landing almost exposed her double life a few months back.

"It's like drug addiction.... You taste it, once or twice, and then you get an idea that you must have it."

International Herald-Tribune: In Mumbia, one man's meat is indeed another man's poison