Raw Vegetarian Diet - Experiment scaled down

I started experimenting "raw vegetarian diet", a few months ago. I liked the idea of eating uncooked vegetables and they really tasted good. However, I couldn't sustain my experiment for more than couple of months. There were several challenges that I faced during the experiment:

(Also read: Why am I a Vegan?)

• Vegetables that we get in the market/shop aren't "fresh" most of the times
• It takes lot of time to eat raw vegetables
• It also takes a lot of time for us to "digest" raw vegetables
• Raw vegetables generate lot of gas and stomach is always 'heavy'
• The craving for 'cooked' food is hard to control :-)

To add to all the above issues, I faced a severe indigestion problem for a few days and I decided to scale down my experiment significantly. Instead of trying to become a 100% raw vegetarian, I started to include more raw vegetables/fruits in my diet. Now, I'm getting the best of both the worlds - cooked as well as raw food. For the last several months, I'm able to sustain this diet model without any issues.

Also read:

A journey from non-vegetarian to raw-vegetarian
Why am I a Vegan?
Sunday - a day of mass murders in India

A ban on spitting pan in public places - who enforces it?

It was a beautiful and pleasant evening. I had taken my daughter to a nearby park. The park wasn't very busy, but had decent number of people. There were all kinds of people ... of different age groups and economical background. There were people sitting on benches talking to each other, people walking around the park to burn calories, and little kids playing on the play structures. My daughter enjoyed playing in the park ... on the sliding board, merry-go round, and swings. She climbed over all the play structures.

(Also read: Vandalur Zoo - Infrastructure is world class but people's behavior is local class)

We had spent quite some time in the park and were about to leave. Two teenage boys entered the park and sat on an empty bench. The guys looked somewhat rough and were talking in 'Chennai Tamil'. They were chewing pan, and constantly spitting near the bench they were sitting on. I was noticing this for a while. I was tempted to go to them and ask them not to spit in the park. The teenagers looked rough and hence, I was contemplating whether to do that or not. Finally, I developed some courage and decided to advise them. I went to them and asked "If you don't mistake me, can I tell you something?". They gave a puzzled look not sure about what was I going to tell. "I have been noticing that you were spitting in the park. I'm not sure if you are doing that intentionally or unintentionally. There are so many kids playing in the  park with the sand. In the best interest of the kids, can you please not spit in the park?" I was surprised on seeing their reaction. "Sir ! We didn't do it intentionally. We'll not do it from now on. Thanks for pointing this out".

The second instance happened in CBE (during my visit to Infoquest 2010). We were waiting in CBE bus stand for our bus to Chennai. There were long rows of chairs for the passengers to wait/relax. I saw a family of 6 people, occupying the row in front of us. The head of the family was a gigantic man, chewing pan. He was constantly arguing with his family members and irritating them. I didn't pay much attention to their conversation. However, the gigantic man got my attention when he spit pan over the tiled floor. He did it a couple of times and wasn't sensible to the menace he was causing. I took the courage to talk to him. I told "Sir ! If you don't mistake me, can I ask you not to spit here on the floor?". He immediately said "Sorry Sir ! I won't do it". He stopped doing that, after that.

Also read: Skywalks in Train Stations - What are they for?

Irrespective of where you go, it is very common to see people spitting pan on the streets/roads. It is very common to see that in shopping malls, cinema theaters, walkways and even in temples. People do not realize the health hazards of spitting on the streets. The educated folks do not even make an attempt to correct them. They just mind their own business and go on. Of course, "Not everyone is alike" and you may even run into people who may cause physical harm to you. I believe that "If told politely, and if you don't touch their egos, you'll get a proper response". You shouldn't try to prove that you are 'more socially responsible' than the other person. Your objective should be to just educate them. Today, smoking & spitting are prohibited in all public places. However, it should be enforced and followed religiously.

Also read: If I don't care, who'll care

A journey from Non-Vegetarian to Raw-Vegetarian

What is in a diet? If you are conscious about your health, fitness, and environment, you should be conscious about your diet too. Recently, I started experimenting Raw Vegetarian diet and I'm loving it. The diet makes me feel more fresh, healthy, and energetic.

