Being Vegetarian... A Struggle…

Being Vegetarian is of course a choice, but not for me. L  It has been a struggle for me since the day I choose to be a Vegetarian. I belong to a Marathi family who is damn non-vegetarian. They want non-veg at least once in a week. I was also non-vegetarian till I came across that insane incident which turned me to be a vegetarian for lifetime.

                I was just 5 years old. When I used to go my pre-school, which was about 15 minutes from my home by walk. There was a mutton shop on the way to my school. I had never noticed it before the day I saw a cute baby goat in front of that shop. That goat was complete white with only one or two black spots on its neck. It was tied to a bar with rope, was enjoying some grass. I found it very attractive and wanted to play with it right now. But I didn’t as I have to go to school. Every time I cross that shop I was getting slow to watch that cute goat. After 3-4 days when I was just passing by the shop, I saw that heart breaking incident. I heard its desperate voice. Two guys were carrying it to a wooden part. I was just frozen, unable to figure out what’s going on. I was very much scared. And then I saw they put a big knife on that innocent animal and cut it into pieces very cruelly. My vision blurred with tears to saw that innocent creature laying down in the blood. I was shocked, unable to speak a word. My school bag and water bottle fell down, which I didn’t notice. I ran back to home with all my energy while crying aloud. I hugged my grandma still sobbing and crying. Everyone at home was worried what happened to me to behave like that. After some time I told them what I seen. They tried making me comfortable. But I was just unable to forget it. That day I had high fiver. I skipped school for next two days, but after that when I had to go I didn’t dare to look at that place.

After that incident whenever I see non-veg, it reminds me of that cute innocent goat. It was enough for me to stop eating non-veg. My mother and father tried a lot to make me eat non-veg in every possible way, but I was firm. I was too small to take such a decision but somewhere in my heart I did know I just can’t do this. My parents were worried with a thought that being vegetarian will be difficult for me as I am a girl and I have to go to other’s family after marriage. And in our Maratha society especially in village area it is very common to eat non-veg, in fact you hardly found any vegetarian like me. So they tried to convince me even forced me for some years, but I won every time. It was very difficult for me to be vegetarian where I was surrounded by all non-vegetarians, some time I even skipped my meals. And now they all give up on me. For the goodness my two younger sisters also turned vegetarian. Don’t blame me; I never forced them, not any brain wash games. It just happened; they choose to follow their elder sister. May be some positivity worked. I really don’t believe to force someone to choose what they should eat and what not. It’s a personal choice.   

Again this struggle was not ended somehow. When I was about to marry, someone from my in-law’s side told me, at least I have to learn to cook non-veg. I was quite sure I won’t do that. So I decided to call my to-be husband, Prashant, and told him that it’s impossible for me to cook non-veg, better we don’t get marry. He just said, “Don’t worry; you need not to do that”. After our marriage my husband also stopped eating non-veg. Trust me, I never told him so. Again may be that positivity kind of thing worked for me. Even it is difficult for me to keep my daughter away from non-veg. I want to make this choice for her, until she becomes mature enough to take her decisions. Although they blame me that I am not giving required nutrition to my child.    

      But for my bad… recently my husband detected with type 2 diabetes. He affected with nerve damage so severe that he could hardly manage to walk continuously. He needs Vitamin B to recover. Of course the tablets and injections are there. But my in-laws think he needs to eat non-veg to get that vitamin B. I know they must be blaming me for making their son a vegetarian and weak as per their perspective. Why the hell only non-veg food has to be a major source of vitamin B.  

   Someone told that fried Bengan (Bringal) chips tastes like machhi (Fish). It is strange to know how two different things which taste very much same works differently. Machhi is good for a diabetes patient being a source of Vitamin B. They need Vitamin B to recover from the nerve damage due to high level of sugar. On the other side bengan it strictly avoided in their diet. I thought it would have been great if the both have the same vitamin type of stuff similar as well along with the taste. It would have helped me in my struggle. As I know Prashant won’t eat non-veg and I am not that willing to let him to eat.

If I would be in a situation where I will die without eating non-veg, I think I would happily die. But when it is about your loved one’s health you become weak at your determinations and perceptions. So I am… A confused human being…