In the world we live in today, there are activists who hope to defend the rights of animals in every possible way. Many have taken up the cause of the use of varak (pure silver foil) which is used to adorn Indian sweets and decorate idols of Indian deities. However, for many years Jains have condemned it because they believe that animal fat or skin is used to produce vark/varakh/varakh.
What is Varak?
It is an adornment item, usually made of pure silver, which is ultra-thin, brittle and easy to break. Therefore, it is usually supported with white parchment paper. They are used to decorate sweets, dates, nuts, fruits, etc. in addition to embellishing religious idols.
Why is Varak not a vegetarian?
‘Beauty Without Cruelty’, a Pune-based NGO investigated why Jains regard varak as a non-vegetarian food. According to them, the owners of the slaughterhouses select the animals (goats, sheep and cattle) that have the softest skin before slaughtering them. Their hides are immersed in infested vats for 12 days to completely de-hair them and peel off the epidermal layer. After which the skin is soaked for 30 minutes in a decoction to soften them and then left to dry. After drying, they are cut into 19cm by 15cm square pieces and shaped into sachets and stacked in booklets, which are covered in thick lambskin. Thin strips of silver are placed inside these bags before workers begin pounding the booklet with wooden mallets for three hours, ensuring that the silver inside becomes super thin and brittle, a thickness of less than a micron called ‘999’. This form of varak is then shipped to candy stores. Not only are many clueless animals slaughtered in a rage, but there also tends to be a chance that some of the meat remains on the varak.
So technically varak isn’t exactly a non-veg product, but it’s the process it has to go through that makes it non-veg. For the ideology of vegans, vegetarians and Jains to not harm animals for their own consumption and to be satisfied with all the fruits, vegetables, herds, trees and grasses that Mother Nature has to offer.
According to statistics, 12,500 animals are killed for one kg of varak and every year 30,000 kg of varak are consumed for sweets in India alone.
Jains and Varak
Ironically, the Jains, followers of the religion that believes in ahimsa (non-violence), are the biggest buyers of varak, avidly using it to decorate the statue of their deities. As well as being one of the wealthiest communities in India, it spends lavishly on extravagant sweets that are adorned by varak. However, there is a small but rapidly growing section of this community that insists on telling their candy supplier to make varak less mithais (sweets in Hindi).
saving animals
Many vegans and vegetarians have taken up this cause with active enthusiasm to ensure that no more animals are killed for a small side dish that is of no importance to varak, is bland and has no taste of its own.
If you are an animal lover and hooked on varak, you might want to reconsider before consuming it. Because non-vegetarianism is no longer about avoiding foods that are part of an animal’s anatomy, but now extends to making sure that no animal is harmed in any way to satisfy your youngest child.
