[Reader-list] Re: slaughterhouse research

[ritika at sarai.net]

Dear Rustam,

Apologies for delay in replying. Just got caught up. Thanx for a
thoughtful reply to my work.

> I don't think any newbie wanting to do some environment related work
will not be scanning through DTE. I have definitely read the article and
had also gotten in touch with Nidhi (who had written the article).

>>Well, the work began with the my understanding (which i must admit was
cursory)of the notion of 'cleanliness and associated perception of
nuisance', however, as u have also pointed out, my thought process was
getting very predicatable.
That is - in your words: Brahiminism (higher;vegetarian;holy) v Dalit
(lower;non-veg;untouchable)
So as of now i don't really know what all am i going to say with the
material that i have generated.

>>>I am reading kancha Illaiya's work and will write soon about it on my
blog as well.

>>>> Regarding your suggestion on tracing the ecological footprints of
Delhi's meat consumption: must admit that i had been thinking on the
same lines, but was a bit apprehensive of whether it would be worth
it. But Thanx for putting my thinking on track....:)

>>>>>I have been thinking of having some long interviews with almost all
types of people who are involved with this trade.

Will keep everybody on the list posted,
Thanx

ritika

Dear Ritika,
>
> Have been reading some of your mails on your Slaughter
> House Mails on the Sarai list.
>
> I am Rustam Vania. I work for the Centre for Science
> and Environment, based in Bangalore.
>
> Some thoughts and ideas based on your work:
>
> 1. I guess you must have seen the report in Down To
> Earth - Aug 15/2003, on slaughter houses in Aligarh.
>
> 2. I was wondering if you were looking at the issue of
> being 'clean/unclean' in the context of Caste and the
> spatial aspect of settlements.
>
> Brahiminism (higher;vegetarian;holy) v Dalit
> (lower;non-veg;untouchable). Most of the lower castes,
> some kshatriyas and non-hindus (muslims, christians,
> parsees, Sikhs) are the ones who deal with the
> production and trade of animal and animal parts.
>
> There is an interesting account of Markets and Economy
> of a village by Kanchan Illaiah in his book 'Why am I
> not a Hindu'.
>
> 3. Though 'factory farming' is yet to arrive in the
> manner it is practised in the developed world..but we
> are getting there. In the context of the book
> 'Nature's Metropolis – Chicago and the Great West' it
> would be fascinating to look at the ecological
> footprint of the meat demand of a city like Delhi on
> hinterland..say for example on the productive
> grasslands of arid rajasthan..tracing 'animal routes'
> to the city. Western India has had a very productive
> and intensive animal husbandry economy thanks to its
> unique arid grassland ecology.
>
> 4. Point number 2 is usually disscussed passionately
> by advocates of vegetarianism and new age right wing
> saffronised/sanskritised NRI 'greenies' , ignoring the
> landless lower castes (rural producers), while point
> number 3 is used by the the animal welfarists to
> oppose meat eating on the grounds of ethics and
> morality.
>
> The truth lies somewhere in between and cannot be
> reduced to such simplistic notions of right and wrong.
>
>
>
>
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