The Vegan Journey of Kaivalya Kashyap | Vegan Beings India #042

 

Pravallika Nagam, who used to work at 'Blue Cross of Hyderabad', is a full-time animal rights activist and a vegan for more than 10 years. She was impressed with the sincere welfare work I do for animals, but she knew I had no idea about the dairy industry and the cruelty behind it. 

She took me for a long drive, not just for fun but to dairy farms. I wept one whole day. This, I must say, was the most significant transformation in my life, and here I am, a true animal lover now. If she didn't come into my life, I would've engaged in animal cruelty for longer. Also, she is the one who got me into sustainability as she leads a zero-waste lifestyle.

The most bitter and life-changing experience for me was that tour. We wrongly believe that cruelty happens only in commercial and large scale dairy farms, but nowadays, wherever there is dairy, there is cruelty. Calves are tied far away from their mothers. Cows and buffalos are tied such that they can't even move their heads freely and are given injections to increase the quantity of milk supply. Surprisingly, the dairy farm owners don't even know the name of the injection. They aren't fed quality food, but the remains from the local hotels. If a cow giving milk is injured, she is sent for slaughter. I saw all this with my own eyes and knew that I had to change my lifestyle.

Four years ago, when I turned vegan, I had no negative experience with my family. My entire family is into animal welfare; they were happy that I understood many more things and went a step ahead. My mother and my brother Kalyan are my pillars. My mother was a little worried about my sources of Calcium in the beginning, but it didn't take me more than an hour to show her plenty of other Calcium sources. Since going vegan, my body has become lighter. I have no constipation issues, hair fall or sleepless nights anymore. I can sleep happily without the guilt that I have harmed any animal that day.

However, many friends and family still express doubt, and when I am sick for a long time, they blame my vegan lifestyle, as if non-vegans don't get sick. I feel so disappointed that most vegans are ridiculed this way and that people close to us still don't understand what we stand for.

But despite the negativity, I see many in my circle and social media interested in my thoughts. I see people who at least took a step towards quitting meat and started doing animal welfare. A few turned vegan as well. I have been getting positive vibes from people for a year now. I also know they are stuck either because of the taste or doubts about Calcium, protein etc. Hence, my aim is to break down these barriers and introduce them to a guilt-free, ethical lifestyle. I believe that a non-vegan environmentalist doesn't exist.

Finally, I request people to see the actual side of dairy, meat, and fashion and realise the truth. Why must we opt for such a cruel lifestyle of living when we have alternatives? We are no longer early men. Bodybuilders, athletes and film stars are going vegan. Do we think we need a stronger body than those like them, who actually need it?

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Hello! I am Kaivalya, surrounded by animals and plants all the time. Digital marketer by profession and dancer by passion. I love making content to create awareness among people regarding veganism, animal rights and sustainability.

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The Vegan Journey of Arvind Krishna | Vegan Beings India #041

 

It’s been around three years been entirely vegan, meaning no whey protein either. Lol!

It was a combination of environmental, ethical, and health reasons that I turned vegan. I had a series of bad injuries, then after doing a lot of research I decided to go vegan. It was the best decision ever. I was able to recover much better than before and now I’m at the peak of my game at the age of 36.

Being vegan, in the early days, was very difficult for me. Our diet has a lot of dairy products in it. But I decided I have to stick to it if I wanna see results. Also, I strongly feel that even dairy products and how they are sourced are just as cruel as non-veg food is. Socially it’s been difficult since many don’t get it and when you go out you have to have a detailed talk with the chef etc! 

Initially, I was maybe shy to voice the reasons why I am vegan. However, now, I’m very vocal. People now listen since they see that I’m dominating on the court or looking better than before and as an actor, many take notice of that. So people are always looking for such results. Once they see that, they are more likely to listen. Then I tell them about the other reasons why I turned vegan.

After being vegan, I’ve lost fat. My skin is much better. My recovery after workouts is far better. My digestion is far better. I’ve noticed that I’m much calmer. My spiritual inclination has become clearer. My speech and diction too improved. I am not sure of the connection but non-veg and dairy do affect the thickness of the tongue I read somewhere.

I want people to see my work, my fitness, my results, and then I want to attribute a lot of that to being vegan.

