Synopsis: The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe every month.

They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.

In this episode, she chats with ST's India correspondent Debarshi Dasgupta. 

In December 2021, passengers boarded the Shri Ramayana Express, a special train that covers pilgrimage destinations associated with Hindu god Lord Ram over 17 nights. They were on what was billed as the "world's first train" to get a vegetarian certification. Everything served to them during the journey was vegetarian, so the pilgrims had nothing to fret about when it came to food.

Highlights (click/tap above):

01:20 World’s first vegetarian-certified food served on train in India; about the vegetarian food safety regulator Sattvik Council of India, a private initiative of entrepreneur Abhishek Biswas

04:21 Sattvik council - the meaning behind Sattvik and its diet

06:52 Demand for certified vegetarian food in India and also, around the world

14:26 Common misconception that majority of Indian population are vegetarians

16:11 When choice of being a vegetarian becomes a political issue

Produced by: Bhagyashree Garekar (bhagya@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim and Fa'izah Sani

Edited by: Hadyu Rahim & Fa'izah Sani

Follow Letter From The Bureau Podcast every first Friday of the month on our Asian Insider Podcast channel here:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8

Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/wQsB

Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/

Websites: 

https://www.moneyfm893.sg/

http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s stories: https://str.sg/whNo

Read Debarshi Dasgupta's stories: https://str.sg/wtmh

Read ST's Letters From The Bureau: https://str.sg/3xRd

Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters

---

Discover ST's special edition podcasts:

Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2

Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB

Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn

---

Discover more ST podcast series:

Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7

Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf

Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN

In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt

Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m

SG Extra: https://str.sg/wukR

#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad

ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE

Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas

Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ

Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL

Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!

