Shruthi Rao is a dentist, artist and animal
rescuer. Born and brought up in Mangalore, she has done her masters in oral
medicine and maxillofacial radiology. Currently, she is exploring new kinds of
crafts like Macrame, fibre art and best out of waste. She also practices zero waste
and eco-friendly ways in her lifestyle. She also loves talking to people and
getting to know them.
How did your vegan journey start?
Frankly speaking, I don't know exactly when I
turned vegan. I won’t deny that I had some flaws. I started by quitting dairy
products. I quit tea and milk. But the cheese was something which stopped me
from being vegan. Initially, I was vegan for a month, but when I used to see my
friends eating cheese, especially pizza, I used to indulge in that. I would
have a bite or half of it. In those days, around 2016, veganism was a fairly
new concept here.
Before this, in 2012, I quit all cosmetics
which were either tested on animals or had animal fats. Thus, I started my
journey towards less cruelty. I was not influenced by anybody regarding
veganism and wasn't aware of the term. While purchasing such cosmetic products,
I got to know that they are vegan and this is how I learnt the term
vegan.
Around two years back, at the end of 2017, I
started considering going vegan. I'm not able to say the exact date because I
come from a core Brahmin family where ghee and milk are used a lot. I didn't
know that ghee would be there in so many things. Back then my mom used to cook
for me and I was busy with my masters, so I was less aware of my food. There
were a few instances where I accidentally ate a dish which had ghee. After my
masters exam in May 2018, I decided to become vocal and tell openly that I am
vegan. Earlier, I was too busy with my studies, so I didn't have the time to explain
to people what veganism is and why I wanted to be vegan. Since May 2018, I have
completely become vegan and also cook for myself.
What was your family’s reaction? How is it
now?
Most of the south Indian food is vegan
already, so it is a common food in our family. Only a few things have to be
cooked separately. My mom and husband aren't vegan yet, but they have cut down
a lot. My husband has stopped eating milk and cheese. He is considering
becoming vegan. For my mom, it can be difficult because she drinks coffee,
although that is the only dairy thing she consumes. I think we should not force
our family too much and bring up the subject again and again. It might lead to
bitterness. However, I believe they will learn by seeing my actions and I am
glad that they have changed a lot.
Initially, my family had a lot of doubts
regarding nutrition and my habit of drinking tea. I used to have 2 glasses of
milk and 6-7 cups of tea. They asked me how I will be awake for studying or
mid-night duty. They also feel bad that I won't be able to eat the things which
I used to consume earlier. However, they respect my decision and have been
supportive.
Since you're from a medical background, what
are your views on being vegan from a health perspective?
It is already known that dairy is bad. There
are studies which reveal how dairy has increased the risk of so many disorders
from small issues like acne, which we usually ignore, to problems like
bloating, gastritis, constipation. We don't think that dairy is the cause
behind that because from birth we are conditioned to consume dairy.
There are also studies which link excess milk
to cancer because of estrogen content. There are certain sex hormones which are
present in cows and passed on to us through the milk and affect our sex hormone
production. So, it is linked to breast cancer too. Also, from an article I got
to know about 5 alpha P. It is a compound which helps in the production of
estrogen in the human body and milk has 5 alpha P. Studies show that this might
lead to a triggering factor for breast cancer. Meat is also associated with
this.
From my personal experience, I used to have
terrible migraines before going vegan. For years, I took medicine. My migraines
and headaches were very severe. In the last two years of being vegan, I don't
take tablets and I had just one migraine attack. I know that it might come back
but the frequency is low now. Before that, even for the smallest stress, I used
to get migraine attacks easily. In many studies, dairy and migraine have been
associated closely.
Also, I had severe constipation and used to
have a lot of stool issues. Nobody told me that it was because of heavy milk
consumption in my case. I used to eat a lot of vegetables for fibres but it
wasn't helping much.
I didn't stop dairy for all my health
concerns, I stopped only for the animals and the cruelty happening to them.
However, once I turned vegan, I slowly observed the improvement in my health.
Then I started researching about it and got to know about all this.
Is there any other thing which might have
helped you in dealing with migraines?
Nothing as such except exercise. Since the
last two years, I've been exercising regularly, including yoga. I also use
dance as a form of exercise. I can give credit to that as well. But, I feel
I've adapted to a healthier lifestyle after turning vegan. I look forward to
eating better food.
What made you go vegan?