My journey as a vegetarian started in 2000. I became a vegetarian for 3 reasons. First of all, I didn't have a desire for non-vegetarian food. Second of all, the horrifying scenes of animals getting killed in front of my eyes during my childhood days, had an influence on my decision to be a vegetarian. Third of all, when I read Mahatma Gandhiji's "My Experiments with Truth" in 2000, I decided to give up my meat eating habit, completely. (Also read: Why am I a Vegan? )

People wonder, "How did you manage to be a vegetarian, in US"? If you are under the influence of your taste buds, it is hard, to survive in US being a vegetarian. Especially, when you are traveling to places or not having food at home. If you are ready to eat whatever is available, you can manage in US easily. In fact, every restaurant in US has something for a vegetarian. You can customize your food. You can go up to the extreme of ordering a Chicken Burger without the Chicken.

A modern diet has deprived us from enjoying the freshness of hundreds of vegetables, fruits, and nuts that nature has provided us. Many of the things that I eat today were hardly part of my diet when I was a non-vegetarian. I have been practicing Vegan diet for the last 3+ years. I'm staying fit and healthy - no visits to the hospital, except for yearly health checkups. I've now started my experiments with Raw-Vegetarian diet, by reducing the intake of cooked food and increasing the intake of raw vegetables, fruits and nuts.

People think that 'pure vegetarian' diet lacks Protein, Calcium and other Vitamins/minerals available in milk/meat based diet. If you are making conscious choices of vegetable based diet, you can eliminate the need for non-vegetarian food completely. For example, my everyday diet includes Soymilk, Sprouted beans/nuts, Spinach, and a variety of nuts, fresh vegetables, and fruits. It provides me enough protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals.

I was once challenged by a friend of mine, who is a born vegetarian. He said pointing to his huge belly "I've been a vegetarian from childhood days. I get sick quite often and I don't feel healthy/fit". Being a vegetarian alone doesn't make you fit. What happens when you don't service your car/bike  for a long period of time? The vehicle loses its fitness - engine problems, brake/battery issues, clutch/gear problems and over a period of time gives you low mileage. Similarly, you need to service your body regularly. A good diet should also be complimented by a proper exercise program. Also, feeding your stomach with fatty/non-healthy vegetarian food is equivalent of fueling your car with a low grade petrol. The mileage/performance will also be low. Have you heard of "Garbage in Garbage out"? It holds good for your diet also :)  (Also read: Sunday - a day of mass murders in India )

If you would like learn more about Vegan or Raw Vegetarian Diet, you can read/listen to the following:

HappyCow - Becoming Vegetarian
Veganism in a NutShell
GoVeg - Podcast
Raw Vegetarian Food/Diet 

(Also read: Raw Vegetarian Diet - Experiment scaled down)

Chikungunya - Deadly !

New Year started with a bang for me. Since the new year began, Chikungunya has sabotaged almost the entire family. I have heard about Chikungunya, in the past. But, this is the first time I was seeing people going through the pain. Chikungunya is caused by a virus that spreads through mosquitoes, which breed in clear water. Chikungunya shows up with very high fever, and stays for nearly 4 days. Doctors prescribe Paracetamol & some pain killer as the medication. You should be drinking lots of water during this period to keep yourself from getting dehydrated. This helps to bring down the body temperature.

Chikungunya just doesn't come & go - it leaves its mark. The residual or after effects of Chikungunya include:

• Body/join pain and difficulty to walk/move around comfortably
• Getting tired very fast
• Head ache (actually, heaviness of head)
• Rashes on the skin
• Throwing up
  

I heard that it takes months (or even years) for people to completely recover. My little one recovered relatively faster than the adults in the family. My dad was affected the worst and he has to be hospitalized for a day.

I was astonished when the virus didn't strike me. I guess my body has better immunity. Thanks to my vegan diet! I become a stronger believer of vegetarianism & vegan diet, because of instances like this.

If you are interested to learn more about Chikungunya, you can visit this website

Also read:

Why am I a Vegan?
Sunday - a day of mass murders in India

Subway experience - How much can you change?!

How much can you change in 6 years? .. a lot!! I got reminded of a dining experience at Subway restaurant, in US.

