Jhatka
Jhatka or Chatka meat (Hindi झटका, Punjabi: ਝਟਕਾ jhaṭkā, from Sanskrit ghātaka "killing") is meat from an animal which has been killed by a single strike of a sword or axe to sever the head, as opposed to Jewish slaughter (shechita) or Islamic slaughter (dhabihah) in which the animal is killed by ritually slicing the throat. It has been described as the antithesis[1][2] of ritual slaughter.
This kills the animal immediately because the spinal cord is severed, and the blood flow to the brain is stopped almost instantly, causing brain death within seconds. Therefore the method is adopted as being the less painful to the animal than other methods.
Jhatka Meat and Sikhs
Jhatka is a Marshall Heritage of the Sikhs, it is the Sikh mode of killing an animal. In the Official Khalsa Code of Conduct[3] The Sikhs are recommended to eat Jhatka meat, as they do not believe any ritual gives meat a spiritual virtue (ennobles the flesh).[4][5] Another reason Sikhs do not eat halal meat is because the use of halal methods is a prerequisite for converting to Islam or Judaism.
For Sikhs Jhatka karna or Jhatkaund means to instantaneously severing the head with a single stroke of any weapon. The underlying idea is to kill the animal with the minimum of torture to it. During halal, the Islamic formula meaning "By the name of Allah.“ But for Jhatka, a Sikh while delivering the blow may utter “Sat Sri Akaal” (lit. True is the Timeless Lord), which is a Sikh war slogan, but there is No sacrifice or ritual involved in such utterance, and it is not mandatory either. During British Conquest, Jhatka was not allowed in jails and Sikh detenues during the Akali movement and after had to resort to violence and agitations to secure this right. One of the terms in the settlement between the Akalis and Muslim Unionist government in the Punjab in 1942, Jhatka was continued as Sikh Marshall Heritage.
[edit] Availability of Jhatka Meat
In India, there are many Jhatka shops, with various bylaws[6] requiring shops to display clearly that they sell Jhatka meat.
In the past, there has been little availability of Jhatka meat in the United Kingdom, so people have found themselves eating other types of meat.[7] Jhatka has become more widely available in the United Kingdom nowadays.[8].
On religious Sikh festivals, including Hola Mahalla and Vaisakhi, at the Gurdwara of Hazur Sahib, Fatehgarh Sahib and many other Sikh Gurdwara's, Jhatka is offered as Kara Parshad to all visitors in a Gurdwara. This is regarded as food blessed by the Guru and should not be refused.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jhatka
Nihang Singh.org
Jhatka or Chatka meat (Hindi झटका, Punjabi: ਝਟਕਾ jhaṭkā, from Sanskrit ghātaka "killing") is meat from an animal which has been killed by a single strike of a sword or axe to sever the head, as opposed to Jewish slaughter (shechita) or Islamic slaughter (dhabihah) in which the animal is killed by ritually slicing the throat. It has been described as the antithesis[1][2] of ritual slaughter.
This kills the animal immediately because the spinal cord is severed, and the blood flow to the brain is stopped almost instantly, causing brain death within seconds. Therefore the method is adopted as being the less painful to the animal than other methods.
Jhatka Meat and Sikhs
Jhatka is a Marshall Heritage of the Sikhs, it is the Sikh mode of killing an animal. In the Official Khalsa Code of Conduct[3] The Sikhs are recommended to eat Jhatka meat, as they do not believe any ritual gives meat a spiritual virtue (ennobles the flesh).[4][5] Another reason Sikhs do not eat halal meat is because the use of halal methods is a prerequisite for converting to Islam or Judaism.
For Sikhs Jhatka karna or Jhatkaund means to instantaneously severing the head with a single stroke of any weapon. The underlying idea is to kill the animal with the minimum of torture to it. During halal, the Islamic formula meaning "By the name of Allah.“ But for Jhatka, a Sikh while delivering the blow may utter “Sat Sri Akaal” (lit. True is the Timeless Lord), which is a Sikh war slogan, but there is No sacrifice or ritual involved in such utterance, and it is not mandatory either. During British Conquest, Jhatka was not allowed in jails and Sikh detenues during the Akali movement and after had to resort to violence and agitations to secure this right. One of the terms in the settlement between the Akalis and Muslim Unionist government in the Punjab in 1942, Jhatka was continued as Sikh Marshall Heritage.
[edit] Availability of Jhatka Meat
In India, there are many Jhatka shops, with various bylaws[6] requiring shops to display clearly that they sell Jhatka meat.
In the past, there has been little availability of Jhatka meat in the United Kingdom, so people have found themselves eating other types of meat.[7] Jhatka has become more widely available in the United Kingdom nowadays.[8].
On religious Sikh festivals, including Hola Mahalla and Vaisakhi, at the Gurdwara of Hazur Sahib, Fatehgarh Sahib and many other Sikh Gurdwara's, Jhatka is offered as Kara Parshad to all visitors in a Gurdwara. This is regarded as food blessed by the Guru and should not be refused.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jhatka
Nihang Singh.org
