3 Vegans In India Share Their Inspiring Stories Of Compassion

Stories about vegans who countered all odds to give up animal cruelty have time and again motivated many to adopt veganism. We bring you three emotional stories of Indian vegans who prove that all it takes to follow the lifestyle is compassion and dedication towards animals.

1. Shyamraj Iyer, Mumbai

Namaskar. I am Shyamraj Iyer. By education, I am a homeopathy doctor, but right now I am looking after over 108+ animals in my shelter located in the outskirts of Mumbai. I currently look after several cats, dogs, rabbits and goats, chickens, turkeys and ducks that were rescued from slaughter.

Since 2001 I got attached to animals and have been living with them ever since. Wherever I see an injured or sick animal on the street, animals that could not find food for themselves, I rescue them, I adopt, treat, feed and look after them until they die. I do not have much support so often I have to leave them here without any supervision and I have to go and fetch food and other necessities.

Before this, I used to practice at a homeopathic clinic at various places in Mumbai. While travelling, whenever I come across any sick or injured or sometimes poisoned animal I used to take them in and treat them with my own money. In 2014, I quit my job and didn't even get married, only for them.

Since then, I sold everything I owned to look after them. From morning till I sleep at night, I work for them. Occasionally I get help from animal lovers whom I met through Facebook. They helped me in a sterilisation camp, etc. and I managed to continue the shelter until now. However, the help I get is very minimal. Sometimes food is so scarce that the animals and I have to starve for days at a stretch. In the monsoons of 2017-18, because of lack of proper infrastructure, the whole shelter got flooded and I ended up losing 50+ animals.

I was in my worst shape in 2019 and I thought to myself "Who will look after them if I die?" Fortunately, an animal rescuer named Vatsal met me during one of his dog rescues and through him, a Mumbai-based animal lover Arati Kedia and her brother Amey Valsangkar got to know about me.

They secured food for animals by giving me a monthly sum of ?70,000 and formed a volunteer group, collected a sum of ?1.5 Lakhs and raised the ground height to avoid flooding during monsoons. They've also provided a deep freezer to store food, repaired all electrical wiring and even built a toilet for me. Thanks to their dedication and efforts, despite Mumbai facing the heaviest monsoons in the past 60 years, not a single animal succumbed to death in 2019.

However, the difficulties didn't end here. There is no proper fencing in my shelter. So, sometimes local villagers come and kidnap the animals or outside dogs come and attack the animals. Secondly, many animals need to be neutered and I don't have the funds to carry out a sterilisation camp.

I wish someone can join and help us. I wish these animals get a permanent place to live in - surrounded by big trees and lead a happy and stress-free life.

God has given us fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and seeds to eat. We don't need to eat animals or their milk or eggs to survive. I've been doing that for 19 years. Think about it. None of our body anatomies - like teeth and intestine were designed to eat animals. Carnivorous animals have no choice, but we do. So, go vegan. This also helps us in our social and mental wellbeing. Thank you.

2. Nagaraju, Hampi

Namaskaram, my name is Nagaraju. I am 33-years old, living in Hampi, Karnataka. I do various part-time jobs for a living, such as an auto-rickshaw driver, daily-wage labour in crop-farming, local tour guide, etc. Whichever work I can find, I take it up for my living.

I belong to the local Adivasi (tribal) community and I grew up as a vegetarian. About 1.5 years ago, I met an American woman, Julie and worked as her local guide for a month. During her stay, as part of her research, she asked me to take her to local gaushalas and dairy farms to understand dairy businesses and cow protection in India.

In the olden days, bulls are used for farming and tilling the lands, without them we wouldn't have existed today. Today, machines have replaced bulls in farming, so they are abandoned on the streets as they are of no use for farming. These abandoned bulls become stray, eat plastics, starve and die, or meet road accidents and die, or some people kidnap them and slaughter them for beef, skin etc.

It is with respect to these animals that our ancestors built great temples and monuments such as the Great Nandi. Today, people pour milk on Gods without knowing how and where the milk is coming from. It is my respect, love and devotion to Lord Shiva and the Nandi that made me go vegan.

Three years ago my father was hospitalised and I had to sell my rickshaw for his treatment. Now I live with my mother and look after her. She is mentally unstable at times since my father's passing, but still, after explaining to her, she is also on her way to quitting dairy altogether. Life has been difficult for me ever since my father's demise. Sometimes I can't find a job for days on end, but still, I don't want to compromise on food. Even if I am starving, and someone offers me any dairy-based foods, I do not accept. I am also trying to save money to join a 4-wheeler driving school, which can help me find better work. Hope I will learn and be able to drive a taxi someday soon.

As a local tour guide, I show the ruins of Hampi and take my tourists to the restaurants nearby. If my tourist is not vegan, I will try to explain to them about the dairy industry and recommend them to try vegan food. If they are reasonable, they will accept; and if they do not accept, I will just wait outside the restaurant until they finish their meal. It is very easy to find good vegan options in Hampi, and I would recommend you all to visit here someday.

3. Murala Venkateswarlu, Andhra Pradesh

When I was 5 years old, I went to a local fair with my friends in a nearby village. There I saw a baby goat prepared for slaughter. I saw the goat in fear and pain, crying out loud "MAAA.." and my heart melted at once. I immediately jumped in and begged them not to kill the baby.

Even today, that incident still flashes in my heart. I immediately turned vegetarian back then. But her cries still echoes in my ears. Since then I worked towards bringing change in the society.

Abdul Kalam sir has immediately responded to my letter and asked the local authorities to send him monthly updates on this issue. Despite that action, it was very difficult to stop these atrocities. Since then I have filed several complaints in the high court of Andhra Pradesh on the commissioners and various municipal authorities. After years and years of fighting, they finally stopped these atrocities and ABC (Animal Birth Control) was initiated.

We need to be dedicated to saving animals. Also, remember that: To save animals, first, we need to go vegan. Going vegetarian will save only a few animals like chickens, goats, etc. but by quitting dairy products, we will also save cows and buffaloes.

Remember that just as we would not want to be abused by someone stronger than us, likewise animals do not want us to abuse them. Let's go forward together and put an end to animal cruelty.

The above interviews and images are a courtesy of  the Facebook page of Vegans of India.

Read: #MyStory Meet Hydrabad’s ethical animal-lover Manohar Chaudary

Read More:  8 Fully Vegan Indian Families. Oh yes, they do exist!