The Vegan Journey of Rohan A | Vegan Beings India #071

I had been vegetarian since birth but without exposure to the sheer cruelty in the dairy industry. I used to believe that a cow "gives" us milk rather than the truth about how we snatch her milk. The one incident that changed everything was when I read a newspaper article about a dairy farmer who stuffed a dead calf so that the mother would keep giving milk thinking that her child was alive. After this, I went deep into research and saw that the only missing thing was empathy. 

It was not too hard to go vegan as I became completely mentally averted towards dairy products. I remember throwing up the day after I read that article when my mom gave me my morning milk. It was a challenge though to find milk-free products in the store. However, it got easier after I started checking the ingredients printed on them.

My family has been vegan since 2017. I have been rescuing animals and have been involved in welfare activities for a very long time now. I have always thought of the environment as my life source rather than an imaginary source of oxygen, water, and food. Hence, I believe in living in harmony. We have lost ourselves and the meaning of true humanity in the need to compete woefully amongst ourselves.

I have been a part of veganism awareness drives on social media and in real life as well. But more than all of those, I remember inviting a bunch of my friends home and/or packing food for them that I cooked at home without telling them that it was vegan. They were all surprised!

To anyone reading, I would request to please consider going vegan. No entity from the sky ever told you that the road to peace is through violence. As we humans can't bear racism, similarly the Earth can't bear speciesism. Try recreating the life your food had and the smile he or she had before they landed on your plate and picture yourself being there.

I feel much better and more positive about life after going vegan. There's still a lot to be done but I know that me and my family are making a minor difference in the environment. Four people (excluding my family) have become vegan after being patient enough to listen to me and my point.

Hello everyone! I'm Rohan A. I work in Aurigo Software Technologies as a software analyst. My family has been vegan since 2017 and I have been rescuing animals and being involved in welfare activities for a very long time now. 

 

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The Vegan Journey of Anusha Unni | Vegan Beings India #070

I was a non-vegetarian. I was an animal lover.

I used to feel bad about animals enslaved in circuses, zoos, rides, aquariums, birdcages, etc. I used to feel sad when any street dog or bird was mistreated and used to help as much as possible.

I used to avoid eating mutton because I love goats, and whenever I see mutton, I used to think of that baby white goat.

I used to admire animals and birds, and how they are such nice species and bad about how humans are making their lives hard. I have cats and kittens and used to have multiple pets.

BUT I used to love eating chicken, fish, egg, and all dairy products. I didn't know the complete truth. Although I love animals, I was conditioned to think of chicken and egg as food.

I used to not go to chicken shops because I felt sad seeing the hens' cages. But I still thought these were just food and hens were born for us to eat.

Once, when I was reading a book, I saw a quote "Consider your body as a temple, not as a graveyard." i.e. when it struck me that chicken and fish were dead bodies. I immediately stopped consuming. I was still not aware of the cruelty in the food industry.

Slowly, my younger brother (then 18) followed me and stopped consuming meat.

On one fine day, my brother, since he is also an animal lover, started going to dog rescues. And he met a vegan activist Ravi Keerthi from Vijayawada, and he got to know about veganism, came home, and told him his decision that he is going to be vegan.

I remember arguing with him and Ravi Keerthi, that veganism is just another cult, and asked multiple questions, not being ready to agree with the truth.

Two months down the line, I wanted to know if there was any truth. So on August 15, which was a holiday for me, I decided to research veganism and the truths behind egg and diary. I was shocked and was in tears. I didn't know so much was happening around. And even I was responsible for all the cruelty for all these years.

That day I became vegan. That Independence day is the day I became free of all the sins.

My family is fully supportive. My brother and I are vegans. I married a vegan, and we had vegan weddings.

 I started learning about a product before buying if it is cruelty-free or vegan. I started understanding the ingredients list in food products, and extended this to other utilities like makeup and clothing. I started choosing vegan products.

The major takeaway was that I can live without that favourite dish of mine or favourite skincare product which is non-vegan. I can't be in control of those products. But I have a choice. Whether to pay for cruelty or cruelty-free, I decided to always choose the latter. Over time, I came to know more about other broader concepts like sustainable living and ethical consumption.

And yes, I managed to pull off a vegan and eco-friendly engagement, marriage, and reception!💚🥳

These were small changes we made, which surely had a large impact.

1) We didn't use any banners to welcome our guests, instead used reusable boards and paper and cloth. A marriage banner was painted on cloth, by myself with the help of my family.

2) We never compromised on the taste of our lunch, which was purely vegan. We made raita and curd rice with peanut curd.

3) We chose vegan sweets like laddoo and jalebi (made from Vanaspati ghee) which are easily available in the market. We didn't include ghee in any of them.

