Selva Ganapathy, an eatery owner from Surandai in the Tenkasi district, reportedly faces harassment from officials due to a sign posted outside his establishment, “Hotel Saravana.” The sign reads, “Not made as per halal.” After a recent YouTube interview went viral, bringing the hotel into the spotlight, Ganapathy received calls from Muslim countries questioning his motives and faced some harassment.
Ganapathy intended to inform customers who follow halal dietary practices to avoid inconvenience. Instead of being praised for his transparency, he is now being pressured by authorities to remove the sign. This situation is disheartening because his efforts were meant to ensure that customers were well-informed.
When the YouTube channel asked hotel owner Selva Ganapathy about the “no halal food here” sign, he responded, “If you see our town, we will say Sivagurunatha Puram Surandai. The majority of the population is Hindu, and Muslims are very few. In our town, the hotels and butcher shops are owned by Hindus. Muslims mostly do not own shops, and very few are employed as well. We purchase full chicken ourselves, and the goat procured is butchered by my brother, who is a relative. They say that Muslims, based on their custom, chant and cut, but I am not aware of that. They say that this is their religious belief. Recently, four to five Muslim people came to eat at our shop. It seems they were from neighbouring Kadayanallur. We served them rice on banana leaves. Until then, they did not ask anything, but when we poured the curry, they asked, ‘Is it halal?’ When the curry was served, and we said it was not halal, they refused to eat. We asked them to eat, but they said, ‘No brother, we won’t eat.’ Then we asked what the issue was, and they explained that they only eat halal food and will not eat anything else. I asked them what I should do about this, and they suggested putting up a sign that the food here was not halal. Only after this did I learn about halal food; before that, I didn’t know. Immediately, I put up the signboard.”
Selva Ganapathy mentioned that he had asked the local chicken shop about their practices, and they told him that they purchase and butcher the meat themselves. Ganapathy said that it’s essential to respect other faiths by being transparent about his practices rather than misleading customers.
Selva Ganapathy emphasized that in his small town, there are no local providers of halal meat. He doesn’t want to deceive his customers, as some others might. He explained that when Muslims visit his establishment and inquire about halal options, he honestly informs them that his offerings are not halal. However, he does provide specially prepared fish for them, which they enjoy.
When the YouTuber asked if he faced any problems after putting up the sign indicating that halal food is not offered, Ganapathy revealed that he received harassment via phone calls from foreign countries for 20 consecutive nights. Selva Ganapathy said, “After putting up the signboard without assessing the situation for 15 to 20 days, phone calls will come at night untimely. There won’t be any calls during the daytime. They will say that I’m speaking from a foreign country here and there. They asked why I have put it like this. I will say that the population of Muslims in our area is few. If there are people, we can put up and prepare for them, but their population is few.
Moreover, even in the butcher shop where we purchase, no Muslims are working. So, I have put this on the signboard not to destroy their faith. Then they accepted it, saying okay.”
Selva Ganapathy also said some calls tried to incite communal conflict over the issue. Despite this, he remained unfazed, as he intended to respect others’ beliefs and be transparent with his customers.
When the YouTuber asked if he would consider buying halal meat from a Muslim shop if one were available in the area, Selva Ganapathy laughed and responded, “You’re saying that to make a purchase there, who do you think I’m buying the meat from? It’s my brother’s shop. Will I buy from my brother’s shop or… Even if they (Muslims) had a shop, I could only buy from my brother’s shop. Won’t there be a question, ‘When I have a shop here, why are you buying from there?’”
His answer, “Why should I buy from there… when I can get it from my brother?” reflected a genuine and heartfelt perspective.
A shopkeeper Thiru Selva Ganapathy from thenkasi had put up a sign board saying “Halal meat is not sold here.” This person was interviewed by Mr @directorganesan and the video became viral . Now I hear that Selva Ganapathy is being asked by authorities to remove that sign board… pic.twitter.com/lWh8NobsCI
— karthik gopinath (@karthikgnath) September 12, 2024
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