The Vegan Journey of Saloni Henecha | Vegan Beings India #074

 

Since childhood, my family taught me how morally bad it is to eat non-vegetarian food. That built empathy for animals in me. In 2018, I came across a documentary about dairy that left me in extreme shock. However, I wasn't aware of veganism so I continued consuming dairy with a lot of guilt.

There was a classroom discussion once, over the beef ban. In that, I had said, "Cow is considered godmother, how can we eat them!" to which the teacher replied, "Then why do you consume dairy, it also leads to a lot of beef exports." I got to know the term veganism then and explored it thoroughly.

Then in 2020, I came across a peepal farm Instagram account. The first time, I found something other than PETA. It was more relatable, being Indian with Indian food habits. Robin Sharma brought out my real compassion for animals. 💚

First I started by stopping the consumption of unhealthy and rare foods like cheese, butter, cake etc. Then stopped most frequently consumed foods like Dahi and ghee. I was left with only masala chai. At first, it brought happiness about how I am sacrificing for animals. But later on, I realised that it's not a sacrifice but till now I was stealing other innocents' right to nutrition.

Going vegan somewhat solved my skin problems and my mild thyroid. Made me more compassionate and aware of my food habits and their impact on other beings and the environment. Overall, my whole perspective on life has changed and I am so happy and fulfilled about it!. I have started practising yoga regularly for a year now, to be more fit and healthy to prove the point of nutritional fulfilment with a vegan diet even if you indulge in any kind of physical activities.

Being vegan itself brings a lot of attention from non-vegan friends and relatives, which in turn brings their questions. It brings a lot of awareness among really clueless people. I strive to donate around 2 percent of my overall income to animal welfare, shelters, etc. 💚🌸

To anyone who wants to be vegan, the very first step is to have empathy. Once you can imagine yourself in the place of an animal standing in a queue getting his/her head chopped off for fulfilling someone's taste buds or nutrition, you will come halfway on the path of harmless life. 

Then, whatever hurdles you have right from nutritional requirements to family pressure to peer pressure to cravings (which usually go away with empathy) you can take one step at a time. Start exploring, reading about other vegans and food habits, facts about plant-based nutrition, etc. This will help you a lot.☺

Hello everyone, I’m Saloni Henecha. I am a Software Engineer at Pune. I work in the Data Science field. My hobbies are playing guitar, reading, feeding surrounding animals, dancing, cooking, nurturing house plants, going for animal rights activism, and basically everything that keeps my mind engaged in a good way.

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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 Anurag R | Vegan Beings India #068

I stopped eating meat at the age of four when I witnessed the slaughter of a chicken at my friend's house. I used to love chicken meat. But after that incident, I was horrified even at the thought of eating other animals. I had even stopped consuming cow milk for a brief period because I felt it was wrong to drink the milk of another animal. But, due to social conditioning and in the name of nutrition, I was forced to eat eggs and milk.

I first read about veganism in 2015 after I googled 'does vegetarian diet make you fat?'. My friends made fun of my size and blamed it on the vegetarian diet. They gave examples like tigers are so muscular and fast but elephants are fat and slow. I was surprised to know that there were people who didn't consume any animal products and were healthy, fit, and lean. I was not aware of the ethical reasons at that point.

In 2018, I saw Instagram posts showing the horrors of factory farming. That got me interested in Veganism. I started researching online which led me to the YouTube documentary 'Unholy Cattle of India'. I then decided to cut out all animal-based food which took me a while. I finally did it in 2019, but I was silent about it.

It was hard at first to give up dairy products and my mother was worried that I wouldn't get proper nutrition by cutting out dairy and eggs. I had to get active in the kitchen and make my plant milk since my mother was reluctant to give up on milk and ghee. Sometimes I had to cook for myself. Some of my friends and family have criticised and questioned me for cutting all animal products. But my motivation has always been the animals. The journey has been fantastic. The only regret I have is that I didn't do it sooner. I have become more aware of my choices and now know that I don't pay animals to suffer in my name.

In 2020, I started working for an agri-based company where I had to design machines for farmers. I had to frequently visit poultry and dairy farmers to get their reviews. There I witnessed firsthand how the animals were bred. They were considered as mere products rather than seeing them as living conscious beings.

These are the incidents that made me go Vegan and further strengthened my stand against animal exploitation. I also observed that the number of meat stalls near my house was also increasing. I was so fed up with all the mistreatment of animals that in 2021 I created a Facebook and Instagram Account called 'Vegans of Mysuru' in the hope of meeting other fellow vegans in my city. 