#STAsianInsider

Synopsis: The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe every month.
They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.
In this episode, she chats with ST's India correspondent Debarshi Dasgupta. 
In December 2021, passengers boarded the Shri Ramayana Express, a special train that covers pilgrimage destinations associated with Hindu god Lord Ram over 17 nights. They were on what was billed as the "world's first train" to get a vegetarian certification. Everything served to them during the journey was vegetarian, so the pilgrims had nothing to fret about when it came to food.
Highlights (click/tap above):
01:20 World’s first vegetarian-certified food served on train in India; about the vegetarian food safety regulator Sattvik Council of India, a private initiative of entrepreneur Abhishek Biswas
04:21 Sattvik council - the meaning behind Sattvik and its diet
06:52 Demand for certified vegetarian food in India and also, around the world
14:26 Common misconception that majority of Indian population are vegetarians
16:11 When choice of being a vegetarian becomes a political issue
Produced by: Bhagyashree Garekar (<a href="mailto:bhagya@sph.com.sg">bhagya@sph.com.sg</a>), Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim and Fa'izah Sani
Edited by: Hadyu Rahim &amp; Fa'izah Sani
Follow Letter From The Bureau Podcast every first Friday of the month on our Asian Insider Podcast channel here:
Channel: <a href="https://str.sg/JWa7" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/JWa7&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1636193968351000&amp;usg=AOvVaw15GfZ_qM-ZN7Cgdk65e_0c">https://str.sg/JWa7</a>
Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://str.sg/JWa8" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/JWa8&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1636193968351000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2F6DAm13bwkix87ASvy9Yn">https://str.sg/JWa8</a>
Google Podcasts: <a href="https://str.sg/wQsB">https://str.sg/wQsB</a> 
Spotify: <a href="https://str.sg/JWaX" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/JWaX&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1636193968351000&amp;usg=AOvVaw378a-tmhIlfXLKgPhxIEs6">https://str.sg/JWaX</a>
SPH Awedio app: <a href="https://www.awedio.sg/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.awedio.sg/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1626404128619000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHDSssxZli9RVXvUhGQgefEXSvPRA">https://www.awedio.sg/</a>
Websites: 
<a href="https://www.moneyfm893.sg/">https://www.moneyfm893.sg/</a>
<a href="http://str.sg/stpodcasts">http://str.sg/stpodcasts</a>
Feedback to: <a href="mailto:podcast@sph.com.sg">podcast@sph.com.sg</a>
Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s stories: <a href="https://str.sg/whNo">https://str.sg/whNo</a>
Read Debarshi Dasgupta's stories: <a href="https://str.sg/wtmh">https://str.sg/wtmh</a>
<a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/authors/debarshi-dasgupta"></a>Read ST's Letters From The Bureau: <a href="https://str.sg/3xRd">https://str.sg/3xRd</a><a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/tags/letter-from-the-bureau"></a>
Register for Asian Insider newsletter: <a href="https://str.sg/stnewsletters">https://str.sg/stnewsletters</a>
---
Discover ST's special edition podcasts:
Singapore's War On Covid: <a href="https://str.sg/wuJa" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/wuJa&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2zTLz_8q0ZdvQR95QO9FNh">https://str.sg/wuJa</a>
The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: <a href="https://str.sg/wuZ2" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/wuZ2&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw382Zvz6C_iY2FtMNeui0JY">https://str.sg/wuZ2</a>
Stop Scams: <a href="https://str.sg/wuZB" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/wuZB&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0ziI9iib7FmmQ7zgrsX0Ad">https://str.sg/wuZB</a>
Invisible Asia: <a href="https://str.sg/wuZn" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/wuZn&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw151Czcq7yBuUZtxnexpi1S">https://str.sg/wuZn</a>
---
Discover more ST podcast series:
Asian Insider: <a href="https://str.sg/JWa7" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/JWa7&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2JOh0fJ088M6U4hxsGTQWv">https://str.sg/JWa7</a>
Green Pulse: <a href="https://str.sg/JWaf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/JWaf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0UDnit3AdEEndYQsUE68W-">https://str.sg/JWaf</a>
Health Check: <a href="https://str.sg/JWaN" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/JWaN&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3nA7WzijbT9l0fAML8AOS4">https://str.sg/JWaN</a>
In Your Opinion: <a href="https://str.sg/w7Qt" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/w7Qt&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1TLYy_owh-wOQOGPOAguRZ">https://str.sg/w7Qt</a>
Your Money &amp; Career: <a href="https://str.sg/wB2m" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/wB2m&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2bHSjCn3p6hhKdUksB1SCE">https://str.sg/wB2m</a>
SG Extra: <a href="https://str.sg/wukR" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/wukR&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0UzOlAtpZUiuYhs5AT2efl">https://str.sg/wukR</a>
#PopVultures: <a href="https://str.sg/JWad" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/JWad&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw02buEBEqtidDXQhjSWcwDH">https://str.sg/JWad</a>
ST Sports Talk: <a href="https://str.sg/JWRE" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/JWRE&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0HtqRq_gDQ3sliSuYX3PoB">https://str.sg/JWRE</a>
Bookmark This!: <a href="https://str.sg/JWas" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/JWas&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1wLmzoaZNqYHeu4Qfn_8QX">https://str.sg/JWas</a>
Lunch With Sumiko: <a href="https://str.sg/J6hQ" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://str.sg/J6hQ&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1OgbjGd0OhvABEvceZ-9kq">https://str.sg/J6hQ</a>
Discover ST Podcasts: <a href="http://str.sg/stpodcasts" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://str.sg/stpodcasts&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3YIf9X_O5hYI5XV1em4nrK">http://str.sg/stpodcasts</a>
Discover BT Podcasts: <a dir="ltr" href="https://bt.sg/pcPL" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bt.sg/pcPL&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1660620635408000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1znS2pOZwwA2GgWRoJHBKw">https://bt.sg/pcPL</a>
Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!
#STAsianInsider

Synopsis: Every week, get our distinct take on global issues with an Asian perspective, with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe.

Produced by podcast editor Ernest Luis, The Straits Times, SPH Media Trust.

Synopsis: Every week, get our distinct take on global issues with an Asian perspective, with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe.
Produced by podcast editor Ernest Luis, The Straits Times, SPH Media Trust.

Asian Insider

Synopsis: Every week, get our distinct take on global issues with an Asian perspective, with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe.

Produced by podcast editor Ernest Luis, The Straits Times, SPH Media Trust

Synopsis: Every week, get our distinct take on global issues with an Asian perspective, with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe.
Produced by podcast editor Ernest Luis, The Straits Times, SPH Media Trust

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