The Vegan Journey of Sharmistha Maji | Vegan Beings India #075

 

I was assigned an article on veganism in 2018, back when I was a lifestyle journalist. It was the first time I found out what that word means. Till then, I had assumed that vegan means vegetarian 😂

So I started doing research, which usually takes an hour or two. But for this particular article, I spent days. I just couldn’t stop, because the facts I came across about the dairy industry were so astonishing and painful. I kept digging deeper and learned how female cows are artificially inseminated or raped, separated from their newborn calves, and tortured to produce milk for us (the human race whose population & demands are ever-growing). The truth hit me so hard that I couldn’t get myself to consume dairy anymore.

It took almost a week to make the final decision. Because I loved cheese and butter so much, it was hard to give them up just like that. For one moment, it felt impossible but the next moment, I reminded myself of the innocent beings who did not deserve the unethical treatment just for my taste.

By the way, I had already turned vegetarian from a hardcore non-vegetarian 6 months before that. It was after watching a few violent movies and overnight, that I felt I didn’t want to eat an animal anymore. This was easy because I was disgusted at the thought of meat after that.

The first year of veganism was very very hard. Firstly, when everyone around you is eating your favourite pizza or dessert, you are tempted and can get very frustrated. And secondly, because in the first year, I had no idea about all the amazing vegan alternatives available in the market today.

So I was feeling horrible, controlling my cravings, giving up twice or thrice only to start feeling guilty again. But once I started getting to know about vegan cafes & products in my city, the journey became so much easier.

Eventually, I felt empowered, satisfied, and proud to be a vegan. It gives you a different kind of high when you achieve this level of determination and strength to say no to your favourite foods and stick to your ethics and principles for the innocent animals.

Around the beginning of my 2nd year of being vegan, I discovered vegan curd, cheese, butter, kinds of milk, meats, and ghee. Since then there was no turning back. I started enjoying vegan alternatives very much and did not miss dairy so much anymore. And after two years, I completely forgot the taste of dairy, and my tastebuds got used to vegan food. So I am not tempted anymore even when my friends are eating dairy-based cheese or desserts in front of me.

Being a huge foodie, I was constantly researching where I can find vegan food. That is how I ended up with a lot of info and eventually decided to start my page, mainly with the intention that vegans should not miss out on great food.

Also, in the initial days, I tried to influence friends/family to go vegan and was just angry when they would not understand. But slowly I realised that this change can never come when someone tells you to go vegan. It takes something really big and moving to understand the harsh truth and requires a lot of strength to adopt veganism.

Eventually, I also felt more empathy and less anger towards them. The human race has been conditioned this way for so many generations. It is not so easy to change their mindset. So I gave up trying to tell people about it and instead decided to focus on the positive aspect of veganism - which is delicious vegan food.

Veganism is not a sacrifice. It is extremely basic, empowering, and satisfying. You just got to taste the vegan chicken, cashew cheese, or curd available today, or the amazing chocolate shakes you can make with almond milk and you will be surprised. Just being open to new tastes can help you reduce animal suffering. 

I feel great being a vegan, having meaningful conversations with vegans, and exchanging notes on new vegan products with them. I also really enjoy hunting for vegan food during my travels. It makes me very excited. I have loved vegan food in Pondicherry the most till now.

I have felt much calmer, more at peace, and healthier after adopting veganism fully. It has improved my skin and gut health as well. Plus, life as a vegan is a party after you get to know vegan ice creams, burgers, sweets, etc.

Hello everyone! I’m Sam, a vegan food influencer who runs the page vegan_foodie_india. I cover delicious plant-based finds across India as well as vegan news, recipes, and reviews. I have been a vegan for more than 3 years now and am a travel addict who enjoys exploring new cuisines. I also recently started a YouTube channel to document my travels. By profession, I’m a digital content editor.

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The Vegan Journey of Saloni Henecha | Vegan Beings India #074

 

Since childhood, my family taught me how morally bad it is to eat non-vegetarian food. That built empathy for animals in me. In 2018, I came across a documentary about dairy that left me in extreme shock. However, I wasn't aware of veganism so I continued consuming dairy with a lot of guilt.

