The Vegan Journey of Mohan Shiva | VBI #004

Mohan Shiva is an architect by profession, who is passionate about earthen architecture, the art of building structures that are ecologically sensitive. Buildings are one of the major contributors to global warming and there's a dire need today to look at alternatives. 

He has a keen interest in Indian classical music and plays the violin. Most of his free time goes into Football, Tennis and Cycling.

What inspired you to become vegan?

I turned vegan at the beginning of 2016. It was a New Year's resolution. I'm from a Brahmin family. So, by default, I have been a vegetarian since birth. When I joined the college in 2010, we had a poster design competition in the first year. The theme was to depict something that is personal to you in a poster. My poster was about vegetarianism. Gradually, I started discussing more about what you see on your plate and what goes behind your plate. 

Once I started talking about why we should say no to meat, people started questioning me about other things: “Why do you drink milk?” and “Why do you eat eggs?”. I tried to get a deeper understanding of the questions. For example, people used to convince me that getting an egg does not harm the chicken because nowadays, eggs are incubated, so they don't trouble the chicken much and it is not as cruel. I came to the conclusion of becoming vegan because of a conversation with a guy from Belgium, whom I met at Auroville in Pondicherry.

After my graduation, I went to Auroville. It was a casual conversation during lunch time. We were talking about cruelty in the milk industry. I argued that in traditional Indian families, the cows are part of the household and are taken care of. I was explaining a particular dairy industry in Germany, on which I had watched a documentary on National Geographic. They showed a fully mechanised way of taking milk. I asked him why he is vegan and all he had to say was that because no other mammal in the entire world drinks the milk of another mammal, because biologically, milk is only meant for infants and any mother will be able to produce milk only during that period. However, we want to take that mother’s milk and drink it every day. It doesn't even make sense biologically. I was speechless!!

When you started it, how was the transition?

The moment I heard this way of thinking, it became very clear to me that I have to become vegan. The problem was how I was going to tell this at home! Also, in terms of taste, you start to think “How will I quit chocolate, coffee etc?”.The moment you stop looking at it as food, you don't feel the necessity to eat it. Taste is acquired gradually, it’s not like you can’t do without it. Of course, it took time for me.

The first thing was my love for coffee. I switched to black coffee immediately and drank this whenever required. But, once I quit I never thought of substitutes. For almost three years, I didn't know there were substitutes for everything. I wanted to quit and I quit it. Recently, people have started talking more about alternatives. There are new dishes coming out which can be replacements. For me, it was never a big problem. Over time, I realised that we need a few substitutes because of the kind of lifestyle we lead, especially vegan curd and vegan milk. Since I like cooking, I do try out things. Initially, I made vegan milk myself, however, now my mom makes it. Curd is something I consume a lot because it brings the body temperature down.

How was your approach/conversation with your family regarding your decision?

Actually, it was quite a bad conversation with my family. My father had a very stern reaction when I told him about my decision to turn vegan on New Year's Eve. He was furious that I was listening to a third person and questioning age-old practices. He was pissed off. But I knew that something had struck inside me. But because of that conversation, I was a little careful with my family in saying that I don't want certain foods. At home, it was a slow process to eliminate certain things. I realised that we use butter in almost everything just because of habit and taste. We can also cook without butter. The moment you stop, you start thinking.

Did your family stop using butter then?

Basic things like rasam, chapati etc were done without butter or with oil but certain things were not. Over time, they have grown to believe in what I am trying to do. In the four years since I became vegan, I've never asked anyone to become one as well. Now, my mom has accepted me as a vegan. She cooks things for me separately even though I don’t demand it.

How did your social life change?

Initially, there were a lot of questions. In our country, a major part of social life is sitting and eating together. In the initial phase, you might feel awkward because you aren't sure what you're doing. However, once you become clear about your intent, I believe it becomes quite easy. You shouldn't worry too much about what others think. It's something personal that you believe in.

Do you still face any difficulty in your daily life due to veganism?

