Eating non-vegetarian or vegetarian food is more of a personal choice and it is absolutely inane if societies bar someone from buying a house because of their food habits. I can't believe the fact that we are actually living in the 21st century but have 18th century ideologies!

Both my wife and mother are pure vegetarians, but they have no objection to the fact that I am non-vegetarian.

Today societies are like our extended families so it's absolutely bizarre that we impose restrictions on people based on their personal choices.

Nearly 80 percent of the residents in my society are non-vegetarians but I am sure that none of the vegetarians have a problem living with them.

I think most vegetarians face a problem when it comes to the smell of non-veg food and leftovers being thrown in the building compound. In fact, that's a problem we have in our society as well.

But if people have exhaust fans in their kitchens and don't throw leftovers out of their windows, then there wouldn't be a problem.

Our society has decided to provide meshes to our kitchen windows so that people refrain from throwing the food out.

We had a Thai family living in our society who had very peculiar food habits, but such neighbours are one in a hundred.

Moreover, if you want people to switch to vegetarianism, then let them do so by choice you cant do force them. I feel that it's more to do with one's tolerance level than food habits.

Why should a non-vegetarian be treated as an outcast or why should he or she change his or her food habits to acquire a house?

No society committee has the authority to object as long as what happens behind closed doors is not criminal and unethical.

Resident of Basant Park Co-operative Housing Society, Mukesh Shahani is the treasurer of the society. He spoke to Rachana Parekh.