There was a classroom discussion once, over the beef ban. In that, I had said, "Cow is considered godmother, how can we eat them!" to which the teacher replied, "Then why do you consume dairy, it also leads to a lot of beef exports." I got to know the term veganism then and explored it thoroughly.

Then in 2020, I came across a peepal farm Instagram account. The first time, I found something other than PETA. It was more relatable, being Indian with Indian food habits. Robin Sharma brought out my real compassion for animals. 💚

First I started by stopping the consumption of unhealthy and rare foods like cheese, butter, cake etc. Then stopped most frequently consumed foods like Dahi and ghee. I was left with only masala chai. At first, it brought happiness about how I am sacrificing for animals. But later on, I realised that it's not a sacrifice but till now I was stealing other innocents' right to nutrition.

Going vegan somewhat solved my skin problems and my mild thyroid. Made me more compassionate and aware of my food habits and their impact on other beings and the environment. Overall, my whole perspective on life has changed and I am so happy and fulfilled about it!. I have started practising yoga regularly for a year now, to be more fit and healthy to prove the point of nutritional fulfilment with a vegan diet even if you indulge in any kind of physical activities.

Being vegan itself brings a lot of attention from non-vegan friends and relatives, which in turn brings their questions. It brings a lot of awareness among really clueless people. I strive to donate around 2 percent of my overall income to animal welfare, shelters, etc. 💚🌸

To anyone who wants to be vegan, the very first step is to have empathy. Once you can imagine yourself in the place of an animal standing in a queue getting his/her head chopped off for fulfilling someone's taste buds or nutrition, you will come halfway on the path of harmless life. 

Then, whatever hurdles you have right from nutritional requirements to family pressure to peer pressure to cravings (which usually go away with empathy) you can take one step at a time. Start exploring, reading about other vegans and food habits, facts about plant-based nutrition, etc. This will help you a lot.☺

Hello everyone, I’m Saloni Henecha. I am a Software Engineer at Pune. I work in the Data Science field. My hobbies are playing guitar, reading, feeding surrounding animals, dancing, cooking, nurturing house plants, going for animal rights activism, and basically everything that keeps my mind engaged in a good way.

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The Vegan Journey of Sai Krishna Anand | Vegan Beings India #072

 

Cows have been a big part of my life growing up. Ever since I was 3, I used to save food secretly and feed it to a cow that regularly showed up outside our house. You always hear that "cows need to be milked", but are never given the reason. Of course, society does not want you to know that the calves are taken away from their mothers, not given their birthright and that we use their milk instead for a 5-minute meal. Even the government subsidies dairy products in India to make them more available and profitable. All these facts drove me into a corner, with going vegan the only logical way out.

I read the word 'vegan' for the first time on a Vicco toothpaste, when I was around 16. However, being a cow lover since my childhood, I assumed that veganism is unnecessary since cows are meant to be holy in India and there would be no suffering in the dairy industry. Right? But no! 

At the beginning of 2019, I got introduced to Joey Carbstrong's (a famous activist) videos and the sheer graphic and disturbing content going around in the dairy industry shook me to my core. The fact that humans need to breastfeed off another species as a whole just sounded so wrong. I went vegan then, but regretfully, couldn't hold up in my college mess, with almost every other meal involving paneer. I decided to have vegan stints every time I came back home, but eventually, I had enough of my hypocritical lifestyle and ditched dairy for good in March 2020.

A month into my vegan journey, I saw Covid-19 put the world on brakes. This allowed me to conduct proper research into vegan diets and lifestyles in general. Having been actively going to the gym, I went deep into how to fulfill my protein requirements. As it turns out, it's almost too easy. Even before I went vegan, I used to consume plain, boiled soya chunks, and I just stuck to that alongside tofu and tempeh (And yes, soya is perfectly healthy to consume daily xD). Plant protein powders can directly substitute whey, which makes everything easier.

Another misconception I had before turning vegan was that the whole lifestyle would be more expensive. I could not have been more wrong! The fact is that you start getting creative with what you eat, and most of the creativity lies in the process, not the ingredients.