In November 2021, we did our first vegan outreach with the help of BBAL and Vegan India Movement. Now we are a team of 18, conducting outreaches frequently in Mysuru. During one of our outreaches, we met Dr. Khader Vali a.k.a Millet Man of India who was excited about what we were doing and offered to provide any support. He does not use or consume any animal products and educates people on the harmful impacts of animal products, rice, and wheat on the health of the planet.

Right from childhood, we are taught that meat, milk, and eggs are good foods and are essential for us. That some animals can be pets and some others can be eaten. Wake up! Remove the blindfolds and see them for who they are, not as products but as beings who deserve to live freely just like you and me. Given the state of the world we are living in today, it becomes our responsibility to make better choices. To live a life that is kind towards other species and the planet.

Hi, I'm Anurag. I'm from Mysuru. I'm a Product Engineer working for an Agri based company.

I'm also a freelance graphic artist. I like to play guitar and computer games in my free time. Nowadays, I create online content for the Vegans of Mysuru Instagram page.

 

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The Vegan Journey of Ananya Jain | Vegan Beings India #065

 

Hello everyone! I am Ananya. I'm 15 years old and I love animals! Since childhood animals have been a major part of my life. I am an animal feeder, rescuer, and animal rights activist. I feed about 80 - 100 animals (mostly dogs) every day. 

Back then, I had just started using Instagram. Since I have always been keen on learning about animals, I used to scroll through animal-related pages. Suddenly, I landed upon a page where I saw how a cow is treated for me to have a glass of milk and other dairy products. I was just horribly shocked and did not know I was contributing to so much cruelty. As I scrolled more through the page, I got to know more about the cruelty that happens within the dairy industry. I wasn't able to admit the reality that as a vegetarian, I was contributing to animal cruelty. I was paying for those innocent animals to get tortured, abused, and slaughtered.

Hence, I went vegan in June 2020 after knowing this cruel reality of the dairy industry. To be honest, I feel my journey was a roller coaster. After knowing the cruel reality, I decided to go vegan but there was no one to guide me on how to go about things. I didn't know what plant-based milk was! So, it took me some days to research and know what I could use instead of dairy products. 

Today, I can proudly say that I have improved my athletic performance without killing or abusing animals. I have seen a drastic difference in my activity levels and my physical ability. I feel more strong & energetic.

When I told my parents about veganism, they didn't believe in it. I showed them everything and finally, a time came when my parents were supportive towards me being a vegan. But as I moved to talk to them about them transitioning to being a vegan... BOOM! I would get busted with so many myths, excuses and they argue with me. Then, I did not know how to answer them, but now I can have a debate with them.

I've come across a lot of people who hate animals for some reason. I don't know why! It's just that they are always behind hurting animals. While feeding specifically, many people come, oppose and mistreat stray animals such as dogs, puppies, or a cow! They would hit that innocent animal with a stick and that poor animal goes through a lot of pain. Please don't do that. They are too scared and traumatised. They just want some love and compassion. 

When I have no one with me, I have animals by my side who are always there to give you so much love, no matter what happens. And the fact is that in case you provide 1% love to them, they'll be there for life and provide 100% love back. And please step out for animals! Unless & until we don't, we are not going to make a change in the lives of animals.

I often have people saying to me "I can't be vegan because I love the taste of cheese, milk, or any other dairy products." I have one question for you all: How can you define anything above killing an animal & eating them? They are sentient beings just like you who can feel pain, suffering, misery. They are living beings just like you. 

"If your religion includes killing animals, It's not a religion. How can you justify killing an animal just for a religion?"

THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR ANIMAL ABUSE.

Apart from the above things, I have always been interested in contributing my part to our Earth by participating in community services which include waste segregation, environmental conservation organisations, animal organisations, etc. I also am passionate about photography, sketching, cooking, trekking and fitness, writing, and business. I am still exploring. :)

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The Vegan Journey of Selvi Selvakumar | Vegan Beings India #064

I was always concerned about the cruel treatment meted out to other non-human animals. On my own, I had become a vegetarian from being a meat-eater, about five years ago. But I was not very happy about it because I thought that avoiding meat did not eliminate cruelty one bit. This happened a few times earlier too. I would become a vegetarian and then would revert. I was always researching humane ways to kill an animal, like maybe under anaesthesia? Anyways, I decided to stop eating meat five years ago. Eggs were on and off. Funnily, silk, leather, and honey were off for nearly two decades.

