The Vegan Journey of Manasa Muthukumar | VBI #045

 

I have been against animal cruelty right from childhood, but I never acted upon it. I was a vegetarian before going vegan. I used to think that by being vegetarian, I was not causing any harm to animals. At school, I called myself a 'vegetarian activist' and questioned friends and teachers who ate meat. I would hear excuses like 'Lions eat meat' and 'Plants feel pain'. I would try my best to make my friends and teachers understand, but somehow I could never convince any of them. So, I would come home and read about different arguments on the internet. I also watched videos to learn how to debunk the arguments of meat-eaters. 

One such video that I watched was Gary Yourofsky's 'The best speech you'll ever hear'. Towards the end, Gary Yourofsky speaks about the horrors of the dairy industry, which I was supporting. I researched some more about veganism and got to know about honey, silk, leather, etc. I was in 12th standard then, and I realized that my actions didn't align with my morals. That's how I went vegan! It’s been more than 3 years now.

I also look for opportunities to have conversations with people about veganism. One challenge was the mess in my college. There were vegan options, and I could easily eat well. But meat, milk and eggs were served all the time, and many of my friends ate them. It was hard to sit amidst these products of violence. 

So, I decided to do something. There was a whiteboard outside the mess on which the menu was displayed. I bought a marker and carried it to the mess every day. I would anonymously write a vegan message such as 'Meat is Murder or 'Dairy is Scary', right next to the non-vegan menu on the whiteboard. Later, when I visited the mess, I would find messages like 'But Chicken is Tasty', etc., next to my message. It's puzzling when people say that veganism is restrictive or boring because going vegan opened up so many new amazing recipes that I never knew existed before.

I don't know if my marker-activism impacted anyone, but I at least knew that people were reading my messages and hopefully thinking about their actions.

Initially, they weren't too fond of the idea of me suddenly giving up on milk, curd, etc. I have also convinced my family to become vegan as well.They tried talking me into eating them again as they were concerned about Calcium and other nutrients. I showed my family Gary Yourofsky's speech. They also read about animal agriculture, climate change, health and nutrition. After a few months, my family decided to go vegan too. My mom stopped buying milk, curd, and ghee. She started cooking vegan for all of us. My dad read a lot about veganism. He has given a few virtual talks on veganism in colleges and companies. My brother took an interest in vegan baking, and that's how we started Cloud Nine.

Cloud Nine is a small vegan food business that my brother and I started close to a year ago. We sell vegan cupcakes, doughnuts, cookies, ice cream and pizza. In a place like Trichy, where most people haven't heard of the word vegan at all, we try to create awareness through our business. It is heartwarming that people find our food great.

Finally, I would like to give a message to non-vegans. Going vegan is not hard at all. It is hard if we worry about taste and what we'd be missing. It is effortless when we think about the animals because a life full of torture and gruesome death (which is what they face) is more challenging than not eating ice creams or biryani. With vegan alternatives becoming available everywhere, the transition is easy. There is absolutely no reason for us to stay non-vegan.

Hello, I am Manasa, an engineering student at NIT Trichy. I enjoy drawing, designing and photography. I speak up for animal liberation and I use art to spread the message of veganism. With my brother, I run Cloud Nine, a small venture through which we sell vegan food to the people of Trichy.

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The Vegan Journey of Richa Annie Thomas | Vegan Beings India #044

One early morning in September 2015, I heard the sound of what I thought was a baby bird calling out to his/her mother. I awoke only to realise that my neighbours had rescued a kitten who was about to be attacked by dogs on the street. After much pleading, my mother allowed me to bring the kitten home. Until then, I'd never really interacted with animals that much. We ended up adopting her, and that changed everything! 

I noticed that my kitten's behaviour was very similar to the behaviour of other animals. Street dogs and cows would fold their limbs the same way Mynx (my kitten) would, and when they were feeling sleepy, they looked a lot like Mynx did when she was tired. It then struck me that these animals are sentient, just like my cat. 

Then, one day, I came across two graphic videos on Facebook - one of the poultry industry and the other of a cow being slaughtered. That was one of the saddest days that I have ever experienced. I looked into the eyes of the animals who were being killed, and I couldn't believe that I had participated in this madness for 19 years of my life. At the time, I didn't yet know the horrors of the dairy industry, but I was outspoken about animal rights. In January 2016, during my college fest, there was an animal rights stall. I was so excited to visit the booth because I wanted to talk to people who spoke out against animal abuse as vehemently as I did. When I went there, the activists there told me about the dairy industry, and at that point, I had had enough. I went vegan immediately, and I haven't looked back since.

Going vegan wasn't hard for me once I faced the truth behind animal agriculture and looked at everything from the animals' point of view. However, what was hard was that otherwise caring and intelligent people couldn't understand veganism and weren't ready to go vegan. Seeing the people you love and respect participating in the massacre was the most difficult part. Additionally, living in a non-vegan world where we're reminded every second that animals have been reduced to commodities is painful. However, I focus on channelling the anger and frustration into my activism, which has helped a lot. 

Additionally, connecting with other activists really helps! Community building is essential to ensure sustained activism, so reach out to vegans in your city and work together to accelerate animal liberation. Also, hang out after activism events so that the team gets closer because this really boosts morale. 😄

My message to non-vegans is the following: I'd ask them if they agree that animals should not be put through unnecessary suffering. I'm sure they'd say yes. I would then explain that even though we've been conditioned to believe that we need to eat animals and animal products for health and survival, it simply isn't true since we can get all our nutrients from plants. I'd urge them to watch Food Choices 2016 to understand that notion in more detail. I'd explain that since we can get our nutrients from plants, it logically follows that killing animals for food or consuming other animal products classifies them as putting them through unnecessary suffering, which they are against. 

