Yes. A good percentage of Indians eat meat. In fact, all Vedic Indians ate meat, beef and drank alcohol until the time of Buddha, which is considered recent for Indian civilization. In fact, even Buddha said you can eat meat if the animal was not killed specifically for you. Later on, it became fashionable by the so called or self called high castes not to eat meat. All the people that want to be associated with the high caste do not eat meat.

Source – from a book I found in Ramana Maharshi library, Tiruvannamalai.

According to the opinion prevailing among modern scholars, ritual animal sacrifice with subsequent eating of the meat was a predominant custom, and the principle of ahimsa (nonviolence) was hardly known or not respected.^[22] From: Wiki

Even though a lot of Indians in current India do not meat, there are quite a few Indians who do eat meat. Eating beef may not be so common, except in a few states in India.

Recently, I read in a local newspaper, that an Indian woman wearing the kumkum was stopped by the Israeli security at the airport, suspecting the red dot to be a bomb trigger. This was a first for me. If it were a bomb trigger, would anyone display it so prominently on the forehead.

Anyway, I have been asked one too many times as to what the red dot was on a forehead. I have been asked this question by the bums in Haight, San Francisco to the most seasoned yogis. So, I must address this.

Sometimes I am asked what it is and sometimes I am asked to clarify their understanding. I have heard way too many variations and stories. I used to get so annoyed when I was younger, when people asked me this canned question as they want to understand India at a deeper level. Especially as conversation starters by drunk men at a bus station in the US, at 10 pm in the night. In my mind I would be thinking, puhleaze, not this again. Internally I would feel like Kali with the sword where the blood is dripping, but I don’t let it show. Seriously, India and Hinduism is way more than this red dot.

I am more patient now and here is what it is, for the very last time.
This is called the kumkum, bindi or bottu.
- kumkum is a mixture of turmeric and lime.

- could mean the woman is married. Traditionally, a married hindu woman should wear this. She stops wearing kumkum at the time of death of her husband.

- represents energy of Shakti.

- to stop men from hypnotizing the women. When men look at the red dot, it is supposed to stop them from getting too close.

- sometimes, sandalwood paste is used by men. I heard that when one meditates, a lot of internal energy gets drawn up to this point, the third eye. Sandalwood is used to cool this area, so knowledge can enter.

- there are many more explanations that I don’t know.

Q. There are too many gods in Hinduism. It is confusing, no?

Yes, there are too many gods. But, it is not confusing when you get used to it. In fact, you will be glad that it is not just Sri Krishna who is The god. It simply means you have so much choice to pick and choose. They all represent various energies that you connect to at various times. No one god is superior to the other. So, you can pick a few favorites. It’s all good. 

For example, when you are meditating we can think of Narayana, whose mantra Om Namo Narayanaya fits perfectly with an inhale and exhale. It is beautiful. And then when you have to begin a task you can think of  Ganesha to remove the obstacles and then ask Hanuman to give you the strength and courage to finish what you started. It is not half as confusing as the choice for a simple sandwich. I remember vividly the first time I ordered a sandwich at Subway in the US of A, a decade back.

Me: Can I have a sandwich?
Sandwich Specialist(SS) : 6 inches or 12 inches
Me: 3 ”
SS: 6 is the smallest (wrong choice!)
Me: Oh, ok, 6″ it is
SS: What kind?
Me: With bread?
SS: White or wheat or italian or sourdough or ….?
Me: Oh, wheat please
Then it begins…
SS: Mustard? Mayo? Cheese? All veggies? Salt? Pepper? Oil? Chips with that? A drink? A cookie? Apple pie? Cash or credit? Here or to go?

Whew! See what I am talking about. I am not even getting into ordering a coffee at Starbucks.