Then I came across this youtube post by Arvind Animal Activist. That made me go vegan and also become a vegan online activist overnight. Earlier, I used to write about the environment though my mind was on animal rights. I was always concerned about peer reaction and social stigma if I talked about animals and their rights. Then Arvind's video gave me clarity of mind. I realised that others like me were there. I am always grateful to social media for this support
.

After turning vegan, I got many negative reactions from friends and relatives. Some took it positively too. But as far as I am concerned this is one of the best decisions I took. I wish I had done it earlier.

Being an activist, I have printed pamphlets explaining cruelty to animals, and how to avoid this. Nowadays, I take them every time I step out of the house, talk for a minute or two to anyone whom I meet, and give it to them. I request them to read it and think about the content. I aim to make people think because our attitude towards animals is the basic reason for this callous behaviour. Once we stop seeing animals as commodities, the cruelty will change.

Most of us humans like to be just and fair in our dealings with others. So why are we not so towards animals? It is an age-old conditioning, and it remains on us to think about this. We need to accept the truth that they are just like us in all that matters. They have all the emotions of love, affection, mother-child bond, and grief on separation. Whenever we kill an animal or bird, it is not much different from killing a human being.

_________________

Hello everyone! I’m Selvi Selvakumar. I’m an ophthalmologist who took early retirement chiefly to voice for animal rights. I love watching movies and reading books in my free time. I turned vegan in September 2020. Whenever I went out for street outreach people have always listened to me which was surprising. Then I realised that it could be because I am a senior citizen and a doctor. 

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The Vegan Journey of Vaibhavi Lonkar | Vegan Beings India #063

I have had cats since my birth. So, it was easy for me to connect with other animals. I always rejected when I was offered meat. I knew that meat is nothing but a dead animal who wanted to live. But unfortunately, I didn't know about dairy. I turned vegan overnight. The moment I got to know what happens inside the dairy industry, I decided. I was a heavy dairy and dairy products consumer, but trust me, going vegan was easy for me. I wake up every morning with a smile because I know that I am living my life without harming any sentient being.

I believe that we can easily live without harming any sentient being. Moreover, there are vegan alternatives for animal products out there. Then why choose cruelty? Are our taste buds more important than the life of an animal? Is it okay to artificially inseminate a cow, take her baby away and consume her milk? All this for 2 minutes of pleasure on our tongue? Animals have a right to live as much as we have. They're individuals, just like us.

Before the pandemic, I used to participate in vegan activism events but I wasn't able to do that during the lockdown. I learned how to cook during the lockdown. This combination made me start my blog, Vguide. It has blog posts related to recipes, activism, vegan food reviews, and general veganism. Here’s the link to Vguide. Also, I was a national coordinator for the Vegan India Movement campaign.

After going vegan, I started losing friends. However, I knew that the universe has some good plans for me. Gradually, I met like-minded people. I think that's the reason why I lost my old friends and found new ones who are way way better. I am glad I found such amazing people. We go for treks, movies, vegan activism, and potlucks together. We even visit shelters and spend time with animals. I wouldn't have been able to do this with other friends. Going vegan was a turning point in my life. I made friends all over India. Whenever I visit any city, I always have friends there. This sense of belongingness is very beautiful.

I felt better both physically and mentally. I felt mentally better because I started living a guilt-free and cruelty-free lifestyle and made like-minded friends. I felt physically better because a plant-based diet is one of the healthiest diets on this planet provided you don't eat vegan junk food. I used to fall ill thrice a year but it all stopped. Now I hardly fall ill.

Hello! I am Vaibhavi. I have completed my post-graduation in management and currently, I'm working as a digital marketer in a small start-up. I love sketching, painting and cooking when it comes to veganising non-vegan recipes. I run a blog named Vguide which has blog posts related to veganism. Apart from that, I volunteer for vegan outreach events, animal adoption camps, and animal rescues.

I've been a vegan for seven years.

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The Vegan Journey of Ahana Dasgupta | Vegan Beings India #062

 

Being someone in the locality who helps ailing dogs, I receive calls from multiple people. In 2017, one such call led me to an ailing calf. Unfortunately, I was late to arrive there. I kept thinking about this unusual incident because I had hardly seen a calf lying on the road. After a few days, I witnessed the most horrible incident of a cow crying and chasing a rickshaw. I could not figure out the reason. I was at a nearby shop when I saw that. Then I saw the rickshaw where that cow's calf was tied to the place where we generally keep our feet. Baffled at such an incident happening in broad daylight nearby a police station, I was left with many questions. Later, I found out that such is the procedure in many dairy farms. As a person who feels for animals, the agony of the mother cow kept bothering me. That is how I became vegan overnight.

