My experience being a vegan has been a rollercoaster ride. I first watched the documentary Dominion but it was too hard for me to watch. I couldn’t watch more than 5 mins of it. So, I started researching animal cruelty in India, especially dairy in India. I also thought about how I treated my companion animal differently compared to how my actions affect other animals. Even though it wasn't an overnight decision for me, it is the best decision I ever made. 🌱
My transition phase was a bit complex because I believe that everyone has their unique vegan journey. I didn’t quit everything at once, rather, I tried to quit or reduce on cheese the first week, then curd, then buttermilk, etc. And then it seemed easier than just quitting it all.
Firstly, when I turned vegan I lost a lot of weight. I was really happy with the result. Then, I started researching the options available in my city itself. The research gave me the stats that either there were no alternatives available or those that were available were extremely expensive. So I started meals.with.mudra, my plant-based dairy business. The basic idea behind the business was to make affordable alternatives available and also to remove the taboo of vegan food being expensive. Providing options will attract more people towards the idea. Otherwise, people will be like "if not dairy then what"? It's been a great journey so far and I am happy that I can help people as well as the animals.
Being vegan has connected me to so many new and interesting people. It has opened me up to a whole new community. It has got me to talk about veganism on different platforms like Instagram live sessions or zoom sessions. Being animal friend-ly brought me to a world of living beings. My perspective towards animals changed drastically once I made the connection.
To anyone reading this, I would say: Put yourself in their shoes and think from that perspective. It won't seem so hard. Also, instead of thinking of quitting on meat or dairy, look for the alternatives, plenty of them are available. I hope, then it won't seem that difficult.
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Hi, I am Mudra Parekh, 20 yrs old. I started my vegan journey about 1.5 yrs back and my plant-based dairy alternatives business started around 6 months back.