The South Indian diet is almost entirely vegan, as ghee, butter, and curd are mostly used as sides and not the main dish itself. Once I realised this, transitioning became much more comfortable. Moreover, I got to know that plenty of junk foods are unintentionally vegan. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out Oreos are vegan xD. Even though I don't have a lot of junk, it's always nice to have a secret last resort :).

Of course, there are expensive vegan mock-meats and processed foods, but that remains the case for non-vegan food too. There are always different tiers of prices based on whether the food is an easily accessible grain when compared to factory-processed goods. At the root, whole foods like grains, fruits, and veggies are still the cheapest and healthiest options, so there's not much truth in the "veganism is expensive" debate.

Thinking about going vegan for the rest of your life can be daunting at the start. Of course, once you make the connection between the food on your plate and the life of an animal, everything simplifies very easily. But it's easier to think about just trying to make your next meal vegan, one meal at a time. 

I've gotten used to eating much healthier once I turned vegan, and my endurance and recovery have improved a ton. Having plenty of water is very important to not just keep your body heat in check, but to shut down junk cravings. Personally, having alternative sources of hydration like watermelon, cucumber, tender coconut water, etc is a must-do for me, because it makes me think that I've eaten something rather than just hydrated myself. Either way, the end goal is to keep your body cool, and based on preference and availability, anything works well.

If you're passionate about vegan activism, the best tool in your hand is social media. Even if one in 100 react to some content and change, that's one less person harming animals. Try to constantly build up your knowledge in both industrial and health topics regarding veganism. It helps in convincing a person to take that leap. Every small bit is useful to plant a seed in someone's mind even without your knowledge!

Hey folks! I'm Sai Krishna, a native of Tamil Nadu. I just finished my CS degree at NITK and aspire to own an animal sanctuary sometime in the future :) I'm attracted to most outdoor sports, and I'm mainly a football fanatic :P Other than football, I actively enjoy going to the gym, running and cycling. I also play computer games in my spare time.

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The Vegan Journey of Rohan A | Vegan Beings India #071

I had been vegetarian since birth but without exposure to the sheer cruelty in the dairy industry. I used to believe that a cow "gives" us milk rather than the truth about how we snatch her milk. The one incident that changed everything was when I read a newspaper article about a dairy farmer who stuffed a dead calf so that the mother would keep giving milk thinking that her child was alive. After this, I went deep into research and saw that the only missing thing was empathy. 

It was not too hard to go vegan as I became completely mentally averted towards dairy products. I remember throwing up the day after I read that article when my mom gave me my morning milk. It was a challenge though to find milk-free products in the store. However, it got easier after I started checking the ingredients printed on them.

My family has been vegan since 2017. I have been rescuing animals and have been involved in welfare activities for a very long time now. I have always thought of the environment as my life source rather than an imaginary source of oxygen, water, and food. Hence, I believe in living in harmony. We have lost ourselves and the meaning of true humanity in the need to compete woefully amongst ourselves.

I have been a part of veganism awareness drives on social media and in real life as well. But more than all of those, I remember inviting a bunch of my friends home and/or packing food for them that I cooked at home without telling them that it was vegan. They were all surprised!

To anyone reading, I would request to please consider going vegan. No entity from the sky ever told you that the road to peace is through violence. As we humans can't bear racism, similarly the Earth can't bear speciesism. Try recreating the life your food had and the smile he or she had before they landed on your plate and picture yourself being there.

I feel much better and more positive about life after going vegan. There's still a lot to be done but I know that me and my family are making a minor difference in the environment. Four people (excluding my family) have become vegan after being patient enough to listen to me and my point.

Hello everyone! I'm Rohan A. I work in Aurigo Software Technologies as a software analyst. My family has been vegan since 2017 and I have been rescuing animals and being involved in welfare activities for a very long time now. 

 

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The Vegan Journey of Anusha Unni | Vegan Beings India #070

I was a non-vegetarian. I was an animal lover.

I used to feel bad about animals enslaved in circuses, zoos, rides, aquariums, birdcages, etc. I used to feel sad when any street dog or bird was mistreated and used to help as much as possible.

I used to avoid eating mutton because I love goats, and whenever I see mutton, I used to think of that baby white goat.

I used to admire animals and birds, and how they are such nice species and bad about how humans are making their lives hard. I have cats and kittens and used to have multiple pets.

