Hindus believe that all living beings have a soul. For this reason, eating meat is frowned on. Many Hindus are lactovegetarian, (eating meat and eggs is forbidden).

Food in Hindu culture is particularly interesting. From the very preparation to sourcing of ingredients, all food preparation is first intended for the satisfaction of the gods. Almost every function or gathering must include the distribution of some food. The food is prepared under strict conditions with only the choicest of ingredients fit for the Gods. The procurement of ingredients has to be through fair means. Hindus believe in hard work for what they have. Fresh ingredients have to be sourced from clean hygienic surroundings free from pollutants and chemicals. Only the best to be offered to the gods

The Upanishads form the basis of Vedanta which is considered the culmination of the Vedas and the philosophical paradigm of Hinduism. This is therefore the base of vegetarianism, proposing ahimsa as a necessity for salvation or enlightenment. Further studies into the Upanishads and sutras invoke the concepts of virtuous self-restraint in matters of food, while the Samhitas discuss what and when certain foods are suitable.

The Bhagavat Gita includes verses on the moderation of food. Verse 6–16 explains that a yogi must neither eat too much food nor too little. In the Tirukkural verse 251 “How can one be possessed of kindness who to increase his own flesh, eats the flesh of other creatures. Hindus living with these scriptures have employed these teachings in their daily lives as well as to those around them.

Patrick Olivelle professor of Sanskrit and Hindu religion of the University of Texas stated from the Dharmashastras that people should not only cook for themselves alone but offer it first to the Gods, to the forefathers and then accept the rest as offerings. Food must be worshipped, respected, and taken with care. That being said overindulgence is shunned. Food occupies only one-third of the stomach’s capacity, one-third is left for air and the other water. According to Hindus what we eat determines not only our physical state but also our mental state. So, balancing our food is vital to a balanced mental and physical state

If you want to have a good relationship with God, then your thoughts should be of a divine nature. The food you take must be of pure nature. For this, we have the food prayer. The food prayer ensures we take what is leftover from God, this is referred to as prasad. Food first offered to the gods gets rid of three types of impurities. Impurities caused from the vessels, impurities from the foodstuff, and impurities from the cooking process.

The food prayer; Brahmarpanam Brahma Havir Brahmâgnau Brahmanahutam

Brahmaiva tena Gantavayam Brahmakarma samadhinah

The act of offering food to God, the oblation is God, By God, it is offered, into the fire of God. God is that which is to be attained, by him who performs actions, pertaining to God.

AhamVaishvanaro Bhutva

PraninamDehamashritaha

PranapanaSamayuktah

PachamyannamChaturvidham

Becoming the life fire in the bodies of living beings, mingling with the subtle breaths, I digest the four kinds of food.

We should take food with satwic (pure, serene) mind. Our ancestors always recommended the offering of food to the Gods before partaking. Food so partaken becomes prasadh (consecrated offering).

It is not possible to ensure the purity of the cooking process because we do not know what thoughts rage in the minds of the person who prepares the food.

Carl Olson talks about food offered to the Gods as considered divine and contains the blessings from them. Food thus is considered as a medium for people to connect to the Gods.

The potency of the food prayer was tested in the Brindavan Sathya Sai campus in the early 1970s. Sathya Sai Baba asked a group of students to join him for lunch. Dr. Baranowski, the Kirlian photographer was present and as the food was served onto the plates Dr. Baranowski took photos of the food, no aura was seen around the food.

Sathya Sai Baba arrived and the boys recited the food prayer before partaking in the food. This time a blue aura was seen around the food.

Reciting any food prayer pertaining to any religion is said to have the same effect on the food and those partaking in the food. Happy eating!

India, the engine of the world. India is the land of great scholars and many virtues, imbibed by all. Human values become the most important aspect of the very culture of India. Is this true for today? The very act of speaking to adults seems to be lost today.

My son who is an intern doctor chose to learn from the excellent doctors at a super specialty hospital in Bangalore. Having been raised in a very cultured and orthodox family in South Africa, it would have been easy for him to integrate into the hospital with all of their values and ethics. That was however not the case initially when he was reprimanded severely for addressing an esteemed official as Mr. Surname. Coming from the western world it is deemed polite that an older gentleman is addressed as Mr. Surname.

The gentleman insisted that the term “Sir” be used whenever he is addressed, either face to face or in any correspondence. My son was quite agasht as this was not what he was accustomed to in South Africa or more especially in the western society he was in. My son however sent an apology and the gentleman was even more upset that my son had not known this form of addressing adults.

Where would all of this respect and form of addressing adults come from? Indians are a very expressive society and this we see in the different cultures throughout India. Whether a person comes from the North or South of India each has their own set of etiquette and customs. Now however with international trade and travel, many ex-pats living in India bring their own set of customs and culture. Indians living and working abroad learn the new ways and customs and that in a way dilutes the original customs.

The custom of addressing an adult as “Sir”, especially in the south of India goes a long way before western culture invaded India. In India, it is etiquette to address adults as either Sri instead of “Mr.” or “Ji” instead of “Mrs.” Traditional ways of addressing an adult male in the north of India, would be either uncle but the cultural way would be “mama” for uncle on the mother's side, or “kaka” for uncle on the father's side. A female in north India would be addressed as “mausie” on the mother’s side or “poowa” on the father’s side.

The Indian official at the hospital brought to our notice how much Indian culture is fighting to stay alive in this ever-changing western society we are all in, in spite of the fact that we are Indians living outside of India. This brings to our focus just how important it is to retain our own individual culture.