Why freedom of religion is important in India?

India is home to people following different religions and having different faiths. As per the census of India 2001, there are 6,639,626 people who follow other religions apart from the six major religions which are Hinduism, Jainism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Christianity.

There are various divisions within a religion, for example, amongst Islam there are Shias, Sunnis, Hanafis and among Jains, there are the Digambara and Svetambara divisions. Divisions within a religion follow a different faith from other divisions by following different customs, practices, and traditions. So with such a diverse population, following different religions and beliefs, it becomes necessary to protect and secure rights regarding faith of each and every religion. Therefore, in India, legal rights are provided  like the right to worship; right to visit religious places (like temple, mosque, church) to follow their faith and religion but it is subject to certain restrictions prescribed in the Constitution.

Revolt from the past on the violation of Freedom of Religion

It is evident from the past that Indians have been sensitive regarding their religious beliefs and customs. Whenever a foreign ruler tried to interfere with the people’s customs or religious practices, they became disgruntled and revolted. Even the immediate cause behind the Revolt of 1857 (the First War of Independence) was that Mangal Pandey was forced to act against his religious beliefs. He was forced to pull off the cartridge of the gun from his mouth which was believed to be greased with  a mixture of cow and pig lard. In Hinduism, cows are worshipped like ‘mother’ whereas Muslims believe pigs are impure, they not only avoid to pronounce pig but also consider it as a sin to think about pig. When Britishers disrespected their faith, it became a serious cause of revolt and led people to revolt against the British Raj.

Indians are still the same when it comes to their faith and religion. Their religious sentiments are one of the most important concerns in their life. Even now if anyone messes up with their religion and culture, they consider it as their duty to protect their religion and get the accused punished for it. But it is not necessary that every act against someone’s faith and belief is wrong in the eyes of law. There may be instances where people’s religious sentiments are hurt without any legal wrong. Therefore, giving freedom of religion not only becomes necessary for securing the religious rights of people but also to define the scope of what could be considered as a legal wrong against  religion.

What is the relation between Secularism and Freedom of Religion in India?

In 1976, by the 42nd Constitutional amendment word ‘secular’ was added to the preamble of the Constitution. India being a secular state, is a no state religion which means that it follows no particular religion.

What is Secularism?

In Ahmedabad St. Xavier’s College v. State of Gujarat, the Supreme Court held that Secularism neither means anti-god nor pro-god. It just ensures that no one is differentiated on the basis of religion eliminating the concept of God in matters of the state.

While dealing with the concept of  ‘secularism’ in detail, the Supreme Court in S.R Bommai v. Union of India explained that under the Constitution, secularism does not mean an atheist society but a heterogeneous society providing equal status to all religions without favoring or discriminating against any one.

How India’s stance on freedom of Religion differs from the US?

Both India and the US are the secular countries. But, there exists a major difference between the concept of ‘secularism’ followed by both the countries.

What is that difference in the concept of Secularism?

Paresh Raval’s dialogue from Oh My God movie, “Mai sab dharmon ka aadar karta hoon aur kisi bhi dharam mein maanta nahin” which means that “I respect all religions and I don’t believe in any religion”. It defines the difference in approach of India and US towards the religion. The first part of the dialogue depicts the position of India where the principle of “Sarva Dharma Sambhava” which means “equal respect for all religions” whereas the second part of the dialogue represents the US ideology which has drawn a line between religion and state. In the US, the State works independent of religion and there exists a wall of separation between the Church and the State.

Which provisions under the Indian Constitution guarantee freedom of religion?

Articles 25 to 28 in the Constitution of India provide the right to freedom of religion.

Article 25

In Ratilal Panachand Gandhi v. State of Bombay, the Supreme Court stated that Article 25 guarantees every person (not only citizens) the freedom of conscience and right to freely profess, practise and propagate religion imposed with certain restrictions by the State. These restrictions are:

1. Public order, morality and health and other provisions of the Constitution (Clause 1 of Article 25).
2. Laws relating to or restricting any economic, financial, political, or other secular activities associated with religious practices. (Clause 2(a) of Article 25).
3. Social welfare and reform that might interfere with religious practices.