It was the year 2002. Days after I landed in US for my job. My friend took me for lunch to a nearby Subway restaurant. Hey! It is one of the few places where you can have a stomach full veggie food for less than $5. There was a long queue in the restaurant. After a 5 minutes wait in the queue, my turn came. I had asked my friend about what to order. So, I just started firing "I want a foot long Veggie Patty". The guy in the shop asked "What bread Sir?" Oh my God! I wasn't prepared for this question. I looked at my friend who took me to Subway. My friend asked "Do you want Wheat bread or Italian?". "Wheat" sounded to be healthy. So, I told "Wheat". Now, the guy in the shop asked "Sir! What do you want on it?" Common, not again! I looked at the counter in which they had kept the sandwich ingredients. There are atleast 15 different items that I can choose from. First of all, I don't know "What some of the ingredients" are. Second of all, I don't know the "English" name for some of them. Again, I looked at my friend. He told to the guy in the shop "He eats everything. Put everything on it!". Oh, what a relief!

We moved to the billing counter. The guy in the counter greeted us with a "Namaste!". He asked "Do you want a drink? The combo comes with drink and chips. Do you want a combo Sir?" I decided to have a combo, because I get more for the price. Also, I liked the bubbling fresh drink & hot chips. When I had my first bite of the sandwich, I was disappointed. It was not tasty at all. Moreover, the wheat bread was very hard to chew. I didn't want to "waste" the sandwich. So, I managed to eat it in full. The drink & chips really were necessary for me to complete the foot long sandwich. 

Fast forward, 6 years from then. During my last visit to the same Subway shop, I ordered a Veggie Delite. The guy in the shop asked "What bread Sir?". I told him "Italian". The guy asked "Sir! What do you want on it?" I told him "Onion, Jalapeno, Black olives, tomato, no ranch dressing, no Cheese ...". I exactly told him what I want on it. I moved to the billing counter and skipped the offer for the drink & chips (Well, drink contains carbs & chips contains fat!). I just took a glass of water. I relished my foot long sandwich. It tasted sooo... good (Well, being a Vegan provides you very less options to eat. So, you have to be happy with what you get ! :)).

What difference did my stay in US for 6 years make?

1. I don't go to Subway because the sandwich is cheap. I go to Subway because it is a healthy choice. 
2. I watch for calories & fat in the food that I eat. I'm ready to skip (actually, sacrifice) even my favorite drink & chips
3. I love cold sandwiches (got used to its taste!)
4. I now understand what ingredients go into a Sandwich. I can name them in English :)
5. If someone asks me a tough question like "What do you want", I'm conditioned to ask "What are the options that I have" (instead of just staring at them, spell bound).

This is not just an unique experience that only I went through. I'm sure many of you might have had a similar experience. But, looking back, it feels so good that we've evolved over a period of time & the evolution is for good!

Also read:

Returning to India
Stages of Immigrant Life in USA

How to reduce the impact of climate change & global warming?

Global warming, climate changes and their impact are talked about in lengths, in all forms of media - TV, Radio, Newspapers & Internet. "Going Green" is the new buzz word. What should we do, to reduce the impact of climate change and global warming? Do we have to go back to the ancient world and live in forests, eating just fruits and vegetables? Do we have to sacrifice the pleasures of modern day life, to save this earth? How can we preserve the world we know, for our grand kids and our grand kids' grand kids?

(Also read: A Journey from Non-Vegetarian to Raw-Vegetarian)

A friend of mine forwarded me a "Youtube" video which prompted me to write this blog. This is the video of a young girl who addressed a UN meeting on the issue of environment.

What are some simple changes that you can bring in your life to reduce the impact of climate change & global warming? Here are 5 things you can do to reduce the impact of climate change & global warming.

1) Planting trees around your home or in some of the empty lands that you own. Think about the number of trees that we have to bring down during our life time. Just look around ... identify the number of wooden items around you - house/office structures, tables, chairs, cabinets, papers/books/notepads, paper towels, all the way to tiny little match sticks. All these things are made out of wood. So, how many trees have we planted since we were born to compensate for this?

2) Saying NO to paper/plastic bags during shopping. Carrying "cloth bags" to shops (and re-using plastic bags several times) reduces the carbon foot print. Since some forms of plastic cannot be recylced easily, the use of plastic creates a huge problem. Moreover, the cost involved to recycle a plastic bag is more than the cost involved to manufacture one. So, the manufacturers don't show interest in recycling plastic bags. A weekly shopping trip results in at least 10 - 15 plastic bags. In a year, we would've used nearly 800 bags. Imagine how much plastic use we can reduce if we just start to carry "cloth bags" to shop.

3) Wisely using water - Not wasting water and properly using it (during our showers, mouth wash, hand wash, watering lawns etc.,). Even a state like California declared drought last year because of the lack of rains. Water saved is water produced.

