The Anuvrat Movement: Theory and Practice: Vegetarianism

As I mentioned in an earlier chapter, there were several discussions on the topic of vegetarianism with both the Indian groups - mendicants and laity. Their mixed opinions raised my curiosity and caused me to note that none of the 11 vows specifically forbids the intake of a non-vegetarian diet. In fact, one Muslim respondent from my interviews stated: "I accepted the Anuvrat [Tulsian] vows in 1966 because I did not have to compromise on my eating habits."^[109] From my informant's statement, it seems that Tulsi's decision not to interfere in anyone's diet facilitated the growth of the movement. According to the data, out of 115 Anuvratis, there are 104 vegetarians; out of 64 non-Anuvratis, there are 61 vegetarians. A similar proportion of the respondents are vegetarians irrespective of the vow status. In this way, reflects a co-relation between the dominant religion in India and the role of vegetarianism within it. Even more interesting is to find that there are seven non-vegetarian Anuvratis. The above datum thereby supports the statement made by my Muslim respondent and demonstrates Tulsi's inclusive strategy. An intriguing follow-up question would have been to what extent the non-vegetarian Anuvratis experience any pressure to eschew animal protein.