Is it necessary that freedom of conscience is always related to religion?

No, freedom of conscience need not necessarily be connected with any particular religion or faith in God. It includes that the right of a person shall not be converted into another man’s religion or belief in any religion at all.

What does profess, practice and propagate mean?

The court in Stainislaus Rev v. State of MP explained that freedom of ‘profession’ means the right of the believer to state his creed in public whereas freedom of ‘practice’ means his right to give expression in forms of private and public worship. The court also explained that the right to propagate one’s religion means the right to communicate a person’s beliefs to another person or to expose the tenets of that faith, but shall not include the right to ‘convert’ another person to the former’s faith. In the Commissioner Hindu Religious Endowments Madras v. Sri L T Swamiar of Sri Shriur Matt, the Court held that ‘profess’ means ‘right to freely declare of one’s faith”.

Does Article 25 protect the performance of every religious practice?

No, Article 25 only protect those practices which are integral parts of a religion. It is the duty of the court to decide whether a practice is an essential practice or not depending on the evidence formulated by the conscience of the community and the tenets of the religion.

• Some of the religious practices which were held essential by the Court:

1. In Mohd. Hanif Quareshi v. State of Bihar: In Hinduism, worshipping of an image or idol.
2. In Sarwar Husain v. Addl. Judge: Muslims offering prayers at a public mosque.

• Some of the religious practices which were held not essential by the Court:

1. In Mohd. Hanif Quareshi v. State of Bihar: The sacrifice of a cow in the Muslim religion.
2. In Sarup Singh Sardar v. State of Punjab: The right to elect members to a committee for the administration of a Gurudwara property amongst Sikhs.
3. In Lily Thomas v. Union of India: A Hindu male marrying a second wife after conversion while first spouse living.
4. In Nirmal Kumar Sikdar v. Chief Electroal Officer: Prohibiting photographs of a woman to be taken for electoral purposes in Islam.

Article 26

Article 26 guarantees the following rights to a religious denomination with subject to public order, morality, and health:

1. To establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes.
2. To manage its own affairs in matters of religion.
3. To own, acquire and administer both movable and immovable property in accordance with law.

What is a Religious Denomination?

As the Constitution of India does not define religious denomination, judicial pronouncements are to be considered for understanding what qualifies as a religious denomination. In SP Mittal v. Union of India, the apex court laid down three conditions that need to be fulfilled by a religious denomination:

1. Collection of Individuals having a common faith.
2. A common organization.
3. Designation by a distinctive name.

Examples of religious denomination

In Hinduism, there is Shaivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism, etc. as common denominations. In Islam, Shia and Sunni are the two well-known denominations.

Sects or sub-sects of a religion

The denomination can also be used for forming sect or sub-sect of a religion designated by a distinctive name. Examples of sects or sub-sects which are a religious denomination:

1. Vaishnavism sect in Hinduism.
2. Ramakrishna Math or Ramakrishna Mission.
3. Shia, Hanafi and Chishti sects in Mohammedan law.
4. Ananda Marg.

Examples of sects or sub-sects which are not a religious denomination:

1. Aurobindo Society.
2. Followers of Ayyappa

Article 27

Article 27 protects a person from forceful payment of taxes and proceeds which are for the promotion or maintenance of any particular religion or religious denomination.

Is Article 27 equally applicable to the fees charged by the Government for maintenance of religious institutions?

No. The Supreme Court in the Commissioner Hindu Religious Endowments Madras v. Sri L T Swamiar of Sri Shriur Matt stated that Article 27 does not prohibit the State from charging fees for regulating the secular administration of religious institutions in the country.