4) Avoiding/Minimizing the consumption of animal food. It takes more resources (land/water/fodder etc.,) to produce animal food than what is required to produce grains/vegetables. "There's nothing so pervasively damaging to our environment - and to world hunger - than eating animal products". This article gives you lots of facts regarding how animal food impacts the environment.

A friend of mine asked me "If everyone becomes a vegetarian, what happens to the ecosystem? Who'll maintain the food pyramid/chain?". My response to him was simple. "Today, do you think humans are letting these poor creatures to breed at their normal pace? We (humans) are growing thousands & thousands of cattle/birds (& forcing them to breed in an abnormal way) just to satisfy our appetite. If we let them to breed on their 'normal pace', then I believe the 'layers' underneath humans in the food pyramid/chain, will help to ensure the balance in the ecosystem".

Also read: Sunday - a day of mass murders in India,   Why am I a Vegan?

5) Drive your motor vehicle only when it is absolutely required. This is easier said than done. However, we can bring small changes to our lifestyle such as combining multiple trips into one, taking a walk to nearby places, using public transportation, car pooling, and biking.

Start to educate the people you know about climate change/global warming and their impact. You might have heard this several times during your life - "You'll learn a lot only when you start to teach". When you begin to teach others about global warming/climate change, you tend to learn more about it. This will motivate you to strictly adhere to your 'environmental friendly' life style.

Many a times, we don't realize the seriousness of the climate change. We may not see the end of the world during our life time. However, think of our grand kids or our grand kids' grand kids. They are going to live in a world that is completely torn apart by the global warming. Some of the small islands like Maldives will vanish out of the map because of increasing sea levels (due to the melting of glaciers).

Changing our life style to be 'environmental friendly' is definitely tough. But, if we are conscious about the impacts of environmental change/global warming, we can easily bring small changes into our life style. We all know that 'small droplets can form an ocean'. Why not make our small contribution towards making this world greener? 

Let us preserve the world we love/live for our grand kids & our grand kids' grand kids. 

Swimming pool in Brownstone Apartments - Highly Recommended

 It is nearly 6 months since I returned from US. Since the day I landed in Chennai, my daughter has been asking me to take out for swimming. Swimming pools are very common in US. Almost, every other apartment/community in US, has a swimming pool. However, swimming pools are not very common yet, in India. Only a very few residential communities have swimming pools. I used to take my daughter to a pool at least once a month before. However, since landing in Chennai, I've deprived her from that experience. I learned about the wonderful swimming pool run by V.V. International School of Swimming, in Brownstone apartments, in Mahalingapuram (near to Loyola College). I called them today morning to find out some details.

We went to Brownstone Apartments at about noon. They charged Rs.70 each, for my daughter & me, for a 1 hour swimming session (It looks like the yearly membership costs Rs.5,500. They also conduct swimming lessons). The swimming pool was maintained well. The water was clean and there were not any dirt or debris, floating. There were at least 2 administrative folks to help the visitors. We went there by Saturday noon and the pool wasn't crowded at all. My daughter was initially hesitant (actually, scared!) to enter the pool. But, later she started liking the experience. I made her sit on an air-filled tube and she enjoyed the floating experience. We had a wonderful time there. It was very refreshing. We spent the full hour in the pool and came back extremely relaxed.

If you are in the Nungambakkam/Choolaimedu area and looking for a swimming pool/class, you should definitely consider V.V International School of Swimming, in Brownstone apartments.

Also read:

Smell of fresh air - rejuvenating
Chennai Marina Beach - Free Recreation

Metro water in Chennai - breeding red worms

Are you living in Chennai? Do you see Red Worms in drinking water? You aren't alone. Here is my side of the story.

My wife have been complaining about worms in the Metro water, for a while. I was ignoring her claims initially. But, when I looked at our overhead tank, it was full of worms. A single mug of water had nearly 10 - 15 worms. They were small, thin and in red color - glittering in the sun light. We had cleaned our water tank only a month back - paying someone Rs.400. I was surprised to see, so many worms in the tank. I decided to clean the water tank, myself. I spent nearly 2 hours cleaning the tank, with proper chemicals. In the next 2 days, we again saw worms in the water.

