In his letter under the
headline "Vegetarianism and Humanity" which appeared in The
Island of 19 November, Betram Perera has stated; "to say that Mahathma
Gandhi was a born vegetarian is an overstatement. As a baby, he would have
been fed on milk and later, eggs. Flesh would have been introduced when he
was a boy. It was in adult life that he came out with the pronouncement on
judging the moral progress of a nation by the way it treats its animals."
Betram Perera’s presumption is wrong. Gandhi was from Gujarat. His parents
were strict vegetarians, as were almost all the Hindus of Gujarat. They
did not eat meat, fish or eggs. Gandhi was never fed meat or eggs by his
mother.
Even Brahmin priests like curd as they consider it to be a vegetarian
item of food. Even Brahmin priests consume milk and milk products. Hindus
offer milk to their deities in their temples. Mahathma Gandhi was a born
vegetarian.
S. Arulthason,
Colombo 4.
Copyright©Upali Newspapers Limited.
Hosted by