Only one difficulty that I have faced is maintaining my body temperature. However, this is a personal issue and depends on the kind of diet one is following. In a south Indian diet, we probably eat a lot of spicy things at home, and outside as well. When you eat a lot of spices, you need to eat something which cools down your body temperature like buttermilk or curd. For that, we need to find an alternative. There are alternatives like basil seed drinks, tender coconut, jaggery or vegan curd. I don't think it's difficult; it's about making wiser choices.

After turning vegan, what new things did you discover?

The biggest thing I discovered is the number of products in the market which have milk or milk solids. It is being mass-produced, and more than what is required. All this milk can't be consumed at the same time, so it is converted to milk powder.

As a positive learning, I would say once you become vegan you get to explore the plant kingdom in a much more holistic way. You realise there are hundreds of things you can include in your diet, which you had no clue of earlier.

What do you think is the best thing about being vegan? Do you convey it to non-vegans as well?

Generally, I don't talk to other people about me being vegan. For 2-3 years, people didn't even know that I was vegan, apart from my family and a few close friends. What I feel good about is that now, I'm more aware of what I eat. Earlier, people used to question how one person can bring about a change. But today,  you can see that the number of vegans is growing worldwide. It's about making a decision which you feel is right. For me, it's a personal decision and gives me a sense of satisfaction that I am doing the right thing.

Was quitting animal products a personal choice, or do you look at it as a global need?

For me, when man became 'civilized', started agriculture, moved away from hunting, he was no longer a part of the animal life cycle. In my opinion, hunting for survival vs slaving for your cravings is poles apart. One might ask agriculture vs cattle farming, what's the difference? It's pretty clear that you invest much much more in terms of resources to raise cattle as compared to farming. Even the UN has clearly pointed out how veganism can impact climate change.

Have you noticed any health benefits as a result of becoming vegan?

Definitely. The greatest sportsmen, including Novak Djokovic, are vegan. I think that says enough!

What message would you like to give to a non-vegan?

You shouldn't do things just because other people are doing them. If you feel something is right, just go for it. Try to know more about what you're doing. In today's world, you can find a solution to everything. While making a decision, be very clear about it and make others know why you're doing it. You need not get into arguments. Over time, people will realise it by themselves. You don't have to be hard on them. Be conscious of your decisions. At the same time, don't depend on someone else for your decisions and disturb their routine.

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The Vegan Journey of Stuti Parekh | VBI #003

Stuti Parekh is a creative designer and a paper engineer, who helps bring creativity & innovation in various projects and uses her art to rescue animals. She is also an animal rights activist and, more than that, an animal rescuer and rehabilitator. In a span of almost 2 years, she, along with her friend, has rescued and provided shelter to numerous animals in Rajkot, Gujarat. Currently, the shelter is home to over 5,000 rescued animals.

How did your vegan journey begin? What or who inspired you?

It was around two years back when I was meeting a friend who was working on climate change. He asked me if there would be any vegan options available at the cafe we were going to and I told him that I didn’t really know what vegan meant. When I asked him about what things it included, he said anything that didn’t have animal products was vegan. When we went there, I'd ordered a milkshake and I offered it to him as per my habit. In response to that, he denied it with a little offensive look on his face saying he would prefer not to contribute to animal cruelty. I was surprised and said that it was just a milkshake, how could there be any cruelty behind it? And then he told me the whole process of how cows are exploited to produce milk and the other horrors of the dairy industry.

Honestly, I wasn't willing to believe him since this was something completely against what I was taught since childhood. But anyway, being a mature person, I thought of researching it once I was home. If what he said was true, then I had been following a lie my whole life. And so I went home, researched it, and to my absolute horror, whatever he said was true. Till then, I had never given much thought to the process behind how milk reached our houses, why cows produced milk, etc. After that, I researched for about 3-4 months and as I got to know more and more about the industries, I decided to quit all animal products at once. I didn't have any transition period at all because it hit me like a wall.

Can you tell us more about your paper art? 