All along, I have been thinking that Metro Water would be of good quality. So, I didn't suspect that the Metro Water would have worms. Coincidentally, I saw a news article in "Thinathanthi" paper which talked about "Red Worms in Metro Water". The article said that the Metro Water authorities know about this issue and it is due to 'low chlorine levels in the drinking water'. The article also said that these "Worms are harmless" & if we just filter/heat the water it can be used for drinking and cooking purposes. I started doing some research on the Internet. I saw several outdated (3 years ago) articles that talked about worms in Metro Water. I didn't see any recent news articles. However, there were some user forums where people complained about "Red Worms in drinking water".

I thought this issue is 'confined' to very few areas in Chennai. But, in the recent days, I see many areas affected these Red Worms. There is also a speculation that drinking water is getting mixed with sewage due to leaks. However, Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) authorities have been denying the existence of these worms.

Worms crawl out of taps in Saligramam - Chennai

Water with worms in Anna Nagar west 

Metro water is supposed to be used only for drinking/cooking purposes. But people store the water in sumps and start to use it for everything except for drinking (Yes! Many folks buy bottled/can water for drinking. Several other folks have costly water filtering systems in place). I'm not surprised why Metro Water authorities aren't taking a quick action. But, the folks who get affected the most are the poor folks who cannot afford to buy bottled/can water or costly water filters. If you are affected with the red worms, you should file a complaint now. You can do it online at Metro Water website. Hope Metro Water authorities solve this problem once for all - if not for the folks who 'misuse' the drinking water, but for the folks who really use the Metro Water for drinking/cooking only.

Note:  Metro Water website gives a lot of tips regarding the usage of water and maintenance of tanks/sumps. The wesbite also has lots of other useful information such as rainwater harvesting, online complaints, cash counters etc.,

Sunday - a day of mass murders in India

It is 4th of Oct, 2009. 2 days after the world celebrated Mahatma Gandhi's birthday. I stepped out of my house for my early morning walk. There is a meat shop near my house. The shop had a few skinned & decapitated goats hanging in the front. A huge truck was unloading carts of chicken into the shop. Each cart (of 5 ft x 5 ft size) carried about 10 chicken. There were about 15 carts. The chicken were closely packed and some of them were already half dead.There were flies buzzing all around the shop. Anyone who crosses the shop couldn't avoid staring at the dirty look of the shop and the bad small that comes out of it. Despite all of this, the shop was very crowded - with people who are buying chicken/mutton for their Sunday meal. This is a very common scene in India, on Sundays. Sunday is a day of mass murdering of goats/chicken in India.

The workers in the meat shop are not educated about cruelty to animals. Chicken are kept in small carts until their D-day arrives. Those poor creatures hardly find space to even stand comfortably inside those carts. Finally, the workers kill them by twisting their neck or by chopping-off their head. Even a prisoner with death sentence is treated properly in this world. Doctors ensure that the prisoner is in good health before being sentenced. However, these little creatures aren't treated properly. They haven't committed any crimes. They haven't done harm to others. But, they are killed in large volumes to satisfy the appetite of humans, who are higher-up in the food chain.

People also don't care about hygiene. The place in which these little creatures are kept is so untidy and unpleasant. There is always flies & crows surrounding them. The meat shop owners even preserve some of the unsold meat to sell in the next day. Buyers cannot ensure that the meat is of high quality. It is quite easy for people to get sick by consuming such meat. Also, this unhygienic environment is not good for the workers in the meat shop. Look at the short Youtube video below, to see the things in action:



The nation praises Gandhiji for his acts. But, somehow, the nation fails to recognize the importance of adopting vegetarian diet. Becoming a vegetarian is not tough, at all. I've successfully adopted vegetarian diet for nearly 10 years, now. I'm very active & healthy. I can proudly say that I haven't had any major illness/disease.

If you want to lead a healthy life... If you are against cruelty to animals... BE A VEGETARIAN !!!

Related post:

Why am I a Vegan?

Swine Flu - Spreading fast?

Is this 'Swine Flu' week in India? The first page of daily news papers is filled with news about 'swine flu'. It is so pathetic to see people of different ages die just within a week of diagnosis. Chennai witnessed its first swine flue death yesterday. Many schools announced holiday, today. The virus can spread fast in India and consume lots of lives. First of all, the concentration of people is very high. Crowded schools, buses, trains, and hospitals. It is easy for the virus to jump from one person to another. Secondly, our medical support system is very weak. By the time a person is diagnosed to be A(H1N1) positive, his/her condition becomes very critical. They are then moved to Government Hospital or another hospital for treatment, where they eventually die. I see the same pattern in all the swine-flu deaths. Government has stepped up its measures and trying to be very aggressive. Hopefully, this will improve the prevailing situation and prevent the 'swine flu' deaths.