BUT I used to love eating chicken, fish, egg, and all dairy products. I didn't know the complete truth. Although I love animals, I was conditioned to think of chicken and egg as food.

I used to not go to chicken shops because I felt sad seeing the hens' cages. But I still thought these were just food and hens were born for us to eat.

Once, when I was reading a book, I saw a quote "Consider your body as a temple, not as a graveyard." i.e. when it struck me that chicken and fish were dead bodies. I immediately stopped consuming. I was still not aware of the cruelty in the food industry.

Slowly, my younger brother (then 18) followed me and stopped consuming meat.

On one fine day, my brother, since he is also an animal lover, started going to dog rescues. And he met a vegan activist Ravi Keerthi from Vijayawada, and he got to know about veganism, came home, and told him his decision that he is going to be vegan.

I remember arguing with him and Ravi Keerthi, that veganism is just another cult, and asked multiple questions, not being ready to agree with the truth.

Two months down the line, I wanted to know if there was any truth. So on August 15, which was a holiday for me, I decided to research veganism and the truths behind egg and diary. I was shocked and was in tears. I didn't know so much was happening around. And even I was responsible for all the cruelty for all these years.

That day I became vegan. That Independence day is the day I became free of all the sins.

My family is fully supportive. My brother and I are vegans. I married a vegan, and we had vegan weddings.

 I started learning about a product before buying if it is cruelty-free or vegan. I started understanding the ingredients list in food products, and extended this to other utilities like makeup and clothing. I started choosing vegan products.

The major takeaway was that I can live without that favourite dish of mine or favourite skincare product which is non-vegan. I can't be in control of those products. But I have a choice. Whether to pay for cruelty or cruelty-free, I decided to always choose the latter. Over time, I came to know more about other broader concepts like sustainable living and ethical consumption.

And yes, I managed to pull off a vegan and eco-friendly engagement, marriage, and reception!💚🥳

These were small changes we made, which surely had a large impact.

1) We didn't use any banners to welcome our guests, instead used reusable boards and paper and cloth. A marriage banner was painted on cloth, by myself with the help of my family.

2) We never compromised on the taste of our lunch, which was purely vegan. We made raita and curd rice with peanut curd.

3) We chose vegan sweets like laddoo and jalebi (made from Vanaspati ghee) which are easily available in the market. We didn't include ghee in any of them.

4) We ordered a vegan cake, and whoever thought vegans don't have fun, they are wrong!!

5) We chose the hotel that provides fibre glasses and cutlery which are reusable rather than using one-time plastics.

6) We got beautiful synthetic sarees and dresses, rather than silk.

To anyone reading this:

Just be mindful of your actions. If an innocent victim is paying for your actions, then you have a choice to either continue or take the right path. Take a minute to be mindful of what you eat, wear and use.

We are all conditioned (culturally) and brought up as non-vegan, but that doesn't mean we continue to be so. And we all need change, a world with prosperity and peace, but are our actions in line with that?

The vegan world is not difficult. Are you ready to change? Because we are ready to welcome you.

Be the change.

Choose compassion.

____

Leading vegan life is normal for me now. I don't do anything extra for it. I know exactly what to avoid. I say no, if someone offers anything non-vegan. Being vegan is not expensive. I don't use those exotic things like cashew cheese, maple syrup, or soya milk daily.

I prefer black tea or lemon tea and occasionally have soya milk coffee. I don't have a compulsion to have curd in every meal. Sometimes, I make peanut curd. Ghee isn't mandatory for me anymore. I use coconut oil when needed.

I love icecreams, but I don't feel bad when I cannot eat them now. Because I know it costs an animal's life. Instead, I enjoy vegan ice creams. I go for fruit juices instead of milkshakes.

I don't choose expensive silk sarees, wool, or leather, rather go for synthetic. I celebrate birthdays with vegan cakes. I veganise all dishes or discard any dish which cannot be vegan at festivals. I never felt bad for it. My skincare, haircare, and makeup are vegan.

Life may not be completely the same as before, but I am sure, turning vegan could be the best decision ever.

Vegan is pure love. Love for animals, earth, and yourself.