My paper art was more of a hobby which turned into a profession. I've been in the creative field since childhood and I am extremely passionate about it. I wanted to do something in my professional life which I loved doing. I learnt paper engineering, which is a course that involves making 3D objects from paper. I did an online course by Duncan Birmingham, who is a paper artist based in London. It was so interesting that I started making paper models, objects, sculptors etc. And while making them I realised one day that if I can use my art to make various paper animals and use these art models to spread awareness about how each one of them is being exploited, then that would help the support the cause and it would be interesting at the same time.

For the past 2 years, you’ve rescued animals and provided them shelter. How has your experience been?

It’s a beautiful sight to see them (the animals) free, getting proper food and clean water, the way they are when they know they are safe now forever. But talking about the dark side, when we go to the slaughterhouses we see all these animals huddled up in a dirty little room which has no light, no ventilation, no hygiene. We just can't forget those images because they are too horrific. We look at them and we know that most of them will already be dead by the next hour or so. Even if we talk about the workers there, it's very sad. There's this worker with whom we've had an acquaintance for a while now. He wasn't a part of the slaughter business by choice, he was born into this - forced into this by his father. Nobody ever cared to educate him and he was so dependent on his father that he couldn’t move out. He himself gets frustrated at times by all the mental stress he has to go through on a daily basis. The moment he wakes up, the first thing he has to do is go kill animals and see all the blood and the anguish. Now he doesn't want his own child to go through the same thing again so he pleaded with us to help him find a hostel for his child. He said he wants his child to live a proper life away from the slaughter business and doesn’t even want him to see any of it. At times he would just come to us and ask us to purchase all the animals he has because for him, the only need is the money - that he'll be happier if the animals go to a shelter rather than a slaughterhouse. There is absolutely nothing good about a slaughterhouse.

Who all are involved in the rescue operations? Is there any organisation that you work with?

No, there is no organisation as such currently. I just go with one of my friends who is my neighbour. At times, my younger sister also accompanies me. It's actually a huge risk to go to a slaughterhouse alone for such a task because we need to deal with the workers there, talk to them and negotiate with them and not all of them are good people. Most of the time we bring in animals that are discarded due to sickness or that are almost on the verge of dying due to sickness because they won’t bring good money.

In certain cases, we even need to buy the animals. For example, there was a mother sheep whose leg was infected with pus and maggots. She was unable to even walk and they were going to discard her soon. We got to know that she had two kids, one was a baby girl and another was a baby boy. He said he won’t give the babies for free since they were healthy and would bring good money to him. In such cases, we prefer purchasing the kids so that the entire family can stay together. All the money used for these is collected through donations from compassionate people who are willing to help. I also make small animal-themed notebooks and sell them to raise money for these rescues. The shelter runs on a trust so we do have funds for resource management, i.e. food, medication, salaries, etc. But all the money for the rescues is raised only by the donations.

Where is the shelter located? How does it work?

It's in Rajkot city, Gujarat. We have people employed in the shelter who take care of those animals. But we can't expect them to look at the animals the way we do. They are just employees and not doing the work by their own will - it is more of a profession for them.

Do you have any plans to upscale the shelter? Isn't it difficult to manage just by 2 people?

The shelter is already huge. We already have over 5,000 animals who are all rescues. We have cows, buffaloes, sheep, goats, donkeys, horses, rabbits, pigeons, chickens, parakeets, turkeys and so many others too! I do want more people to join us for the rescues because going to the slaughterhouse is very stressful and may leave a bad impact on their minds. But as a result of the increasing awareness, I've had a few friends wanting to contribute in some or the other way and willing to help. So we are planning to upscale in a way that such volunteers can help with vigils, and revealing the truth to more people so that even more people become aware and then join the cause. We also plan to have certain campaigns for which I am putting together a team of about 5 people including a few students who are willing to participate. Currently, it is at a very basic stage and there aren't many people working on this but it will be up and running soon.

Is there any struggle that you have faced being vegan?

