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 Vishwa Mehta | Vegan Beings India #057

Hi, I'm Vishwa Mehta from Gujarat, and I'm in 12th grade. Leaving non-vegan food was easy when I thought about animals and also because I was vegetarian so I wasn't eating eggs or meat, I just had to leave milk, honey, wool, leather, fur, and some other things. But you have to tell your family too…

They didn't disagree at first, but they were like okay, don't drink milk, then you'll get sick and the doctor will tell you to drink milk then you will have to drink milk. It's annoying and sad that people you love don't care about animals and just their health benefits. However, they do it because they love me, they care that I might get some deficiencies although there are a lot of health problems from drinking or consuming milk products. 

And telling other people was easy as they don't ask where do you get your protein from 😂 Instead, some of them said it was a good thing and it is a good thing being vegan. But a few of them were anti-vegans so they are just annoying but I don't really care anymore.

After going vegan, my allergies have actually decreased. I had clearer skin, good hair/ scalp health. My mental health is at its best knowing that no animal was harmed/ killed or raped for the food that I'm having. I felt a little weak at first but now I have even more energy.

For anyone, only realising the cruel reality of animal agriculture (including all the animal abuse and slaughters or any kind of animal abuse, environmental problems, and health problems) is enough to go vegan and so was for me. Every living being is a beautiful creation of nature and we have no right to abuse them.

I've just been vegan for 5+ months (activist for less than five months) and I'm only 15 yet I have turned 3 people vegan. So yes, once you go vegan, you need to inspire others to be vegan for animal rights. It's okay if you don't wanna be a full-time activist, but you can still inspire people to be vegan by speaking for them wherever possible. Many people aren't vegan because they don't know the reality behind their food's taste. You just have to make them realise.

If you are vegan or want to go vegan, then take some supplements and analyze what you are eating. Eat beans, fruits, some grains, and vegetables every day for all the nutrients (apart from junk food) Take supplements for rare vitamins like B12 because I swear if you ever get deficiencies, everyone will blame it on veganism and you might also leave veganism because of health issues. 

 

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The Vegan Journey of @legend_cuber_3007 | Vegan Beings India #054

 

Hello everyone, I’m 15 and I've been vegan for more than a year and a half (anonymous on request)

I was a vegetarian since birth and I was often teased by my classmates for it. I once saw a video of Arvind Animal Activist titled “Do plants feel pain?”. I found it very sensible and interesting, so I watched other videos on his channel. I was just so shocked to see the horrors of the dairy industry. 

I always believed that eating meat was cruel, but I had no idea about the dairy industry and its dirty secret. When I saw what’s being done to cows in dairy farms, I knew I was never going to have dairy products again even though I used to love their taste. I didn’t care about anything. I just knew it was wrong and must be stopped. But ethics are not enough to convince other people. So I then researched veganism and animal rights. I am vegan for the animals and animals alone.

My friends never supported me. They never teased me either. They just don’t like talking about it. I sometimes try to bring up veganism but they immediately change the topic. My parents aren’t very supportive either, they don’t listen to what I see but they just let me do whatever I want. And we all know how “easy” it is to convince your vegetarian parents that cow milk belongs to a calf 🙂

I went vegan a few weeks before my 14th birthday. And one of my friends made a vegan cake for my birthday. I think it's amazing because even if they don’t turn vegan, they realise that it's not very difficult to go vegan and that vegans are just like everyone else (a bit more sensible maybe xD) and also that you can still eat so many delicious foods without harming animals. I understand that it’s not as easy for everyone as it was for me, but that’s not a justification to continue killing animals.

I didn’t feel any physical change after going vegan tbh, as it was just the dairy products that I stopped eating. But I think Veganism has changed my perspective. It made me look at the world in a way I never did before.

If you’re a non-vegan reading this, I just have one thing for you:

Look at the world with an open mind. Look, and then decide for yourself, what’s right and what’s wrong.

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The Vegan Journey of Samaran Thamarai | VBI #047

 

I was aware of the term 'vegan' but thought it was just an extremist concept. But when I went vegan, I didn't know I was one. It is kind of weird, yes, but that's the truth. Some online articles about dairy farming led me to veganism. I tried to convince myself that milk doesn't involve cruelty, but the activists on social media made their logic very clear, and it was irrefutable.

My path to veganism has been completely positive. I love how both of the following contradictory statements are true in their contexts - "Everyone is born vegan" and "No one is born vegan". I have loved animals right from childhood and didn't find any difficulties in going vegan. My mother is no different. I am really proud of her. While many parents find excuses to justify their life-long practices, she quit her dairy intake almost immediately despite using them for over half a century.

I have come to understand most people are just close-minded to this concept. That is okay; know that all we are trying to do is minimize suffering for some innocent animals, and we would have fought for you too if you happened to be in their place. Oh, and plants are not sentient :)

I understand it isn't easy for everyone to go vegan overnight. I had lethal cravings for pizza for a long time. Just remember that we are doing this for the animals, and everything will be fine ❤️

I am trying to do everything within my capabilities for animal rights - make videos, do outreaches, write a song, train more activists etc., and hope to do more. As an activist, more than the content you make, your efforts will inspire people into realizing the truth.

To all the fellow activists: I know from experience that it is highly mentally and emotionally taxing to educate people who do not want to listen. Please don't give in. Create your schedule for activism and don't overthink it and harm yourself. If you have specific skills, try to put them to practical use for activism and spreading awareness. Keep your sources ready to present whenever you need to. If you aren’t comfortable with it, try doing activism with others. It helps to have a backup. Good luck <3

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Hello! I am, Samaran Thamarai, just another book-hungry 18y/o computer science student. I am an aspiring lyricist and film-maker. Vegan for around 3 years.

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