Article 28

Article 28 provides freedom from any religious instruction in educational institutions which are maintained completely out of State funds. This article is not applicable to an educational institution if it is administered by the State, but was established under any endowment or trust requiring certain religious instruction to be imparted in that institution. This article also protects a person from taking part in any religious instruction or attending any religious worship which may be conducted in an institution recognized by State or receiving aid from State funds unless his guardian has consented.

Are moral instructions also prohibited under Article 28?

No. In Nambudripad Kidangazhi v. State of Madras, it was held that moral instructions are not prohibited. The court said that Article 28 only restricts religious and not moral education if it has no relation with any religious denomination.

Will an institution be considered ‘wholly maintained out of state funds’ if it receives fees apart from State grants?

Yes. In D.A.V. College v. State of Punjab, Supreme Court ruled out that even though an institution might be receiving fees for affiliation or holding examinations, it may be considered ‘wholly maintained out of State funds’ if it is receiving grants for its expenditure.  

Major judicial pronouncements on Freedom of Religion

• Bijoe Emmanuel and Ors. v. State of Kerala

In this case, three children of Jehovah’s Witnesses sect were suspended from the school as they refused to sing the national anthem claiming that it is against the tenets of their faith. The court held that expulsion is violative of fundamental rights and the right to freedom of religion.

• Acharya Jagdishwaranand v. Commissioner of Police, Calcutta

The Court held that Ananda Marga is not a separate religion but a religious denomination. And, the performance of Tandava on public streets is not an essential practice of Ananda Marga.

M. Ismail Faruqui v. Union of India

The apex court held that the mosque is not an essential practice of Islam and a Muslim can offer namaz (prayer) anywhere even in the open.

• Ramji Lal Modi v. State of UP

Petitioner challenged the validity of Section 295 of IPC which penalized the act or attempt of insult of a religion or religious beliefs of a class of citizens. The Court held that Section 295 is consistent with Article 25 and held it to be constitutional.

• Raja Birakishore v. State of Orissa

The validity of the Jagannath Temple Act, 1954 was challenged as it enacted provisions to manage the affairs of Puri temple on the grounds that it is being violative of Article 26. The court held that the Act only regulated the secular aspect of seva puja, therefore, it is not being violative of Article 26.

• The Durgah Committee Ajmer v. Syed Hussain Ali and Others

The petitioners contended that Durgah Khwaja Saheb Act, 1955 violated Article 25 and 26 which provided for the appointment of Hanafi Muslims as members of Committee none of them belonging to the Chishti sect. The Court held that the Chishti sect is a religious denomination but the act does not violate the right to freedom of religion as Chishti Sufis never had the right to manage the Durgah endowment.

Sabarimala Verdict and Freedom of Religion

In 2017, a PIL was filed under Article 32 by the petitioners challenging the practice followed in Sabarimala temple which did not allow the entry of women from the age group of 10-50 years. A constitutional bench was set up in 2018 which held that the practice was unconstitutional and uplifted the ban on entry of women stating that followers of Ayyappa do not form a separate religious denomination but are Hindus only and, such a ban is not an essential practice of the religion.

Has Sabarimala Judgment encroached the Freedom of Religion?

From the inception of Article 25 and 26 in the Constitution of India, the power of deciding whether a practice is essential to a religion or not was only with the court. In the Sabarimala judgment, the court exercised its power and decided against the old and rudimentary practice which holds no value in today’s society. India is developing and such practices which are gender biased, considering menstruating females to be impure have no place in the society.

Though the Sabarimala verdict has opened pandora’s box giving rise to a number of applications challenging practices which are biased mostly against women. The court has not been at fault in deciding in favor of women as the old custom was violative of right to equality and was arbitrary in nature. The court held the practice unconstitutional.  

What is the current position of Freedom of Religion in India?