Actually yes - the biggest and the only struggle that I have faced is people. I'm talking about people who are aware of everything that is going on and accept that it's wrong yet continue to do it. Accepting the fact that people know about these things and still continue contributing to it on a daily basis is a big struggle for me. For me, it's very simple - if something is wrong, we don't do it that’s all. Apart from this one thing, I don't think I have faced any struggle. I know there are very few vegan alternatives readily available (in Rajkot), but it's a clear choice for me. I can live without a product but can't live with depriving an animal of their life.

How is the vegan food availability in Rajkot?

All Gujarati food, except foods that contain ghee and buttermilk, most of the food is already vegan. Also, Chinese and South Indian cuisines are vegan by default. We also get soya milk & other plant-based milk in the grocery stores so that's not much of an issue. Other options like cheese, vegan buttermilk, yoghurt etc. aren't available yet but that's okay!

How did turning vegan affect your social life?

One good thing about going vegan is that when you start working for animals or any living being who doesn't have a voice for themselves, people start looking at you differently. They start respecting you more and they even start being more compassionate when you're around them because they become conscious in your presence. The people who're non-vegetarian or even vegetarian might crack a joke or two at times but they know inside that they aren't supporting something really good. In the end, they know what they're supporting and what I’m supporting. People who were compassionate friends to me earlier, have become ignorant hypocrites to me now.

On the other hand, many people have come to me and told me that I've inspired them to leave meat, eggs or dairy. In the last six months itself, some 37 people have committed to me about going vegan and have asked me for recommendations and advice on switching.

Apart from food, what other things changed in your life after turning vegan?

Honestly, after turning vegan, food was the least of my concerns. One major concern for me was to be extremely vigilant about the products I was using ranging from toothpaste to soap to basic cosmetics such as perfume. I didn’t know before that products as these had animal-derived ingredients at times and were mostly tested on animals. I started making myself aware of what ingredients to avoid and what symbols to look for. All the products that I'm using currently come from cruelty-free and vegan brands such as Plum Goodness, Wet N Wild, Nykaa, Himalaya, Biotique and others which are registered as cruelty-free on PETA's website. I never supported zoos or circuses but now I also make my friends aware about why we must abstain from going to such places. The same goes for leather, fur and wool products too. In 90% of the cases, people are willing to make the switch because they Aren’t willing to contribute to cruelty - it's just that either they may be unaware or may have been ignorant.

Any message for non-vegans?

The one major message for a non-vegan would be:

If you don’t wish for someone to treat you or your family with cruelty and abuse, why do it to others and their family?

Most people avoid looking at the positive side of veganism - they rather think that they will have to give up something. But just look at the amount of happiness you get by helping somebody or the amount of satisfaction you get by just being compassionate. It's just a small change on your side, but if you think about the other side - it's literally saving their life.
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We really admire and appreciate Stuti for her work. If you would like to help her for her fundraisers and animal rescues, follow her on Instagram: instagram.com/stu_tii

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The Vegan Journey of Ritika Thomas | VBI #002

Ritika Thomas is the co-founder of the grassroots animal rights group, Bengaluru Brigade for Animal Liberation, which works towards educating people about animal rights and the need to be vegan. She also runs a food account, @_snacc_attack_ with her partner, to show people all the delicious vegan options out there. She enjoys writing, reading, dancing, and singing, even though others around won't say the same about her singing. 😛

1. How and why did you turn vegan?

My sister, Richa, is the one who told all of us about veganism for the first time, after she'd made the change following a talk on animal rights with activists who had put up a stall at MCC during College.

Having been brought up in a half Mallu - half Bengali family, meat was something that was a part of our everyday lives. I convinced my vegetarian friend to become a non-vegetarian when I was in the third grade or so. I wondered how people could say no to kebabs and I just thought, “Alright, that’s fine – more kebabs for me.”

I knew meat came from animals but I didn’t want to know any further. I’d walk past shops with chickens in cages and not pay any attention. I just thought, “It’s how it is. I can’t do anything about it. Yes, it’s sad but that’s life.” I think deep down, we know where our heart is at on the issue, but acknowledging the wrong is a difficult task.