I had heard about veganism in 2015, while participating in a march organised to protest against the use of glass-coated manja used for flying kites on a specific festival. I had used the same excuses a non-vegans give until 2017, when I decided to go vegan after the above incident.

Being born as a human is in itself a privilege. The power to reason and choose is what differentiates us from the rest of the species on the planet. As humans, we have come a long way, creating artificial intelligence to discover ways to combat deadly diseases. Having such powers necessitates helping those who cannot help themselves and animals are the most underprivileged of all. They depend on us for everything but unfortunately, we take everything from them. We often ask for justice for ourselves while being so horribly unjust to those species who have no evil intentions, no voice, and no choice. Instead of being saviors we torture and kill them.

Coming to activism, outreach doesn't always have to be planned. A vegan for whom the cause matters will take every opportunity to make others aware. However, in the past few years, awareness through street outreach and social media has made people aware of veganism to a greater extent. Making people feel what we felt while changing into a vegan requires them to be in the same position as we were. Engaging in constant dialogues, helping people by showing alternatives not just in the food sector but all such sectors which exploit animals, helps people understand the urgency of the cause without being hesitant. The factual discussion has a better impact than becoming emotional while speaking.

In my case, I have always tried to understand the thought process of the person I'm speaking to instead of just stating what I feel is right. Since the aim is to make people capable of establishing a connection with all animals, it is important to give primacy to how a person thinks over what I think, whether or not it's correct. And then gradually show facts and carry on with the debate. I believe the aim isn't to convert people into vegans but to make them feel for all animals equally. Then veganism becomes the most obvious outcome.

To anyone reading this, ask questions to yourself instead of asking vegans. Try to find the answers to those questions yourself without depending on vegans. Vegans can be flawed but the reason behind the cause isn't flawed. It only aims at saving lives.

Going vegan helped me in many other ways as well: 

It revealed people around me. 

It helped me recognise injustices beyond the cause and understand the importance of every individual human on this planet. 

I understood the importance of unlearning as much as learning.

It helped me to know myself better. Being an introvert, outreaches seemed impossible. But when something matters, no barrier is a barrier.

Hello everyone, I’m Ahana Dasgupta from Kolkata. I have been an animal lover for a long time. I have been involved in rescuing and helping street animals which further lead to veganism later on. I enjoy learning and gathering knowledge. I'm aspiring for various jobs and hence preparing for them. I'm a vegan since 2017.

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The Vegan Journey of Ajay Kiradiya | Vegan Beings India #060

Around three years ago I started feeding community dogs in my locality. Each time I’d feed them I empathise with them and eventually end up loving them. Thereafter, I started to love all the animals, from cows, dogs to pigs. I would feed them, care for them and empathise with them. I could see the pain in their eyes. I could feel their pain when I saw them suffering.

When I was shown the reality of dairy, at first, I couldn’t believe it. I thought it doesn’t happen in India. I did my research and got to know about various animal exploitation industries in India. I then decided to go vegan because I didn’t want to be the reason for their immense suffering, trauma, and exploitation. It took me a few months to transition and now I'm a vegan and an animal liberation activist.

My family has always been very supportive of my vegan and activism journey. After going vegan, I’ve got to know so much about the animal rights movement, and other social justice movements. I’ve made some amazing activist friends who help me sort out things. Apart from these, I feel so helpless that I can’t save all non-human animals. I can’t stop people from hurting animals, thus I can only try. 

I’ve been learning about anti-speciesism, effective activism, social change, and other important aspects of the AR movement. I’ve learned the importance of activism and why we should focus and invest our time in this. I’ve been doing offline activism since after two months I went vegan. I'm still learning effective ways of activism every day.

I document other animals’ suffering by witnessing them in butcher shops, live markets, dairy farms, pet shops, zoos, animal rides, and other unwanted uses. I’ve seen them in trauma and the torture that they have to go through. I tell people their stories by sharing them on my social media handles. I had also been a part of an online pressure campaign.

The problem is people are very disconnected from animals. All of us have been brainwashed by industries' advertisements. They don't show us the reality of what goes behind their end animal products. We are so bound by our culture to ignore the suffering of other sentient beings.

We all have been taught from childhood that animals are inferior to us. We can abuse them for our taste, pleasure, and greed. We should see beyond the culture and recognise their individuality, treat them with equal respect and dignity. Our habits, taste buds and convenience is nothing, compared to the pain and suffering other animals receive.

When it comes to the capacity to feel pain, fear, and love, we are all equal. We do not have to love animals to avoid abusing and killing them. Choose justice and equality, and be an anti-speciesist. And most importantly, be their allies.

