Message of Navratri in Gujarat: Go vegetarian

AHMEDABAD: ‘‘Psst....you want non-veg food, just give me a two-hour notice and it will be served upstairs,’’ said this ‘pure veg’ restaurateur of Bopal in Ahmedabad’s suburbs. The go-vegetarian agenda of the Gujarat government this Navratri has forced some hoteliers to turn green.
And none other than Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi endorsed the agenda when kick-starting Navratri on Thursday by declaring that it will be a time to showcase Gujarat’s vegetarianism.
To convince those who abstain from meat during the nine nights of Navratri to extend their vow beyond, noted garba singer Falguni Pathak who was here last week told her listeners to ‘‘go vegetarian for 365 days not just for nine’’.
This will be one of the major messages at the October 2 celebrations at Porbandar, on Gandhiji’s ideology of khadi, vegetarianism and the natural way of life. Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL) managing director D K Rao said that the festival at Porbandar will also showcase the Gandhian ideology of holistic living including vegetarianism.
‘‘We have designed a special stall which will have books on vegetarianism and a display of vegetarian foodstuff. We want to highlight the Gandhian way of non-violence through a portrayal of holistic lifestyles. It will also have stalls of ayurveda and herbal medicines,’’ he said.
After Pathak took up the cause of vegetarianism, she is now the mascot for the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an international organisation campaigning against cruelty to animals.
‘‘The 365 day pledge to be vegetarian is better for your health and for the animals too. On the ninth day of Navratri Goddess Durga kills the demon Mahisasura to wipe out evil and bring joy to the world. This Navratri wipe out meat and bring joy to the animals,’’ she said in her Ahmedabad show.