Animal sacrifice: a rationalist perspective

[Guest guest]

*Dear colleagues,*

* Regarding the Nepali King's recent animal sacrifice, please

find attached the views of Pinaki Ghosh, Vice President of the Indian

Science and Rationalists Association. They have been campaigning against

ritual animal sacrifice for years. I feel that animal welfarists would do

well to join hands with them to stop the practice. There may be differences

on religion, but on this issue, both sides are striving toward the same

goal, albeit from different perspectives.*

* Thank you Pinaki for enlightening all of us.*

* Regards and best wishes,*

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*Nepal King Sacrifices 5 Animals – This News is Going to Affect Your Life

Adversely*

 

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*By Pinaki Ghosh*

 

*CEO, Writer4me Media Group and Vice President, Rationalists' Association of

India*

 

* *

 

*Here is a small task for you - ask your neighbor, colleague, teacher,

friend, girlfriend, boyfriend or spouse, which of the following recent news

items they have followed, or have been following closely:*

 

1. *Noida Arushi murder*

2. *Pachvi Pass producer Neeraj Grover murder*

3. *US Elections*

4. *IPL cricket developments*

5. *Nepal king Gyanendra slaughtering 5 animals at a temple*

 

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*I can bet 90% (or more) have been closely following items 1 through 4, but

have overlooked or forgotten the 5th news item. Why not? Most of us are

hardly bothered about who is slaughtering animals. And why should we be?

After all we are eating them every week. They dangle bloody and headless at

the neighboring meat shops in full public view, and we do not find it a

gruesome sight, because we are used to it. What's wrong if they are

slaughtered at temples for religious reasons instead of the meat-shop?

Anyways, the number of animals slaughtered at temples for religious reasons

are far fewer than those slaughtered at meat shops.*

 

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*Are you somewhat shocked at what you have read so far? Well, the above are

not my personal views. I am only summarizing the views of some citizens I

interviewed randomly before writing this article. When I tried to get the

views of some people around me, on the issue of the recent disturbing

incident of the Nepal king Gynendra sacrificing (read slaughtering) 5

animals at a Nepal temple, my observation was alarming. The general

nonchalance of people on the issue of cruelty to animals answers why animal

rights activists are a minority, whose voice is too weak to affect or move

the majority. *

 

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*Social evils are like the blood sucking leech that remains deeply rooted in

all societies, but are unfortunately never easily identified by the members

of the societies. Eradication of no social evil has been a piece of cake.

Nonchalance to social evils is almost always a result of lack of awareness.

We love to shut our senses to certain things – because we are in our comfort

zone that way.*

 

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*If we look down history, we'll notice that people have always been

comfortable following and doing things the way they are. Human beings by

default unquestioningly continue to follow what they have seen. A

microscopic section of the society actually questions the logic behind

carrying on a practice; strange though it may sound. In India people

followed the horrible practice of Sati (immolation of living women with

their dead husbands) till people like Raja Rammohan Roy intervened and

became vocal in suppressing this practice. People also believed that the

earth was flat and when Columbus established that the earth is spherical,

there were not many to buy this theory. *

 

* *

 

*Let me pick up a more recent example from India – when the High Court of

Kolkata banned the Kolkata Book Fair (one of the largest book fairs in the

world) for two consecutive years for 'causing pollution', a large majority

of Kolkatans were very unhappy with the judgment. They were used to (and

comfortable) seeing the huge fair at its traditional venue – the Maidan (a

vast patch of green at the heart of the city, which was left in ruins each

year after the fair was over). As a result a majority of Kolkatans could not

welcome the judgment. Why? Because by default we do not welcome change; and

in doing so, we drag along, old, irrational prejudices and practices that

should have been left behind long ago. *

 

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*Change is good. Any society will come to a standstill without changes. The

story of human development will get halted if things do not change. Among

other things that need to change, are social evils - one among them being

the ancient and brutal Hindu practice of animal sacrifice in the excuse of

religion. *

 

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*Social changes come with the support of laws and norms. Laws are framed by

lawmakers, but norms are social laws that come with awareness. In fact,

norms have a stronger influence on every society. Over the years, with

awareness, we have rejected irrational practices from Sati to the use of

plastic carry-bags, for good. It is high time, every member of the society

realize that the practice of animal sacrifice in the excuse of religion is

parallel to social evils of the past like Sati, Jauhar, child-marriage and

witch-burning. *

 

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*It is every Indian's duty to raise voice against animal sacrifice, if you

fancy seeing your country marching ahead and going places. You cannot afford

to ignore reacting when the Nepal monarch sacrifices 5 animals, and yet

dream that the subcontinent is developing at the speed of lightning. Wake up

to reality. Remove the notion, " how will this news affect my life? If it

does not affect me, I shall not react. " This is going to affect you for

sure. As long as these barbaric practices continue, this subcontinent is

going to be seen as a barbaric place, and investments are going to be

affected. Investments will control the economy and YOU. *

 

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*Open your mouth. Be vocal. It is your issue, and IT IS GOING TO AFFECT YOU.

*

 

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