Please get active for the animals. They are suffering and dying every day. They need us like never before. Use your privileges in ways that would help them, utilise the skills and knowledge you possess, and try to be effective in your actions. You do not have to master activism. Any action is better than no action, so keep trying it.

I've been learning about anti-speciesist language, animal-centric approach, effective activism, system change, and much more. I learned the importance of language that we use in our advocacy. It plays a huge role in the AR Movement. Because we all have been taught speciesist words and language by the society we live in and the system that normalises the exploitation of non-human animals.

I learned why we should always centre on the animals, not other factors while advocating for animal rights because they are the victims here. When we discuss health and the environment, we are not only objectifying animals but also letting people remain disconnected from animals. Eventually, they don't feel the plight of animals and keep coming up with other human-centric arguments. Yes, health and environmental factors are important but they are additional benefits. The root cause is speciesism and animal exploitation.

I learned why system change is equally important and should be emphasised as individual change and even more, because corporations, companies, industries, and governments continue to exploit animals to make money. They are the ones who operate the whole chain.

Hi, My name is Ajay Kiradiya. I'm an animal liberation activist from Indore and currently pursuing mass communication. I'm dedicated to animal rights activism.

I've been vegan for the last two years now.

 

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The Vegan Journey of Vaishnavi Dhumal | Vegan Beings India #059

 

I saw the slaughtering of chickens 4 years ago. Witnessing the way the poor animal was fighting for his life and struggling to not die for a momentary meal, made me feel sick. I instantly became vegetarian. I thought I was doing enough and now I wasn’t causing any harm to non-human animals.

I had heard of the term vegan but I was ignorant at that time. I did not understand why people go vegan in the first place. I thought it was extreme and that no cows are harmed for milk. Soon, I came across a post from an animal activist's account that was talking about the horrors that cows go through for milk. It also said to watch the documentary Dominion. I started doing my research and tried to watch the documentary. I couldn’t watch it completely, it was too rough to watch. To date, I haven’t seen it completely.

Shocked by all of this, I decided to go vegan. I started by cutting off dairy items from my daily consumption. But the wrong perception was that although I was doing it for ethical reasons, I still thought of it as a “diet”. This continued for a month, and then I started to realise it’s not a diet or my personal choice when there is a victim involved. 

So this one day when I was sitting in my canteen waiting for my oreo shake to come, it just hit me that I cannot keep expanding that I would take “small steps to cut off animal products from my diet” to adopt Veganism. Either way, the animal would still be abused while I was still making the baby steps. So, I went to the counter and cancelled my order, and turned vegan that day. 

Through these past 3 years, it has evolved me to learn more about animal rights, from thinking of veganism as a mere diet. I came to an understanding that this is a social justice movement for animal rights.

Also, the fact that animal rights activism is extremely important because I never went up and searched on the internet about veganism and Animal rights. I got educated about it through an animal activist's post. So I feel, being active for the animals is a key to keep educating people and speaking out for the animals.

Nobody is born a bad person, no sane person wants animals to be killed. I know you wouldn’t want to hurt animals. I know you also love your companion animal. You probably feed your community animals too, or do some other kind things in your life, which I acknowledge and make me feel that you are a compassionate person.

However, please understand that society has conditioned us into thinking of animals as a product and not as an individual. We grow up and unlearn so many things. It’s time we unlearn speciesism. We need you in this fight for animal rights. Please expand your compassion to all the non-human animals because I know you can.

My vegan journey has been great. On the positive side, I got to know so much about animal rights, got into activism, got out of my comfort zone, made connections with non-human animals, and looked at them as individuals, being more compassionate and understanding other beings.

On the negative experience, in the early months, I had lots of arguments with family and friends. I did not have the right approach to convey the message to them so it was stressful, but that only made me find the right approach, so I am glad.

In 2017, I came across this documentary called “The true cost” which showed me the horrors of the Fast Fashion industry and also the unethical treatment of their workers. Being a designer and a consumer of the fast fashion industry, it was a shocker. Sometimes there are so many things that we don’t question and things we don’t know, but I’m glad I saw that documentary and got to know about this.

That acted as a catalyst for me to learn more about sustainable fashion and I started working with natural dyes. I knew that I wanted to start my sustainable clothing brand sooner or later.

So when I graduated this year, I finally started up with my clothing brand by the name “Nyoro”, a sustainable, vegan, ethical, and slow fashion.

After going vegan I discovered a lot of new things. Getting educated about my choices, understanding how important the words we use are, I learned that most of the words we use are also speciesist and will objectify non-human animals, so I’m slowly unlearning it.

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