Jai Shri Krishna,

Here is controversial, yet an interesting  and a mind-opening article.... 
It is a humble request for the more knowledgeable vaishnavs to throw further light on this issue.

Source:
http://www.vnn.org/world/WD9908/WD23-4573.html

The Source Of Silver Foil In Sweets


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FROM TARANGA MAGAZINE

USA, Aug 23 (VNN) - A couple of years ago, Indian Airlines, the domestic air-carrier of India had issued instructions to its suppliers to supply sweet without silverfoil called VARAKH. Do you know why?

Silver is widely used for various purposes in the market today. Silver is considered precious and its utility is enormous. The reason behind this is that silver reflects back 95% of the light energy that falls on it. The silver foils used for edible purposes is called VARAKH So what's so special about VARAKH?

This is what I would like to bring to your notice.

If you keenly observe this VARAKH under a microscope don be perturbed if you happen to see traces of blood, stools and saliva of a cattle or ox.

VARAKH is a silver foil and we have no second questions on this, but to prepare this VARAKH important parts of the CATTLE/OX is made use of.

Intestines of Cattle/OX are obtained from the slaughterhouse. This is obtained after butchering to death the cattle/ox for beef and the part, which cannot be consumed: the intestines are pulled out of the animal and handed over to the manufacturers of VARAKH. Before handing over the intestines, they are washed in the slaughterhouse to get rid of the blood and other remains on these intestines in the limited facility that is present in the slaughterhouse. We are not sure how neatly this job is carried out. Intestines are cut into small pieces and then are bound together as pages in a notebook.

A silver block is placed in the middle of these bound intestines, and the whole thing is placed in a leather bag and sealed. Experts, who know how to make VARAKH, pound the bag with wooden sticks, till the entire bag flattens out. The silver block would by this time be turned into silver foil. This Silver foil would now be separated from the intestine pack and will be placed on paper.

This is VARAKH, which reaches the market ready for use. Even staunch vegetarians, who shy away from egg, unknowingly consume this as a part of sweet, pan and arecanut. Some unknowingly consume this because of the additional taste that VARAKH provides.

Now the question is "Why the intestines of the cattle/ox? Why not something else?" The reason behind using the intestines of the cattle/ox for preparing the VARAKH is because of the elasticity of the intestines. They do not get cut even after a severe pounding.

This aspect is brought out in the magazine "Beauty without cruelty" and the Television show of Maneka Gandhi, "Heads and Tails". In India, on an average an estimate indicates that 2,75,000 kilos of "VARAKH" is consumed. Can you estimate how many cattle/ox are sacrificed for just a bit of taste?

If you are surprised as I am, after reading this article please inform as many as possible so as to ensure that we unknowingly don't consume beef.

I would like to thank the authors of this article in Taranga, a weekly magazine in Kannada, for enlightening us.

Authors: Nafiza Joseph and Shailaja N Raj.

Jai Shree Krishna

It is very much true that VARAKH is made by pounding the silver pellet between the flesh of the animal as mentioned by  Jagdish bhai as i have seen this process practically in front of me in the old city of Hyderabad, but i also want to share one more info regarding VARAKH, which is a good news, you can get VARAKH which is not made by pounding the SILVER pellet in between the flesh of the animal and it is available in varanasi, i shall try and get the exact address where it is available.

Jai Shree Krishna

Jai Shri Krishna,

Bhai, Many Thanks for this contribution and confirmation of the above. A few others have confirmed that they knew something similar about varakh and had since stopped consuming products which contained it.

Best Wishes

Jagdish

Jai shri krishna to all vaishnavs,

Jagdishbhai  you are very much right in  posting the article you have as many vaishnavs dont know of this i have known this for while and also have asked Shri Yadunathji of Kadi Kota ahemdabad and he also said to me that we should not use this as this is how it is made.

Saying that some Goswami balkos say that we can as the prosses of making varaakh has changed over the years, so as Vrajeshnbhai has stated we may be able to use it if made in different way.

I request Vrajeshnbhai if he can kindly find out more and also send address of place where we can buy this from in hydrabad, that it would be much appriciated, as we all do seva of thakorji in our house and dont want to use anything sounding vial as above.

Please can you send address as i am comming over to india and would want to purchase it for my thakorji and other vaishanvs to who i know use it here.

Thanking you very much,

Shri Madanmohanlalji ki jai,

Jsk, Hitesh.

Jai Shree Krishna

I shall post the address of the  place where the Silver varakh  is available which is made by machine here are a few web sites containing the articles of making Silver Varakh.

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/09/29/stories/2004092900150303.htm

http://www.srikrishnasweets.com/aboutSKS_strategicAdvantage.asp

http://www.jainworld.com/jainbooks/images/20/UNIVERSAL_DECLARATION_OF_TH.htm

http://members.tripod.com/~bwcindia/work.htm

Hitesh Bhai give me a days time to get the address.

Jai Shree Krishna

Vrajesh

Jai shri krishna to all vaishnavs,

Thanking you very much Vrajeshnbhai, i await eagerly for your post on address on where to get varaakh from.

As you as well know that it shall be needed in samagris made in shitkal which is very near, aspecially Shohaag-Soonth.

Also one more thing bhai can you also find out if there is 24ct gold varaakh available from these place too as that is needed in the samagri too.

Again i thank you very much for your efforts in finding out the addresses for all of us.

Shri Madanmohanlalji ki jai,

Jsk, Hitesh.