I am guilt free, my body and soul are light. My carbon footprint is low. I know I am not supporting animal cruelty in any of my daily activities, and am one less person hurting the animals.

I try my best to spread this word and am always vocal about how easy it is to go vegan and why one should go vegan.

 

Hello everyone! I am Anusha Unni, a cloud developer by profession. I love my job because it's creative and I love providing solutions. Not just that, it also pays my bills, pays for my travelling, and gives me financial freedom.

I am vocal about gender equality, caste or colour discrimination, ethical consumption, saving water, reducing plastic usage, and being minimalistic.

I love learning. I am always into learning something which is why I have so many hobbies, 

I am a jack of all trades, but master of none. So I am into art, gardening, solving Rubix cube puzzles, cooking, Instagramming, dancing, and travelling.

And after being a vegan, I am into vegan activism and outreaches.

 

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The Vegan Journey of Soumya Sanghavi | Vegan Beings India #069

I've always been a firm believer in Equality for all. My heart especially yearns to fight for the sections that are weaker and unprivileged. One day, I came across an Instagram post that mentioned: 'You cannot believe in Equality and still consume milk.'

As a vegetarian who took pride in being one, this came as a little shock to me. I looked for all possibilities. This can't be true. But very soon, I figured myself to be wrong. All this while, my temptations revolved around cheese, milk, and whatnot? 

I wasn't aware I was eating up exploitation on my plate every single day. That was the day I decided I would transition to being vegan, for the innocent creatures who've equal rights to live as much as we do.

The journey has been no less than a roller coaster. Not to forget, I have been a religious consumer of dairy since my childhood. Leaving it all at once was a tough choice for me. I took help from a few videos on Youtube. I started by completely excluding cheese from my diet, then slowly moved on to removing buttermilk, ghee, ice cream and finally the milk.

Once I went to a dairy vigil while I was still transitioning to being vegan. I was already aware of the exploitation and abuse the animals went through. But somehow, I would still crave something sweet, that obviously wasn't vegan. When I went to the dairy farm, seeing innocent creatures tied with a rope shorter to even move around a foot, I was taken aback with pain and sorrow. I felt this piercing in my heart where I couldn't do anything but just feel. I rolled a tear or two and soon realised it was nothing beyond the atrocities these animals have to go through every single day for my cup of tea.

We often hear people saying, We won't make any difference, but until every animal is free is what we rule by.

I struggle with social anxiety which often pulls me back from participating in social outreaches and activism, but I make sure I don't miss the opportunity to speak directly when it comes to making my friends, family, and colleagues aware of the same.

I've started feeling a sense of responsibility to speak for the voiceless. I'm learning about ways to speak for them every single day.

Hello everyone! I'm Soumya Sanghvi, currently pursuing a Bachelor's in psychology. I'm also a content and copywriter and my hobbies include singing, writing, reading and in general learning.

 

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The Vegan Journey of Anurag R | Vegan Beings India #068

I stopped eating meat at the age of four when I witnessed the slaughter of a chicken at my friend's house. I used to love chicken meat. But after that incident, I was horrified even at the thought of eating other animals. I had even stopped consuming cow milk for a brief period because I felt it was wrong to drink the milk of another animal. But, due to social conditioning and in the name of nutrition, I was forced to eat eggs and milk.

I first read about veganism in 2015 after I googled 'does vegetarian diet make you fat?'. My friends made fun of my size and blamed it on the vegetarian diet. They gave examples like tigers are so muscular and fast but elephants are fat and slow. I was surprised to know that there were people who didn't consume any animal products and were healthy, fit, and lean. I was not aware of the ethical reasons at that point.

In 2018, I saw Instagram posts showing the horrors of factory farming. That got me interested in Veganism. I started researching online which led me to the YouTube documentary 'Unholy Cattle of India'. I then decided to cut out all animal-based food which took me a while. I finally did it in 2019, but I was silent about it.

It was hard at first to give up dairy products and my mother was worried that I wouldn't get proper nutrition by cutting out dairy and eggs. I had to get active in the kitchen and make my plant milk since my mother was reluctant to give up on milk and ghee. Sometimes I had to cook for myself. Some of my friends and family have criticised and questioned me for cutting all animal products. But my motivation has always been the animals. The journey has been fantastic. The only regret I have is that I didn't do it sooner. I have become more aware of my choices and now know that I don't pay animals to suffer in my name.

