MUMBAI, INDIA, October 22, 2003: Amar Khamkar thought he had found the perfect apartment in Mumbai when the agent asked him “Is your family vegetarian?” “I was shocked,” said Mr. Khamkar, “What did that matter?” Quite a lot, the agent said, the building was reserved for vegetarians. A number of buildings, both old and new, in the city are unofficially going vegetarian. Most of Indians don’t eat beef but mutton, chicken and fish are eaten in many parts of India. In Mumbai, seafood is a favorite, particularly a pungent dried fish known as Bombay Duck. However, there is an influential minority of prosperous traders, diamond merchants and property developers, originally from Gujarat. They are often willing to pay a premium for an environment in harmony with their religious beliefs and no-meat lifestyle. “There’s an excellent market for vegetarian buildings,” says Sunil Bajaj, a Bombay broker. “It’s as simple as having a non-smoking area.”
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