Should Bengalis eat non-veg food during Durga Puja? What religious voices say
Durga Puja is here; the pandals are ready and so is the crowd. As West Bengal prepares for the festival’s first edition after the BJP came to power, a conversation on food choices has entered the scene.
From a self-styled godman to ideological allies of the ruling BJP, several voices have stirred the pot on food choices during Puja. While the BJP has distanced itself from the remarks, food politics is indeed a flavour this festive season.
Is there a debate, though? Institutions in Bengal closely associated with Durga Puja maintain that non-vegetarianism and the festival do not conflict. And the mutton biryani or chicken roll during pandal hopping are not festive deviance, but fully in sync with the festival’s spirit.
Pujo and non-veg: What a monk, a priest say
The Bengal-headquartered Ramakrishna Mission has a century-old tradition of organising Durga Puja, instituted by Swami Vivekananda. Many Bengalis consider the Puja at Belur Math, the Mission’s headquarters, its most pristine form.
Swami Balabhadrananda, assistant secretary of Ramakrishna Mission, told The Indian Express that neither Swamiji (Vivekananda) nor Thakur (Ramakrishna Paramhansha) said that “one should eat either non-vegetarian or only vegetarian food to proceed spiritually”.
“They never considered food habits a yardstick of spirituality or any sort of nobility. They were against forcing anyone to eat any particular thing,” the monk said.
Swami Balabhadrananda added, “So, one should eat foods which suit his or her taste and physical needs. One’s character is far more important than one’s food habits. In this context, Thakur made a very interesting remark. He said, if one eats only ‘habishyanno’ (rice with ghee), but his mind is drawn to sensual and materialistic pleasures, he can be termed the worst human being. On the other hand, if one is used to eating meat, but is devoted to God and is a good human being, he is far nearer to God than the former.”
In Ramakrishna Mission, he said, there is no food restriction for monks, students or devotees, but “sentiments are always honoured”. “Many of our monks are vegetarians, and many are non-vegetarians. One is free to choose according to one’s taste and physical conditions. What is disapproved of is overeating and forcing others to eat the same kind of food.”
Dr Jayanta Kushari is Principal of Sarbabharatiya Prachya Vidya Academy, a Kolkata-based school that trains priests to conduct Hindu rituals, including Durga Puja.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Dr Kushari said it is necessary to understand the Goddess worshipped in Durga Puja. “We are worshipping Devi Durga, the devi of Shakti. So, we have to consider Goddess Durga’s food habits. We find references to the rules of Durga Puja in three Puranas – Devi Purana, Kalika Purana and Brihannadi Keswar Purana.”
“Devi Durga accepts three types of Naibedya (offering to a deity) – Satvik, Rajasik and Tamashik. Vaishnavs and Shaivas serve vegetarian offerings, and Shaktos (followers of Hindu tradition that worships Shakti) serve non-vegetarian Naibedya,” he said.
While community Durga Pujas, called Sarbojonin, draw heavy footfall, century-old family pujas are seen as more meticulous about rituals.
The Puja at Sovabazar Rajbari, home to the clan of aristocrat Raja Rajakrishna Dev, is among the prominent family Pujas, also known as “barir pujo”.
Nandini Mitra, a member of the family, said, “Our puja starts from Krishna Navami in Pitri Paksha. Our priest performs the Puja by offering ‘habishyanno’ (rice with ghee). On Sashthi and Astami, we eat vegetarian food. But on other days, there is no rule, and you can eat veg or non-veg.” She said there was a tradition of animal sacrifice, but that has stopped now.
Swami Paramatmananda Maharaj, a religious leader often seen in TV debates, said some self-styled religious leaders are spreading misinformation. He said their denial of Sanatan Dharma’s diversity is making it “dogmatic”. “This should be strongly resisted,” he said.
How it all began
Before the BJP came to power in Bengal, then Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would play the food card at her rallies, warning that the saffron party won’t let Bengalis eat fish and meat if it came to power in Bengal. The BJP trashed the claim, and key party leaders were seen eating fish in public to counter the Trinamool narrative.
Cut to August, and the VHP, BJP’s ideological ally, issued “guidelines” for Durga Puja. One point on the list was: “A request not to take non-vegetarian food inside the mandap and not sell it outside the mandap.”
Following an uproar, the VHP issued a clarification, stressing that there is no “ban” on non-vegetarian food and adding that the VHP does not issue fatwas.
Before the uproar over the VHP’s pitch could die down, a remark by Dhirendra Krishna Shashtri, head priest of Madhya Pradesh’s Bageshwar Dham popularly known as Bageshwar Baba, stoked the row.
WATCH | Culinary Contrasts and Festive Fervor; Why Bengalis Feast on Non-Veg During Durga Puja
During a trip to Bengal, the self-styled godman urged people not to consume non-vegetarian food and alcohol during Durga Puja.
The remarks drew strong reactions from opposition parties, and state BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya had to step in. Bhattacharya said, “What you eat at home, will a sadhu determine that? Will a political party decide that? Bengalis will eat what they always have. Bengalis won’t eat fish? Bengalis won’t eat meat? Even Swami Vivekananda approved of this. Who stands above him? The Goddess Kali consumes mutton,” said the state BJP chief, the ruling party’s go-to man for defusing such controversies.
WATCH | No Non-Veg Near Durga Puja Pandals? What Kolkata Thinks Of Dhiren Shastri’s Directive
The issue, however, is not dying down. Recently, over a hundred posters in north Bengal’s Siliguri appealed to Hindus to eat biryani only from Hindu-owned shops or stalls.
The messages on the posters read, “No one is stopping you from eating Biryani, but eat it from a Hindu shop”, “buy meat from a Hindu shop” and “listen to the seller’s name before paying by QR code”. Other messages called upon “Hindus of all castes to unite” and “build a society without addiction or drugs”.
Leaders of Hindu Jagran Manch, which claimed responsibility for the posters, said they are not against any community, but want Hindu traders to benefit in the festival season.