To anyone up for the challenge: let’s lift, run and jump, and see who’s better! If I beat, then you turn vegan! :D

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The Vegan Journey of Ruchika Chitrabhanu | Vegan Beings India #040

I first got to know about veganism 25 years ago through my in-laws, Gurudev Chitrabhanu and Pramoda Chitrabhanu. I tried going vegan in intervals for a short period. It was only when I saw Peta's feature on Indian Dairy, it dawned on me that cows in India are treated as commodities and not as mothers anymore. 

When I was feeding my child, I realized that human milk and animal milk look the same. Just as my body produces milk for my child, so does a cow produce milk for her calf. I would be devastated if my child were taken away from me. This was the turning point to go vegan.

Finally, 15 years ago I turned vegan. The only alternative available back then was soy milk, nothing else. Restaurants didn't know what a vegan is. So, going to parties or restaurants was a challenge. But being a vegan and not being instrumental in anyone's suffering made me far more happy. So honestly, I didn't miss much. At home, it was easy to make Indian food vegan as it is not dairy-dominated.

During those times, veganism was unknown in India. I got the opportunity to explain this to people. Over the years, I have helped many people transition to a vegan lifestyle or replace a few animal products with plant-based products with empathy and respect. Today, many of them are advocating for veganism and helping others transition.

I am a co-founder of Ahimsa Fest, India's largest vegan festival and a great place for vegans, vegan-curious, and non-vegans to know more about veganism. I recently founded The Earthen One, where we do online events to spread the message to a broader audience. There has been a lot of learning we had to do, but it has been a wonderful experience so far.

Being vegan has led me to many discoveries – health-wise, product-wise, people-wise. I now meet people who are so much more alert and not bogged down by senseless traditions and read about disruptive innovations in the food and fashion space. But what matters at the end of the day is that I am so much happier.

To anyone reading this, remember: Compassion has no form and that is why it has no boundaries. You have the power to make an impact that will last forever by making small changes (by going vegan). Use it.

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Hello, I am Ruchika Chitrabhanu, an Interior Designer with a deep passion for design and art and an eye for detail. I have been an ethical vegan for 15 years, spreading awareness about veganism as a co-founder of Ahimsa Fest and founder of The Earthen One.

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The Vegan Journey of Manish Muthukumar | Vegan Beings India #039

Three years ago, when I was 12, I went vegan. I stopped eating pizzas, ice cream, etc. Vegan alternatives are not available in the place I live. I was missing the yummy food I used to eat but I was very careful in what I ate. I never consumed anything that was not vegan. Going vegan is not even half as hard as most people think, and it is the need of the hour that we go vegan.

I have always been an animal lover. I used to be a vegetarian. I had no clue about the cruelty in the dairy industry. My sister decided to go vegan after she watched Gary Yourofsky's The best speech ever. Though I was a little hesitant about the idea of veganism initially, once I got to know the facts and the truth, there was no turning back. A few minutes of taste certainly does not justify subjecting individuals to torture or death. It is shocking how we are breeding and mercilessly killing billions of animals every year. Animals are members of our ecosystem and by killing them, we are also killing our planet and ourselves. After understanding these, it was clear that going vegan is the right thing to do.

Today, I have learned how to make vegan alternatives for pizza, ice cream, donuts, and cakes. Not just that, I sell them too through our venture Cloud Nine.

Cloud Nine is a small venture that my sister and I started ten months ago. Through Cloud Nine, we sell vegan cupcakes, birthday cakes, ice cream, cookies, donuts, and pizzas to the people of Trichy with the idea of promoting veganism and helping transitioning vegans make their transition. We began with just cupcakes on our menu, but have added many more foods along the way. Though not many people know about veganism here in Trichy, the response to our venture has been great. It is heartwarming that many people order from us, over and over again. 

We have made and sold about 500 cupcakes since we began. My sister and I work together. I take care of the baking and delivery, while my sister does the packaging and poster designing. Together, we connect with customers and manage our social media page. Through our food, we tell people that vegan food is just like non-vegan food- minus the cruelty. There are so many lessons that we learned, and we are hoping to grow our business.

Apart from Cloud Nine, I write poems and articles on veganism to express my views on why veganism is important. You can check them here @manish_the_little_poet

 

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