Tamil Nadu - Chennai

World Vegetarian Day celebrated

CHENNAI: World Vegetarian Day was celebrated here on Saturday with campaigners appealing to the Central Government to declare October 2 as ‘Meat-Free Day’.

The Indian Vegetarian Congress reiterated its demand for setting apart one day of the week as ‘Vegetarian Day’ throughout the year and across the country.

It also organised various programmes, including painting, oratorical, creativity, quiz and poster contests for kindergarten, school and college students.

A cookery contest was also held for college staff and housewives.

Rajesh Jain, managing director, Hotel Deccan Days Inn and Chandan Jain, joint managing director, Vijay Chanthi Builders, distributed prizes.

Sumathi Hariharan Aiyar, Test cricketer and the country’s first woman umpire, also participated.

A seminar on ‘Be a Vegetarian-Be Healthy’ was also organised in this connection that sought to expose many myths about meat-based diets.

Delivering the key-note address, P.K. Baskar, Professor Emeritus, Dr. MGR Medical University and chairman, Baskar Dental Foundation, said the chief misconception was that non-vegetarian was high-energy cuisine and promoted athleticism, strength and stamina.

Dr. Baskar said vegetarianism was gaining popularity across the world. An estimated 10 million U.S. citizens were already staunch practitioners of vegetarianism while in the UK around 2000 persons were quitting non-vegetarian food every week, he claimed.

According to S. Vijai Kumar Bafna, general secretary of the Congress, the second phase of the organisation’s triennial golden jubilee celebrations would begin in Mumbai on January 23, 2008.

N. Tarachand Dugar, president of the Congress, also participated.

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