Currently, in India, the restriction of morality which was earlier of societal morality has changed into Constitutional Morality. But, this term is nowhere mentioned in the constitution. ‘Constitutional Morality’ is a judiciary invented term which gives too much power in the hands of the judiciary. Already, the doctrine of basic structure has left too much power in the hands of the judiciary to interpret the constitution and decide anything as basic structure according to their discretion as there is no strict formula for deciding the same. If all the past decided cases applying constitutional morality are analyzed, it can be inferred that it is trying to adapt the country to the present norms giving supremacy to ‘live with dignity’. Whether its declaration of Section 377 of IPC as unconstitutional or Sabarimala Judgment striking down the old practice of not allowing woman, constitutional morality is trying to uplift the society. The fact still remains the same that the court has a huge discretion of power in deciding cases. It is said: “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It would be interesting to note how the court is going to exercise the power it has got under Constitutional Morality’.

Conclusion

India being a secular state provides equal protection to all the religions. Equal protection does not mean that it always aids and promotes its citizens to follow a religion and its practice, but at times it means to interfere and bring positive reforms for the betterment of the society. A question which recent judgments have raised is whether it is necessary for the court to decide the constitutionality of a practice merely to establish a right even when it does not hurt a majority section of the society.

This new wave of modernism and feminism has set a trend of questioning customs to establish and showcase the right to equality available to us as a fundamental right. Though fighting for your right is not wrong, interfering in religious matters just to establish a right and hurting religious sentiments of certain followers is not something which a secular state should do. Unless there is grave harm which affects a section, faith and beliefs of the followers should not be hurt. For example, in many places, there is followed a practice of keeping menstruating girls away from the home and this practice took away the life a girl who was forced to stay in the hut due to her periods during Cyclone Ganja. Such practices need to be scrapped off no matter how many sentiments are hurt but at the same time when a temple which neither allows the entry of a man nor of woman then there need not be interference of the State to ensure the right to freedom of religion.

For us to recall events, facts or processes, we have to commit them to memory. The process of forming a memory involves encoding, storing, retaining and subsequently recalling information and past experiences.

Cognitive psychologist Margaret W. Matlin has described memory as the “process of retaining information over time.” Others have defined it as the ability to use our past experiences to determine our future path.

When they are asked to define memory, most people think of studying for a test or recalling where we put the car keys. However, memory is essential in our everyday lives. We would not be able to function in the present or move forward without relying on our memory.

How we form memories

The process of encoding a memory begins when we are born and occurs continuously. For something to become a memory, it must first be picked up by one or more of our senses. A memory starts off in short-term storage. We learn how to tie our shoe, for example. Once we have the process down, it goes into our long-term memory and we can do it without consciously thinking about the steps involved.

Important memories typically move from short-term memory to long-term memory. The transfer of information to long-term memory for more permanent storage can be happen in several steps. Information can be committed to long-term memory through repetition — such as studying for a test or repeatedly taking steps until walking can be performed without thinking — or associating it with other previously acquired knowledge, like remembering a new acquaintance Mrs. Emerald by associating her name with an image of the green jewel.

Motivation is also a consideration, in that information relating to something that you have a keen interest in is more likely to be stored in your long-term memory. That’s why someone might be able to recall the stats of a favorite baseball player years after he has retired or where a favorite pair of shoes was purchased.

We are typically not aware of what is in our memory until we need to use that bit of information. Then we use the process of retrieval to bring it to the forefront when we need to use it. Again, much of this recall happens without having concentrate on it — particularly with common tasks such as shoe tying — but there are other types of memories that take more effort to bring to the forefront.

Memory loss is often associated with aging, but there are a number of things that can trigger short- and long-term memory loss, including injury, medications and witnessing a traumatic event.

Types of memory

While experts have varying definitions for short-term memory, it is generally described as the recollection of things that happened immediately up to a few days. It is generally believed that five to nine items can be stored in active short-term memory and can be readily recalled. Patients who suffer from short-term memory loss can’t remember who walked into the room five minutes before, but can remember their childhood friend from 50 years ago.

Implicit memory is sometimes referred to as unconscious memory or automatic memory. Implicit memory uses past experiences to remember things without thinking about them. Musicians and professional athletes are said to have superior ability to form procedural memories.