4) We ordered a vegan cake, and whoever thought vegans don't have fun, they are wrong!!

5) We chose the hotel that provides fibre glasses and cutlery which are reusable rather than using one-time plastics.

6) We got beautiful synthetic sarees and dresses, rather than silk.

To anyone reading this:

Just be mindful of your actions. If an innocent victim is paying for your actions, then you have a choice to either continue or take the right path. Take a minute to be mindful of what you eat, wear and use.

We are all conditioned (culturally) and brought up as non-vegan, but that doesn't mean we continue to be so. And we all need change, a world with prosperity and peace, but are our actions in line with that?

The vegan world is not difficult. Are you ready to change? Because we are ready to welcome you.

Be the change.

Choose compassion.

____

Leading vegan life is normal for me now. I don't do anything extra for it. I know exactly what to avoid. I say no, if someone offers anything non-vegan. Being vegan is not expensive. I don't use those exotic things like cashew cheese, maple syrup, or soya milk daily.

I prefer black tea or lemon tea and occasionally have soya milk coffee. I don't have a compulsion to have curd in every meal. Sometimes, I make peanut curd. Ghee isn't mandatory for me anymore. I use coconut oil when needed.

I love icecreams, but I don't feel bad when I cannot eat them now. Because I know it costs an animal's life. Instead, I enjoy vegan ice creams. I go for fruit juices instead of milkshakes.

I don't choose expensive silk sarees, wool, or leather, rather go for synthetic. I celebrate birthdays with vegan cakes. I veganise all dishes or discard any dish which cannot be vegan at festivals. I never felt bad for it. My skincare, haircare, and makeup are vegan.

Life may not be completely the same as before, but I am sure, turning vegan could be the best decision ever.

Vegan is pure love. Love for animals, earth, and yourself.

I am guilt free, my body and soul are light. My carbon footprint is low. I know I am not supporting animal cruelty in any of my daily activities, and am one less person hurting the animals.

I try my best to spread this word and am always vocal about how easy it is to go vegan and why one should go vegan.

 

Hello everyone! I am Anusha Unni, a cloud developer by profession. I love my job because it's creative and I love providing solutions. Not just that, it also pays my bills, pays for my travelling, and gives me financial freedom.

I am vocal about gender equality, caste or colour discrimination, ethical consumption, saving water, reducing plastic usage, and being minimalistic.

I love learning. I am always into learning something which is why I have so many hobbies, 

I am a jack of all trades, but master of none. So I am into art, gardening, solving Rubix cube puzzles, cooking, Instagramming, dancing, and travelling.

And after being a vegan, I am into vegan activism and outreaches.

 

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The Vegan Journey of Soumya Sanghavi | Vegan Beings India #069

I've always been a firm believer in Equality for all. My heart especially yearns to fight for the sections that are weaker and unprivileged. One day, I came across an Instagram post that mentioned: 'You cannot believe in Equality and still consume milk.'

As a vegetarian who took pride in being one, this came as a little shock to me. I looked for all possibilities. This can't be true. But very soon, I figured myself to be wrong. All this while, my temptations revolved around cheese, milk, and whatnot? 

I wasn't aware I was eating up exploitation on my plate every single day. That was the day I decided I would transition to being vegan, for the innocent creatures who've equal rights to live as much as we do.

The journey has been no less than a roller coaster. Not to forget, I have been a religious consumer of dairy since my childhood. Leaving it all at once was a tough choice for me. I took help from a few videos on Youtube. I started by completely excluding cheese from my diet, then slowly moved on to removing buttermilk, ghee, ice cream and finally the milk.

Once I went to a dairy vigil while I was still transitioning to being vegan. I was already aware of the exploitation and abuse the animals went through. But somehow, I would still crave something sweet, that obviously wasn't vegan. When I went to the dairy farm, seeing innocent creatures tied with a rope shorter to even move around a foot, I was taken aback with pain and sorrow. I felt this piercing in my heart where I couldn't do anything but just feel. I rolled a tear or two and soon realised it was nothing beyond the atrocities these animals have to go through every single day for my cup of tea.

We often hear people saying, We won't make any difference, but until every animal is free is what we rule by.

I struggle with social anxiety which often pulls me back from participating in social outreaches and activism, but I make sure I don't miss the opportunity to speak directly when it comes to making my friends, family, and colleagues aware of the same.

I've started feeling a sense of responsibility to speak for the voiceless. I'm learning about ways to speak for them every single day.

Hello everyone! I'm Soumya Sanghvi, currently pursuing a Bachelor's in psychology. I'm also a content and copywriter and my hobbies include singing, writing, reading and in general learning.

 

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