It's simply a matter of cognitive dissonance, which we've all experienced since we grew up in a society that made us see animals as commodities. Finally, I would advise them to watch 'The Best Speech You Will Ever Hear by Gary Yourofsky and visit slaughterhouses, dairy farms, and hatcheries. I'd also explain to them that one doesn't have to be an animal lover to be vegan and that veganism is a matter of justice and not kindness. Once our conviction is solid through the above methods, then figuring out how to go vegan becomes easy! Also, there is a huge vegan community in India. People can always feel free to reach out to me for any support they require. 😄

In 2018, I co-founded the 'Vegan India Movement' and 'Bengaluru Brigade for Animal Liberation' as I firmly believe that animals are sentient beings who deserve justice. We undertake various initiatives through these two organizations.

We highlight the plight of animals used for food, clothing, entertainment, experimentation, etc., in the animal agriculture industry. We aim to change the way people perceive animals - we try to get them to see animals as sentient beings instead of commodities. We do this through various education-based forms of activism: street activism, college lectures, screenings, music-based activism, wall paintings etc. In the wake of the pandemic, we are also doing Tweetathons and activism on Clubhouse.

As a part of the 'Vegan India Movement', we conduct a weekly webinar titled 'Let's Learn Activism', where people who have experience in different areas of activism share their knowledge to get better at activism. We also have Activist Meets, where activists from across the country can connect and share their ideas.

Finally, I'd like to say that the first step is going vegan. The second and more important step is to be active for the animals. The only reason any of us are vegan today is because activists decided to speak up for the animals. There are many ways to be active - join your city's Living Free group and engage in street activism, know your facts through continuous research and give college lectures. 

If you're not confident at giving lectures yet, organise them for an activist in your city. Start a blog, website or YouTube channel, and use your talent/skills in art/design/visual communication, etc., to further the goal of the animal rights movement.  You may be scared, under-confident and feel super awkward, but no matter how feeble your voice may be initially, do it! You will gain more confidence in time. The animals are counting on us!

To join us in Bangalore, DM us at @goveganwithbbal

To join grassroots activism at the national level, DM us at @veganindiamovement

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Hello, I’m Richa Annie Thomas, a vegan for more than 5 years. In 2018, I co-founded ‘Vegan India Movement’ and ‘Bengaluru Brigade for Animal Liberation’ as I firmly believe that animals are sentient beings who deserve justice. I train in mixed martial arts and I'm learning German as I love the language. I'm a huge Anime fan and also quite a nerd.

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The Vegan Journey of Dyuthi Konakalla | Vegan Beings India #043

 I started living a more low waste lifestyle in August 2019 for several reasons. It annoyed me when my parents would bring home groceries in plastic or when my dad ordered stuff online, and they would come covered in plastic. I realised that while I could not affect that, I could control what I eat. 

So, I initially avoided dairy due to environmental reasons, especially after watching Cowspiracy, which opened my mind. In January 2020, I made a new year’s resolution to eat plant-based food four times a week. This frequency slowly increased, and by April, I quit most dairy. I learned so much more about the cruelty behind dairy throughout this journey, and that was when I started animal rights and environmental activism. 

My sister went vegan with me, so it was much easier for me to eat and make vegan alternatives at home. I was always a vegetarian, so I only had to quit dairy. It surprised me that I could even do it because I couldn't finish a meal without curd rice or eat anything without pouring ghee all over it. 

Another reason I started eating plant-based is for health reasons, since dairy is difficult to digest and was a cause for my mild sinus. As soon as I quit it, my nose started feeling better than before. By the end of April 2020, I couldn't think of any reason why I would want to keep eating dairy, so within 2-3 months, I went completely vegan.

Being vegan helped me find a community that thinks alike and fights for the same reason: animal liberation. It makes me feel happy that I don't contribute to animal cruelty just for my sensory pleasure or entertainment. I learned so much through the articles on the internet, and I frequently share resources and tips on my page.

It also helped me realise how amazing plant-based food is, and it's not that hard to quit dairy if you remind yourself why you are doing it. I also learned the difference between being plant-based and being vegan: being vegan isn't enough; it needs to be paired with animal activism to achieve animal liberation.

We started my small business in March 2021 mainly to spread awareness that healthy and vegan food is super delicious. The business has received a little over 50 orders so far. I have been following a sustainable lifestyle since August 2019, which made me more conscious about many things: buying new clothes, not wasting vegetables, switching to a menstrual cup and cloth pads, which saved me so much money and are much more comfortable than plastic pads. This inspired my mom and sister to start using plastic-free menstrual products. For the past two years, we have had no menstrual waste, which I believe is my most significant achievement.

I have found that the whole vegan movement has become more about the people than the animals, resulting in fewer people making the change to veganism based on one or two negative experiences with vegans. I find it very hard not to judge people who have all the information right in front of them but choose to continue to support the meat and dairy industry. It hurts more when the people you love also continue to do it. 

Please understand that we are not all that different from non-human animals, and they don't deserve the cruelty they are going through just for our fleeting pleasure.

Through veganism, I have learnt to be kind and compassionate. I have understood how many people are subject to change and how many stick to their ideologies without reviewing any facts. I have felt many positive changes at the same time. Veganism changed my whole life for the better: how I think, how I eat, and how I approach people.

Go vegan and speak up for the animals. Make the change, and the rest will fall into its place.
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Hello, I'm Dyuthi who recently finished my 12th Humanities and recently started a small business which has no name yet but serves yummy healthy and vegan food. I took interest in food when I stopped eating unhealthy food from outside and had to make my own vegan versions at home and quite enjoyed it. I learned the basics from school since I had Home Science as a subject.

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