I'm Sabrina Gaudoin, from Kolkata. I have been raised in a mixed culture as my father is an Anglo Indian and my mother is a Bengali. I have been working as a play school teacher for the past 14 years. I love cooking, traveling, and listening to music. I love to engage myself with animal welfare.
My journey towards veganism started in 2005 December, when I became a member of PETA. Since then I have been aware of the concept of vegan and different animal abuses that prevails all over the world. My first step towards veganism was to give up leather, as I thought, that was far more easier than giving up non-veg food or dairy products. Though I was never fond of meat or fish, yet I couldn't resist kebabs and fish fry on occasions. Eggs, ice cream, and chocolates were my favorite. I also used to love silk sarees which I finally gave up purchasing in 2015. Slowly, I switched over to using cruelty-free cosmetics as well.
In 2019, I got an opportunity to go to Animal Aid in Udaipur for training. That was the turning point in my life. I had watched videos of cow abuse but that was the time I finally saw rescued calves and cows at the shelter. I cried days even after coming back. I was a person who couldn't let a day go by without eating one full bar of chocolate. But that journey changed me completely.
I told myself, "The enjoyment I have satisfying my taste buds for 2 minutes, is nowhere close to the suffering these innocent creatures go through ". Finally, I changed over to a completely vegan diet in June, 2019. It was a very slow and gradual process but I'm happy that I finally did it.
Changing over from a non-vegetarian diet to a vegan diet wasn't easy for me. However from 2019, after I switched over to a vegan diet, I feel better health-wise. I used to have leg pain, which is considerably less. I feel lighter and more energetic throughout the day. I exercise daily and I'm happy to be back in shape. It has helped me to experiment a lot more with plant-based food. Apart from making sumptuous vegan wraps, sandwiches, I have started making desserts like payesh and ice cream too.
I consider veganism as a religion which people can follow. Veganism is establishing peace within yourself and compassion for others. You live a guilt-free life. It's also about leading a better life and helping our planet to be healthy. Once you choose to be a vegan, you contribute to lesser animal abuse, lesser deforestation and saving more wildlife, less amount of carbon emissions from factories producing leather products and clothes. Veganism helps to fight world hunger and even the water crisis. That’s why, go vegan 🌱
Since I'm involved with animal welfare, I have done treatment of many stray animals on the roads. All my pets are rescued from such places. Similarly, I recommend people to adopt such rescued animals as pets instead of shopping for them and contributing to pet trade. Some of my most memorable moments are my trip to Animal aid and when my cat was in the top 10 list of the rescued cats contest on Peta.
I know it's not easy to switch over to a vegan diet, overnight, for everyone. But at least you can start by taking up a 7 days or one-month challenge, to feel the difference. You'll be able to opt for cruelty-free products too over the course of time.
And one small tip for everyone. As Mother Teresa quotes, "If you can't feed 100, at least feed one". It takes nothing to be compassionate to the voiceless. A bowl of water and some food may make any soul happy. Do good and good shall come back to you unexpectedly.