Then one day, I saw videos about what happens to animals on fur farms and told myself I wouldn’t be a part of it. I even watched a slaughterhouse video and as horrified as I was, my only response was, “I’ll try, but whether or not people choose to stop eating meat after this, it’s important that they know this information.” I had to think about it at least thrice each day as I sat down to eat and I really didn’t want to think about it. So the videos were consciously pushed out of my head in an attempt to normalise what everybody thought was normal. 
     

I even remember telling my sister I’d be vegetarian till I find someone who ‘does it quickly so that the animal doesn’t suffer because the meat is okay if it’s humane’. She asked me if I also thought it was okay to kill our cats for meat, the way it is done in China, since they were treated well and lived a good life in our house. That shut me up!!

So I became a vegetarian but I postponed watching anything about dairy because I thought, “Do I really have to? Isn’t being a vegetarian enough?” I didn’t want to ‘give up’ dairy and I certainly didn’t want my sister to make me feel guilty every time I consumed a dairy product.

It was in one Literature class in August 2016 that I realised that I just had to be vegan. As I sat listening to a teacher's talk about rights, justice, equality and the barbaric nature of making a business out of death, all I could think about was the fact that I was still a part of it. I knew that all someone had to say in response to me telling them about the horrors of meat, fur, leather was, “Why do you still have dairy when you know how cruel it is?” I knew I wouldn’t have a valid reason. So that night, I watched Gary Yourofsky’s ‘Best Speech Ever’ and I’ve been vegan ever since!

2. How was transitioning into life as a vegan?

Switching to products not tested on animals, not supporting the use of animals for entertainment and clothing were easy. With regard to food, I wouldn't really call it difficult as such, but I had been eating animals for 22 years of my life, so like all habits, it needed some adjusting to. By this I mean, reading up more on what's vegan and what's not, and finding out more about it. It's actually way easier than people think and a lot of what we eat on a regular basis is vegan by default, we just don't label it as such. This is also where making the ethical connection becomes so important - because if we are able to connect with the need to be vegan due to the fact that it's fundamentally unjust to use animals, we will be more motivated to ensure we make the change. Things can seem difficult if we look at it from our point of view, but when we look at it from the victim's point of view, no aspect of the change is difficult.

3. How supportive was your family towards it?

My parents have always been super supportive of us in all areas of life and this was no different. As soon as my sister turned vegan, they ensured we stopped cooking meat in the house. Then I turned vegan and soon after, my brother turned vegan as well. My mum turned vegetarian and I'm hoping both, my mum and dad will become vegan soon.

4.  Tell us about your initiative that you’ve taken to spread the importance of animal rights and being a vegan? 

After I turned vegan, I knew I couldn't stay silent about the injustice that was being carried out. I knew I had to speak up and my sister was already organising campaigns at that time to spread awareness on the issue. So I joined her and as more people started making the change, our group started becoming bigger and we decided to carry out campaigns with a group identity. In April 2018, we formed the Bengaluru Brigade for Animal Liberation and have conducted different types of campaigns to spread awareness about veganism. The idea behind coming up with the name, for me, was two-fold. Our campaigns were consistently being conducted on Brigade Road and that's where the community really grew, plus brigade also has the reference to a rescue brigade, and since we're all in it with the aim to achieve Animal Liberation, it's something that clicked. Our activities include street outreach, lectures in schools/colleges/other organisations, wall paintings, screening of vegan documentaries, investigations of exploitative businesses, rescues, and content for social media activism. As a grassroots animal rights organisation with numerous volunteers, we also focus on providing India specific content in regional languages for people to connect with.

