He is an animal rights activist and has been
working with PETA India for 2 years. He is also a certified nutritionist, a
true believer in compassion and helping in the betterment of ethical and health
perspectives of people. Cooking is not only his hobby but his passion.
What made you go vegan?
I used to rescue dogs and cats. A friend of
mine introduced me to veganism and made me realise how we are conditioned to
feel for the dogs and cats on the street, but not for the pigs, goats, chickens
and cows. I have always been a vegetarian and there was certainly some sense of
pride in me about that. But when I watched how much suffering a cow or a buffalo
goes through in a dairy farm and how the chickens and goats are killed for
meat, it pulled me into an abyss of guilt. I am grateful that this guilt
changed into acceptance and I decided to turn vegan eventually. It's the best
decision I've ever made in my life.
How was your transition?
On my plate, it was overnight but mentally it
was a journey. When I cut off everything, it wasn't very difficult. The only
aspect I found difficult was Indian sweets. I started finding vegan options for
it because I knew I might develop a craving for sweets. Luckily, I found a lot
of vegan brands for them. One of them is Vijay Sweets from Coimbatore. That was
the first vegan sweet I ordered. He shipped it in 2 days from Coimbatore to
Pune and I was so happy. It was a short phase of confusion. Now, it's all okay.
Also, I was very excited to try out various
alternatives, especially plant-based milk. As a cooking enthusiast, I was
completely enjoying the process. And yes, it was not at all expensive. Overall,
it was great.
What was the final turning point which made
you make the decision?
I remember consciously watching a pig in
distress on the street and felt terrible. It was an unprecedented feeling. I
started visualising what life would be like for such animals. Numerous people
feed and care for street dogs and cats, but that pig has literally never
received any love from anyone. In turn, we take its life as if its existence is
meant to be objectified. Keeping them captive in cages, drugging, slaughtering
and killing, that's all their fate has always been. I was in tears and that was
when I felt a jolt to make the change.
Tell us more about your work at PETA.
I've been working at PETA India for almost 2
years now. I handle PETA Youth - the youth wing of PETA India which caters to
the college-going crowd. At PETA Youth, our goal is to reach out to college
students who are the future and the current foundation of animal rights. We
work with students by ways of outreach activities such as setting up
information stalls during college festivals, conducting various contests that
drive home the message of helping animals who are killed for food, caged in
zoos, made to perform in circuses and films and experimented in
laboratories.
Student volunteers get petitions signed for
our different campaigns aimed at bringing relief to animals abused every day.
You’ve read a lot about the nutritional aspect
of a plant-based diet, what are your views on that?
I always wanted to know more about nutrition
and diet. I started doing my basic studies through online research. Eventually,
I decided to take a certification in nutrition because it gives an authority to
talk to people professionally about nutrition and a plant-based diet. It's
hardly been a month now since my certification, so I don't practice it
professionally. It is just limited to my circle.
When it comes to food, we are very
disconnected from nature. Our lifestyle has affected our food habits a lot.
It's important to realise the fact that whatever we are eating is forming us.
Through a lot of resources, a plant-based diet has been proven to keep you
healthy in a holistic manner. When it comes to detoxification, disease
reversal, weight management, plant-based diet has been making great pace
everywhere. I find it a pleasant coincidence that I am a vegan and at the same
time interested in nutrition. This allows me to talk to people about nutrition
in a much better way and help them know more.
If someone is vegan, what are some important
things they should keep in mind regarding nutrition?
As a vegan, we usually assume that we are on
the right track, but it may not be the case when it comes to our nutrition.
There is a misconception that vegan food is the best. It's not always the case.
Vegan food doesn't always mean it is healthy food. There can be junk, there can
be healthy food, even in veganism.
Vegans should be focusing on a wholesome diet
which includes a lot of grains, millets, fruits and vegetables instead of a lot
of processed or junk food. There are a lot of plant-based milk, cheese, butter
which are veganised but they all are processed. We should avoid consuming them
in larger quantities. The alternatives are good, but it's not necessary to
embrace them in our diet. But yeah, this applies to non-vegans as well i.e. to
avoid processed food and high sugar food.
How has your PETA experience been after
working for 2 years?
It has been great. I was involved in street
activism earlier as well: talking to people, leafleting and outreaches. But
joining PETA has given me a new direction. I've learnt a lot of innovative
ideas as well as a professional way to deliver it. Say if I am an independent
activist, I might be thinking of many raw ideas but we won't have proper
resources and knowledge to craft those ideas. So, it's really important to have
professional support which makes you more efficient. We are all dealing with a
real-world outside and at present veganism is a minority. Thus, we must propagate
the concept of veganism in a very subtle and gentle manner so that they don't
have any misconceptions. It's important that we are educated about the concept,
how to deliver the message and make them understand that this is something
good. People shouldn't have the notion that veganism is extreme. People might
have faced circumstances where they feel vegans pressurise a lot and it might
be true. Perhaps some vegans don't give people the right direction to follow.
In my 2 years, I have learnt how to deal with various situations as well as
groups of people. I have also learnt how to address this issue universally.
What do you think are some common mistakes a
vegan makes while communicating about veganism to a non-vegan?
Most of the vegans are quite aware and
tactful, so they are doing good work. It's not a very common mistake. However,
in some situations, people become impulsive and this is quite justified. They
might feel very depressed and frustrated after seeing the condition of animals
and when people around them are not changing their habits. In such situations,
it's important that they control themselves. Being sensitive is fine but being
emotional can be wrong while dealing with people. Often, I've seen vegans
mocking non-vegans or ridiculing them. This is totally wrong. We also have been
in the same shoes earlier. It's not right to consider that they can't change.
Everyone has their adaptive power to take up. It's a very subjective topic.
As an activist, one common agenda every vegan
should have is to make their approach subtle, educative and interactive.
Message to a non-vegan...
We need to consciously embrace our ingrained
compassion and morals which are often ignored in the hustle of life. Remember,
it's easy to be a vegan, but tough to be an animal in today's time. Love is
taking over, let's get on board. ❤️