Many make an attempt to live more mindfully in January. Some contain no alcohol or meat—possibly both. For health reasons or because of animal welfare, environment or climate. Anita Chetan Jain (45), a rising trend for us, has been cultivating all her life because of her religion.
It belongs to Jainism, a 2500-year-old Indian religion. The exhibition “Being Jain” gives an insight into the culture and cultural treasures of Jainism. It is based on the principles of non-violence, tolerance and respect for life – this also applies to the menu. That’s why the cafe in the museum expands its vegetarian and vegan range with Jain dishes. These are specially prepared by Anita Jain – but only three to four days a week when working in the kitchen.
No living thing should suffer
“It’s important to us that no living thing suffers because of our food,” he says. Nonviolent feeding means that Jains do not eat animals not only for the big ones, but also for the very small ones. “We do it without anything growing underground,” Anita Jain explains. So in root vegetables, garlic or onions: “The smallest living things and microorganisms can be killed during harvest.” Anita Jain grew up in Mumbai, the house next door was a Jain temple: As a child she learned how to prepare food from her mother: “We cooked for monks and nuns.”
Anita Jain came to Switzerland with her husband 21 years ago after studying psychology and nutritional science. “For the first few days, I didn’t really know what to eat. There were far fewer vegetarian options back then,” she recalls. Today it’s a little less strict: “We eat vegetarian food when we go out, but we keep the tradition at home.” Anita Jain spends two hours at lunch and two hours in the evening in the kitchen to cook for her family with two teenagers. Because despite all the renunciations, food should also be varied and delicious – it is not for nothing that the Jains are considered the king of chickpeas.
And it should be fresh. “We only cook as much as we need,” says the cook. Reheated food is not served. It’s a rule from when there was no refrigerator. That’s why nothing is eaten after sunset until the morning, so that the body can digest it easily: “Actually, it’s the same as today’s intermittent fasting.”
Ethics plays a big role
The Jain group is small, six million of them live in India and are scattered around the world. They are often highly educated and often occupy leading positions in the business world. So why the exhibition in Rietberg? Jain artworks are among the important focal points of the collections. “It’s not about us all being Jains,” says Johannes Beltz, 55, co-curator and deputy director of the Rietberg Museum. It is important to deal with the values of Jains, they get on the nerves of the times: awareness, renunciation and nonviolence. “It’s about a religion, like Buddhism, where you don’t believe in a god,” Beltz says. The focus is on karma and rebirth. “It is man and his actions, not God, that can help in the path of salvation. That’s why ethics plays such a big role,” explains Beltz.
Jains also believe that everything living in nature has an immortal soul. “This is why Jains are extremely reluctant to eat anything animal,” says Beltz. Therefore, eggs are also avoided. Dairy products are allowed because it is assumed that the cows do not need to suffer for them. That’s changing, according to Beltz: “There are a lot of Jains who are switching to vegan diets because of industrial livestock.”
“Being Jain – The art and life of an Indian religion”, Museum Rietberg, Zurich, until 30 April 2023. “Ethics on the Plate” exhibition discussion moderated by religious scholar, philosopher and SRF “Sternstunden” presenter Olivia Röllin, 25 January 2023, 18:00