Procedural memory, which is a subset of implicit memory, is a part of the long-term memory responsible for knowing how to do things, also known as motor skills.  You don’t have to delve into your memory to recall how to walk each time you take a step.

Some examples of procedural memory:

• Playing piano
• Ice skating
• Playing tennis
• Swimming
• Climbing stairs

While implicit memory requires little if any effort to recall, explicit memory — sometimes referred to as declarative memory — requires a more concerted effort to bring the surface. Declarative memory involves both semantic and episodic memory.

While most people can tick off the days of the week from the time they are in grade school — which is implicit memory — it takes explicit memory to remember that your mother’s birthday is next Wednesday.

Semantic memory is not connected to personal experience. Semantic memory includes things that are common knowledge, such as the names of states, the sounds of letters, the capitals of countries and other basic facts that are not in question. Some examples of semantic memory include:

• Knowledge that the sky is blue
• Knowing how to use a knife and fork
• Remembering what dog is
• Recalling that President Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963

Episodic memory is a person’s unique recollections of a specific event or an episode. People are usually able to associate particular details with an episodic memory, such as how they felt, the time and place, and other particulars. It is not clear as to why some memories of events in our lives are committed to memory, while others don’t get recorded, but researchers believe that emotions play a critical role in what we remember.

Some examples of episodic memory:

• Where you were and the people you were with when you found out about the Challenger space shuttle disaster
• Your beach vacation last summer
• The first time you traveled by plane
• Your first day at a new job
• The restaurant you went to on your first date with your spouse

What is obesity?

Body mass index (BMI) is a calculation that takes a person’s weight and height into account to measure body size.

In adults, obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30.0 or moreTrusted Source, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Obesity is associated with a higher risk for serious diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Obesity is common. The CDC estimates that 42.4 percentTrusted Source of Americans 20 years old and older had obesity in 2017 to 2018.

But BMI isn’t everything. It has some limitations as a metric.

According to the CDCTrusted Source: “Factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, and muscle mass can influence the relationship between BMI and body fat. Also, BMI doesn’t distinguish between excess fat, muscle, or bone mass, nor does it provide any indication of the distribution of fat among individuals.”

Despite these limitations, BMI continues to be widely used as a way to measure body size.

How is obesity classified?

The following classesTrusted Source are used for adults who are at least 20 years old:

What is childhood obesity?

For a doctor to diagnose a child over 2 years old or a teen with obesity, their BMI has to be in the 95th percentileTrusted Source for people of their same age and biological sex:

From 2015 to 2016, 18.5 percentTrusted Source (or about 13.7 million) American youth between 2 and 19 years old were considered to have clinical obesity.

What causes obesity?

Eating more calories than you burn in daily activity and exercise — on a long-term basis — can lead to obesity. Over time, these extra calories add up and cause weight gain.

But it’s not always just about calories in and calories out, or having a sedentary lifestyle. While those are indeed causes of obesity, some causes you can’t control.

Common specific causes of obesity include:

• genetics, which can affect how your body processes food into energy and how fat is stored
• growing older, which can lead to less muscle mass and a slower metabolic rate, making it easier to gain weight
• not sleeping enough, which can lead to hormonal changes that make you feel hungrier and crave certain high-calorie foods
• pregnancy, as weight gained during pregnancy may be difficult to lose and might eventually lead to obesity

Certain health conditions can also lead to weight gain, which may lead to obesity. These include:

• polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition that causes an imbalance of female reproductive hormones
• Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare condition present at birth that causes excessive hunger
• Cushing syndrome, a condition caused by having high cortisol levels (the stress hormone) in your system
• hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough of certain important hormones
• osteoarthritis (OA) and other conditions that cause pain that may lead to reduced activity

Who is at risk for obesity?

A complex mix of factors can increase a person’s risk for obesity.

Genetics

Some people have genes that make it difficult for them to lose weight.

Environment and community

Your environment at home, at school, and in your community can all influence how and what you eat, and how active you are.