It was a series of events. I knew about
veganism and I was slacking off again and again. I finally decided to be vegan
and not to feel sorry if others feel bad about it. One big reason was my dog. I
knew about the Yulin dog festival in China where they eat dog meat. I was
reading about the post and how animal activists are trying to stop it. I felt
happy that my dog is in India and not going to suffer. But then I realised that
we are doing the same to cows here. If I think it's okay to drink a cow's milk,
then someone can say that it's okay to drink dog's milk and snatch my dog away.
To me, my dog is my son and this one thing stuck to my head. It made me realise
that I was calling myself an animal lover and at the same time contributing to
cruelty towards them by consuming their milk. Also, I used to think that it is
okay to drink milk once in a while. But later I realised that I need to quit it
fully because I can't say that it's okay to hurt animals once in a while.
Another factor was that I grew up around
animals. There was a cow in my granny's place called Gouri. I remember that in
my 8th standard, I went to my granny's place after 2-3 months but the cow
wasn't there. I used to love her a lot. I asked my dad about her, and my aunt
told me that she has been given away to another house because we can't look
after her now. I didn't think about it much, being a kid. After a few weeks, I
saw there was a new cow there. Even as a kid, I asked them how they can look
after this new cow. But my question remained unanswered.
When I turned vegan, I was connecting all the
dots and understood that it was sold off to be killed. I checked with my aunt
and she confirmed that it was sold to people who used to make beef because it
wasn't possible to take care of cows once it stops giving milk. At that point,
I faced the reality which is shown in all the documentaries.
I was an animal lover even before and realised
that now I was not going to have double standards. I decided not to be a
reducetarian but fully vegan.
How was the transition phase?
The first issue was tea. I switched to black
tea and it's fine now. Another issue was curd. After 7-8 months of being vegan,
I had gut issues and was low on probiotics. I used to consume curd almost
regularly earlier. I think that was the only issue I had after being a
vegan.
Also, earlier I used to have constipation
because of overconsumption of dairy. It got completely solved. I started
consuming a lot of fruits for probiotics. Now, I don't have any issues, it was
just a phase.
Share about your experience regarding animal
rights activism in Mangalore.
I have been volunteering for an animal care
trust even before turning vegan. It works for stray animals and in Mangalore,
the most common stray animals are cats and dogs. I rescue cats and dogs even
now. I do on-sight treatments whenever it's possible. Currently, I'm fostering
a puppy. She met with an accident and had a spine paralysis. She is recovering
right now. I also volunteer for FIAPO, Federation of Indian Animals Protection
Organisation. They have a campaign called “Living Free”, a veganism campaign. I
go to schools and colleges and give talks about veganism. I focus on colleges
where we can discuss more freely.
Some colleges have really good responses but
there are also those where I have seen mixed responses. They listen, but laugh
and don’t change their attitude about eating meat. Sometimes, I get weird
responses. A guy once said to me that the moment I go out he will eat meat and
beef. However, whenever we go for activism, we have to be ready for such
responses and try avoiding heated arguments. At the same time, there are a lot
of people who are positive and try to educate themselves. I feel really proud
that I have impacted a lot of people and they have become vegan. My cousins, my
juniors and many others.
When I turned vegan, I thought there were very
few vegans in Mangalore. I searched for vegan people in Mangalore. I started an
Instagram page for vegans in the area. Through this, I connected to a lot of
vegans in Mangalore and we formed a vegan group. We have potlucks as well as
some outreaches. We had a “Cube of Truth”, movie screening at a college and
chalktivism as well. Once we did an outreach at Panambur Beach.
How did your social life change after turning
vegan?
Initially, It was hard for me to explain to
people and for them to understand why I turned vegan from a vegetarian but with
time it changed. Now, I see my family members and my friends respect my choice
and consider my vegan lifestyle when they plan something. The process wasn't a
cakewalk but it's worth it when I see people now being keen about veganism and
trying it.
What is your message to a non-vegan?
We are all filled with compassion. While
growing up, we are conditioned to believe that it's okay to consider an animal
as food and another as a companion, or we are made to believe it's okay to
treat them as food or objects. But deep down none of us would want to induce
suffering in another living being by our own hand. So we must reconnect with
ourselves and choose the path of compassion to not only save the animals but
also our earth and our health.
To anyone who wants to go vegan or who is
vegan and things get rough always remember your WHY power. The reason WHY you
went vegan. WHY you chose this journey... When you reflect and know why the
journey becomes much easier. Let's choose the path of compassion, kindness and
love. ONE LOVE FOR ALL.