Vegetarianism
The Tirumala Hills by Tirupathi (130km north-west of Chennai) where the world's most visited place of worship is located.
In Hinduism we have a concept known as vrata which involves making a vow to carry out certain obligations. We make these vows for various reasons but primarily because we believe the Gods will look favourably upon us or those for whom we have undertaken the obligations. In my case, someone very close to me is not in good health, so earlier this month in India I made a vow during a pilgrimage to the world's most visited place of worship, to give up meat for a year to aide with their speedy recovery. It's not the first time I've experimented with vegetarianism. During my first year at McGill I made a similar attempt only to give up after a month. I should've known better than to make do with a university meal plan that served the same stuff for non-meat eaters every single day. This time will be different. I can cook. I'm also hoping to lose some weight. It's quite the challenge. I love my meat but I love my loved one more.