In 2020, I started working for an agri-based company where I had to design machines for farmers. I had to frequently visit poultry and dairy farmers to get their reviews. There I witnessed firsthand how the animals were bred. They were considered as mere products rather than seeing them as living conscious beings.

These are the incidents that made me go Vegan and further strengthened my stand against animal exploitation. I also observed that the number of meat stalls near my house was also increasing. I was so fed up with all the mistreatment of animals that in 2021 I created a Facebook and Instagram Account called 'Vegans of Mysuru' in the hope of meeting other fellow vegans in my city. 

In November 2021, we did our first vegan outreach with the help of BBAL and Vegan India Movement. Now we are a team of 18, conducting outreaches frequently in Mysuru. During one of our outreaches, we met Dr. Khader Vali a.k.a Millet Man of India who was excited about what we were doing and offered to provide any support. He does not use or consume any animal products and educates people on the harmful impacts of animal products, rice, and wheat on the health of the planet.

Right from childhood, we are taught that meat, milk, and eggs are good foods and are essential for us. That some animals can be pets and some others can be eaten. Wake up! Remove the blindfolds and see them for who they are, not as products but as beings who deserve to live freely just like you and me. Given the state of the world we are living in today, it becomes our responsibility to make better choices. To live a life that is kind towards other species and the planet.

Hi, I'm Anurag. I'm from Mysuru. I'm a Product Engineer working for an Agri based company.

I'm also a freelance graphic artist. I like to play guitar and computer games in my free time. Nowadays, I create online content for the Vegans of Mysuru Instagram page.

 

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The Vegan Journey of Bhairavi Giridharan | Vegan Beings India #067

I was introduced to veganism as a concept early on in life by a cousin. At that time, I thought that animals were only treated cruelly abroad, as most of the short documentaries I was able to watch back then were not based on the Indian context. Moreover, dairy consumption is deeply ingrained in every culture in India, so I assumed the animals would be treated well here. However, I was horrified when I learned that the same treatment, if not worse, is meted out to cattle in India as well. That minute, I decided to take the plunge into veganism.

Another major factor led me to believe that veganism is 100% logical. Any mammal lactates only for a fixed period after childbirth. And how could dairy cows be producing milk non-stop? It sickened me to even think about what could be happening. Moreover, I wasn't very comfortable with the idea of a mother's milk going to any other baby than her own, let alone another species. And let's not mention the fact that adults who can consume solid food, do not need to depend on milk for nourishment.

The ultimate push was just because I was at a very low point in my life. I decided that if I could make a difference in another's life, if not my own, then why not? Ever since, I've been vegan. It's been over two and a half year now! ( since Oct 2nd,2019 ;) )

My initial days of going vegan were difficult. Being a huge ice cream lover, it wasn't easy for me to give it up. Given that I was living in a hostel in a hot place like Mangalore, curd and buttermilk were everyday essentials before I went vegan. Learning to cool my body after I went vegan took a while but I'm glad I did it. 

Stay hydrated! I cannot stress this enough. Trust me, it solved most of my non-vegan cravings with regards to curd and buttermilk.

I was a total junk-food vegan at the start. It was unintentional, but when I realised it later, I immediately took steps to change that. I would recommend trying to keep your diet under a watch. Don't eat anything and everything that's vegan. Make sure your meals are balanced until you can get comfortable with them.

Once I shifted back to a more wholesome diet, I realised why people swear by veganism for health reasons.

Also, soon after I went vegan, I found myself constantly having to read labels to check whether certain packaged foods were vegan. There are ready guides for this online and lists curated with off-the-shelf products that are vegan by default, but I always preferred to double-check. Dairy does make its way into the most unsuspecting dishes like chips (milk powder in seasonings) and some seemingly vegan Indian sides (due to the addition of curd/butter).

But once I got used to it, it became second nature for me to check the ingredients before consumption.

To anyone reading this, try going vegan for 30 days! And who knows, you may like it. Maybe because of the variety of new flavours and ingredients you are introduced to, maybe because of the health benefits you noticed, or maybe just because you realise how pocket-friendly it is!