5. How has been your activism experience?

I personally prefer to do lectures in schools/colleges because it's what I've found to be the most effective, but I think different approaches are needed to be able to reach out to as many people as we can. Social media has also been instrumental in accelerating the rate of change and mobilising groups. I wouldn't necessarily label one as better than the other because I think it depends on your audience as well as what approach you're using as an activist and we need a combination of different types to effectively reach out to people. We try to do as many types of campaigns from the  Bengaluru Brigade for Animal Liberation to maximise reach. I think it's also important for each person to contribute to the movement by capitalising on their strengths. Doing a lecture may not be someone's strength, but maybe they can convey a powerful message through an art form in a way that others can't, so it's important to speak up in whatever way we can and reach out to as many people as we can.

6. Have you seen any health benefits after becoming a vegan?
In terms of health, I've been used to eating vegetables even before turning vegan, so cutting out the animal products still left the vegetables on my plate. I wouldn't say I experienced massive health benefits because the food in my house always included plenty of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and grains, so removing the animal products still left healthy options at home. But I do get blood tests done to ensure other people can be shut up if they ask me about my nutritional levels as a vegan and my results have always been great, with my nutritional levels in check, so that helps. I think it's also important here to emphasise the fact that veganism is about animals. Any environmental and health benefits from it are just benefits, but even if it didn't impact the planet or affect our health, it would still not justify the exploitation of animals. People can eat vegan junk food also - chips, other fried foods, and vegan desserts aren't necessarily healthy, but they don't come at the cost of an innocent being and that's what ultimately matters, regardless of whether people want to be junk food vegans or super healthy vegans. We can be healthy without animal products and vegans all over the world are living proof of it.

7. What are your views on showing children graphic footage related to veganism in schools?

Personally, I don't think it's wrong to show kids graphic footage of what happens to animals because of humans. I have actually shown my younger cousins footage of what happens to animals in these businesses, but I can do that there because I will be held accountable for it. I am also in a position to be able to gauge their level of maturity and follow up with them after it because they are my cousins. Many schools don't allow it because parental consent is something that is required and while it's easy to say, "People should see what they're eating," I think it's more effective to focus on what you can do as an activist to make the best use of your time in the classroom. I've done sessions with younger kids where I've shown "Draw my Life" videos and had discussions with them after it. Showing animal intelligence videos also helps to establish the connection to animals they don't normally have the opportunity to interact with. Bite Size Vegan also has some videos for kids that explain what veganism is and what happens to the animals without graphic content, so using these resources is important. I think tailoring the message depending on the age group you're speaking to is essential to achieve the best results.

8. Many people say veganism is more expensive, what do you think?

I think most of what we're used to eating on a daily basis is vegan by default, without the vegan label. We can walk into restaurants and order items from the vegetarian section of the menu and ask them to veganise it by making sure they don't include dairy products/honey. The vegetarian items are almost always cheaper than their non-vegetarian counterparts.

In terms of alternatives, I will admit that a lot of the alternatives available are slightly more expensive, but I think it's important to emphasise here that alternatives aren't a necessity to being vegan. It is possible to be vegan without using alternatives, but of course, if someone wants alternatives, they do exist. It's also important to bear in mind that the dairy industry is heavily subsidised, something that plant-based alternative businesses don't benefit from. Also, as the demand for vegan products rises, more and more producers are going to get into it and alternatives will become available at cheaper prices. Just a few years ago, we didn't have the number of alternatives that we have now, so it's important to show businesses that there is a customer base for this.

9. At the end - what is the message you want to deliver to everybody about animal rights and being a vegan? 

I would say do the research yourself. It's easy to get swayed by what is the social norm and sharing the collective burden of guilt with a largely non-vegan society makes it seem like it's not such a big the deal, but if we actually look into what's happening to the animals, I'm sure the majority of people would agree that being vegan is the right thing to do. Despite the negative connotations that the word has come to be associated with, all you have to do is ask yourself if you're against harming animals unnecessarily. If the answer to that is yes (which is the case for most people), then you already believe in veganism, it's just a matter of aligning your actions with your principles. As a former hardcore non-vegetarian who was offended if a meal didn't have meat, I can assure you that the change is easier than you think once you start looking into the information.

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