You may be at a higher risk for obesity if you:

• live in a neighborhood with limited healthy food options or with manyTrusted Source high-calorie food options, like fast-food restaurants
• haven’t yet learned to cook healthy meals
• don’t think you can afford healthier foods
• haven’t foundTrusted Source a good place to play, walk, or exercise in your neighborhood

Psychological and other factors

Depression can sometimes lead to weight gain, as some people may turn to food for emotional comfort. Certain antidepressants can also increase the risk of weight gain.

Quitting smoking is always a good thing, but quitting may lead to weight gain too. In some people, it may lead to excessiveTrusted Source weight gain. For that reason, it’s important to focus on diet and exercise while you’re quitting, at least after the initial withdrawal period.

Medications, such as steroids or birth control pills, can also raise your risk for weight gain.HEALTHLINE QUIZTake our free 3-question diet quiz

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How is obesity diagnosed?

BMI is a rough calculation of a person’s weight in relation to their height.

Other more accurate measures of body fat and body fat distribution include:

• skinfold thickness tests
• waist-to-hip comparisons
• screening tests, such as ultrasounds, CT scans, and MRI scans

Your doctor may also order certain tests to help diagnose obesity-related health risks. These may include:

• blood tests to examine cholesterol and glucose levels
• liver function tests
• a diabetes screening
• thyroid tests
• heart tests, such as an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)

A measurement of the fat around your waist is also a good predictor of your risk for obesity-related diseases.

What are the complications of obesity?

Obesity can lead to more than simple weight gain.

Having a high ratio of body fat to muscle puts strain on your bones as well as your internal organs. It also increases inflammation in the body, which is thought to be a risk factor for cancer. Obesity is also a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes.

Obesity has been linked to a number of health complications, some of which can be life threatening if not treated:

• type 2 diabetes
• heart disease
• high blood pressure
• certain cancers (breast, colon, and endometrial)
• stroke
• gallbladder disease
• fatty liver disease
• high cholesterol
• sleep apnea and other breathing problems
• arthritis
• infertility

How is obesity treated?

If you have obesity and been unable to lose weight on your own, medical help is available. Start with your primary care physician, who may be able to refer you to a weight specialist in your area.

Your doctor may also want to work with you as part of a team helping you lose weight. That team might include a dietitian, therapist, or other healthcare staff.

Your doctor will work with you on making needed lifestyle changes. Sometimes, they may recommend medications or weight loss surgery as well.

We assessed impacts on water use achieved by implementation of controlled experiments relating to four water conservation strategies in four towns within the Ipswich watershed in Massachusetts. The strategies included installation of weather-sensitive irrigation controller switches (WSICS) in residences and municipal athletic fields; installation of rainwater harvesting systems in residences; two outreach programs: free home indoor water use audits and water fixture retrofit kits and rebates for low-water-demand toilets and washing machines; and soil amendments to improve soil moisture retention at a municipal athletic field. The goals of this study are to summarize the effectiveness of the four water conservation strategies and to introduce nonparametric statistical methods for evaluating the effectiveness of these conservation strategies in reducing water use. It was found that the municipal WSICS significantly reduced water use; residences with high irrigation demand were more likely than low water users to experience a substantial demand decrease when equipped with the WSICS; rainwater harvesting provided substantial rainwater use, but these volumes were small relative to total domestic water use and relative to the natural fluctuations in domestic water use; both the audits/retrofit and rebate programs resulted in significant water savings; and a modeling approach showed potential water savings from soil amendments in ball fields.

Sanders was born in 1890 in Henryville, IN. When he was six years old, his father passed away leaving Sanders to cook and care for his siblings. In seventh grade, he dropped out of school and left home to go work as a farmhand. Already turning into a tough cookie.

At 16, he faked his age to enlist in the United States army. After being honorably discharged a year later, he got hired by the railway as a laborer. However, he got fired for fighting with a coworker. While he worked for the railway, he studied law–until he ruined his legal career by getting into another fight. Sanders was forced to move back in with his mom and get a job selling life insurance. And guess what? He got fired for insubordination. But this guy wouldn’t give up.

