The biggest myth, of course, is that India is a largely vegetarian country. For a long time, India has been “assumed”as primarily vegetarian, and particularly beef-disdaining, society. Such a representation has had obvious consequences over the last century or so, and much more recently in the openly toxic mixture of communalism and casteism. The extent of overall vegetarianism is much less than common claims and stereotypes suggest; survey estimates show that between 23% and 37% of the population of India is vegetarian. It means that more than two thirds of India in non vegetarian in is food habits.

Thus, far from being a vegetarian nation, India is a meat-eating majority nation. The notion of ‘non-vegetarian’ and the discourse around vegetarianism, then, reflect the hegemony enjoyed (thus far) by the ‘minority’ vegetarian population. Apart from Jains (nearly all vegetarian) and Sikhs (majority vegetarian), no other religious category is majority vegetarian. Hindus – by far the largest group in the population – are majority meat-eaters. This is a myth buster and moment of truth for vigilantes and meat hating minority population and being in power, it is hegemonic.

Hindus, who make up 80% of the Indian population, are major meat-eaters. Even only a quarter of the privileged, upper-caste Indians are vegetarian. At least 7% of Indians eat beef, according to government surveys. But there is evidence to show that some of the official data is considerably under-reported because beef is caught in cultural political and group identity struggles in India. Beef is not a taboo in Kerala, North East, and Tribal Population.  Muslim & Christian groups that are more than 20% of population are majorly beef eater. So the 7% beef eating population is seriously questionable.

Meat eating in India is a complex issue, with many facets. However, recent trends and figures certainly seem to indicate one thing: it is a mistake to label India as a vegetarian nation.

There’s no meat to the argument that India is a vegetarian nation.