I would like to share a message for transitioning vegans: It's a myth that veganism is expensive. If you're always looking for meat and dairy alternatives, of course, it might be a bit expensive. However, if you learn to cook wholesome meals with whole foods, it's cheaper, healthier, and heartier!

Also, it's easier if you learn how to cook. I'm thankful for my transition to veganism, not just because it did good for my health and the animals, but also because that was the only reason I learned how to cook. And it definitely made me an extremely creative cook. It’s true when they say, constraints promote creativity!

Hello everyone! I’m Bhairavi, an engineer by qualification and profession, but all things creative is what fuels me daily. I'm a Veena enthusiast, undertaking formal training. In my spare time, I enjoy cooking for my family and friends, drawing, and painting. I'm always curious to learn anything new.

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The Vegan Journey of Jayalaxmi Rai | Vegan Beings India #066

                                                            

I was a hardcore non-vegetarian. My brother Annand and a friend Melina had gone vegan and they were nagging me to watch Earthlings for a while. After stalling for some time, I finally relented and watched Earthlings. I was stunned as I watched it. I could not complete the documentary in one sitting. I was sobbing away as I watched it. I am not someone who would be moved to tears easily. But watching animals being abused like this was horrific, especially when I considered myself an animal lover. 

I gave up eating meat for a while but desensitised myself after a while and got back to consuming meat occasionally. After a few months, I had moved back to Dubai and attended a yoga & meditation course called SSY, where one of the interpreters spoke about the horrors in the dairy industry. They also spoke about the meat industry and one fast-food chain in particular which I used to love. He said that they were now producing headless and featherless chickens.

That was the turning point for me. I decided to give up meat that instant. I was also introduced to the concept of consuming raw foods at this institute. I had given up all dairy too except for cheese which took me a year to give up. I later learned that there was a reason I took so long to give up cheese (dairy) primarily because it has addictive properties. So on the 14th of September 2014, I finally went vegan and never looked back. It’s been more than seven years and as any vegan will tell you: I wish I was born Vegan. It is one of the best decisions of my life.

I have learned an incredible lot in the past 5 years and keep learning so much more each day. These have been valuable and fantastic years. I loved every moment of it! I feel super energetic after going vegan and keep getting better by the day. I also think if you incorporate a lot of raw foods and whole foods into your diet you will always be in your element. Walking for miles or being on my feet all day is not a task at all. So if you want to thrive rather than just survive try this lifestyle for yourself and see.

My journey after going vegan has been nothing short of fantastic. I researched for 3 years about all things vegan and experimented a lot. During this time I also decided to open a small little restaurant in Pune. I dedicated it to my grandmother and named it Granny's Bowl in 2016.

Granny's Bowl had an ever-changing menu with different days dedicated to different cuisines. I had got a lot of support from my own family, friends, and especially my lovely aunt Nirmala Shetty. It was financially a roller coaster. I had no experience at that time running a restaurant with no idea how much of an investment it would take. I also was crazy enough to cook, clean & run operations all on my own. I shut shop in 2 years & operated from home for 2 years. I had the energy to cook & cater for 100+ people too. However, it was financially difficult to operate. I shut down the cloud kitchen too. I got into Vegan Food Consultancy and Activism (The Save Movement).

I now work for The Save Movement ~ Health Save Chapter, called Pune Health Save, and share a lot of recipes, information and so much more. If you want us to do an outreach and vegan food tasting in your area in Pune, just DM us. We will make it happen.

To non-vegans I have this to say: I used to have eggs for breakfast, fish for lunch, and chicken for dinner. If I can go vegan, anyone can. Also, it's not a deprivation diet at all. Instead of dairy-based milk, you can have coconut milk, cashew milk, almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, hazelnut milk, mung milk, millet milk, sesame milk. I can go on 😁. Also, instead of eating the flesh of sheep and goat, there are a vast array of vegan meats, mushrooms, yams, jackfruits and so much more. Vegan butter, cheese, yoghourt, ghee, and ice cream are all now available at our fingertips. So, go vegan! You will enjoy it and we are here to help you. Besides, it will give you abundant energy. You will be blessed by the animals at large and the planet.

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