In 1920, he founded a ferry boat company. Later, he tried cashing in his ferry boat business to create a lamp manufacturing company only to find out that another company already sold a better version of his lamp. Poor guy couldn’t catch a break.

It wasn’t until age 40 that he began selling chicken dishes in a service station. As he began to advertise his food, an argument with a competitor resulted in a deadly shootout. Four years later, he bought a motel which burned to the ground along with his restaurant. Yet this determined man rebuilt and ran a new motel until World War II forced him to close it down.

Following the war, he tried to franchise his restaurant. His recipe was rejected 1,009 times before anyone accepted it. Sander’s “secret recipe” was coined “Kentucky Fried Chicken”, and quickly became a hit. However, the booming restaurant was crippled when an interstate opened nearby so Sanders sold it and pursued his dream of spreading KFC franchises & hiring KFC workers all across the country.

After years of failures and misfortunes, Sanders finally hit it big. KFC expanded internationally and he sold the company for two million dollars ($15.3 million today). Even today, Sanders remains central in KFC’s branding and his face still appears in their logo. His goatee, white suit and western string tie continue to symbolize delicious country fried chicken all over the world.

At age 90, Sanders passed away from pneumonia. At that time, there were around 6,000 KFC locations in 48 countries. By 2013, there were an estimated 18,000 KFC locations in 118 countries. WOW.

If you’re overwhelmed by rejection or discouraged by setbacks, remember the story of Colonel Harland Sanders. Fired from multiple jobs, ruined his legal career, was set back by the Great Depression, fires and World War II, yet still created one of the largest fast food chains in the world. Sanders wouldn’t let anything or anyone defeat him.

KFC

KFC (abbr. for Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world’s second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald’s, with 22,621 locations globally in 150 countries as of December 2019. The chain is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, a restaurant company that also owns the Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and WingStreet chains.

KFC was founded by Colonel Harland Sanders, an entrepreneur who began selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky during the Great Depression. Sanders identified the potential of the restaurant franchising concept and the first “Kentucky Fried Chicken” franchise opened in Utah in 1952. KFC popularized chicken in the fast-food industry, diversifying the market by challenging the established dominance of the hamburger. By branding himself as “Colonel Sanders”, Harland became a prominent figure of American cultural history and his image remains widely used in KFC advertising to this day. However, the company’s rapid expansion overwhelmed the aging Sanders and he sold it to a group of investors led by John Y. Brown Jr. and Jack C. Massey in 1964.

KFC was one of the first American fast-food chains to expand internationally, opening outlets in Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Jamaica by the mid-1960s. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, it experienced mixed fortunes domestically, as it went through a series of changes in corporate ownership with little or no experience in the restaurant business. In the early 1970s, KFC was sold to the spirits distributor Heublein, which was taken over by the R. J. Reynolds food and tobacco conglomerate; that company sold the chain to PepsiCo. The chain continued to expand overseas, however, and in 1987 it became the first Western restaurant chain to open in China. It has since expanded rapidly in China, which is now the company’s single largest market. PepsiCo spun off its restaurants division as Tricon Global Restaurants, which later changed its name to Yum! Brands.

KFC’s original product is pressure fried chicken pieces, seasoned with Sanders’ recipe of 11 herbs and spices. The constituents of the recipe are a trade secret. Larger portions of fried chicken are served in a cardboard “bucket”, which has become a feature of the chain since it was first introduced by franchisee Pete Harman in 1957. Since the early 1990s, KFC has expanded its menu to offer other chicken products such as chicken fillet sandwiches and wraps, as well as salads and side dishes such as French fries and coleslaw, desserts and soft drinks; the latter often supplied by PepsiCo. KFC is known for its slogans “It’s Finger Lickin’ Good!”, “Nobody does chicken like KFC” and “So good”.