Thinking of Homeopathy treatment - Check this out

What did I learn this weekend? Well, there are hospitals that are ready to milk you like a cow. Don't become a prey. I want to share with you my experience at Dr. Batra's Homeopathy Clinic in Kilpauk, Chennai.

In the last 7 months since my wife landed in India, she has had stomach pain/upset
4 or 5 times. A visit to a local physician solves the problem most of the times. The doctors suspected that she may have excess acidity and suggested to do an endoscopy test. My wife was scared to take an endoscopy test. So, she wanted to take homeopathy treatment. After some googling, I took my wife to Dr. Batra's homeopathy clinic in Kilpauk, Chennai. It was a descent clinic. The reception had two young men in full formals (including tie, nicely polished shoes etc.,) buried into their computers. The whole hospital was airconditioned and it was chill like an early morning in Ooty. We were given an application form. There was something that said "Type of plan" and I asked "What that means". The receptionist said, the doctor will suggest it and we don't have to worry about it now. We filled the form and waited for some time.

We were then called to see the doctor. We knocked the door and entered the doctor's office. The doctor was a charming young female in her late 20s. She asked a series of questions methodologically to diagonise the problem. I think she was trying to relate the symptoms to a 'common problem/disease'. But, she couldn't do that successfully. We told her that the doctors we visited suspected that it could be due to acidity. She said, "I'll put you on a 1 year 'plan'. I'll suggest some medication and see how your body reacts to it. If there are improvements, we can continue the course or else I'll suggest additional tests & appropriate medicine". She asked us to go and meet the receptionist. We went to the lobby and met the receptionist.

The receptionist asked us to pay Rs.8600 for a one year plan. My eyeballs popped out. It works out to be ~ Rs.720 for every visit. He wanted me to pay the whole Rs.8600 in advance. I just pinched myself to find out if this is dream or real. I told him that I don't have enough cash right now. He said "Sir! You can pay by Credit Card also. You can also give us 3 cheques, 2 of them post dated". I told him I don't have Credit Card or cheque with me right now. He said, "Sir! I can send someone to your home with you. You can give the money to him". In frustration, I told him "Look! I've reservations in paying the full amount right away. I'm OK with paying Rs.720 every visit. But, I don't want to pay the full amount now". I told him that I'll come back after checking with other homeopathy clinics.

It was an interesting experience. This is the first of its kind, to me. I have heard people saying that hospitals care more about the money than the patients. But, this weekend I saw it happening in front of my eyes. I should've done proper background checks before visiting this kind of hospital. May be they provide outstanding treatment to their patients - but, this hospital is not for me/my family.

Also read:  

Chikungunya - Deadly !

Find doctors and hospital ratings and reviews 

Why am I a Vegan?

Today we had a Pizza party at work. Everyone seemed to enjoy the hot & delicious Pizza. A colleague asked me "How are Indian Pizzas?". I told him, "They look great. But, I didn't eat them". He asked me "Why?". I told him that I'm adopting a Vegan diet. He then asked me "Why are you a Vegan?". Many folks have asked this question, in the last 3 weeks. Many folks have asked this question, in the last 3 years.

(Also read: A Journey from Non-Vegetarian to Raw-Vegetarian)

Why am I a Vegan? I don't think there is one specific answer to this question.

During my childhood days, I used to visit my grandparents' village. I've seen innocent little creatures dying in front of my eyes. I've seen goats getting 'chopped-off' in the name of 'sacrifice to God'. There were instances where I was asked to hold the legs of the goat tight, when its neck was cut. I've seen blood oozing out of the goat's neck after its head was chopped-off. I've seen the body of the goat shaking for a few seconds before it died. I've seen men killing chicken by twisting their neck. I think these things had some impact on my decision to be a Vegetarian. (Also read: Sunday - a day of mass murders in India)

Wanna see what happens to these poor creatures before they get into your burger or chicken 65?



I was a Vegetarian for most part of my childhood. I used to eat "egg", though. I lost significant weight when I went to college. Some of my friends told that I can regain the lost weight & develop muscles if I become a meat eater. I started eating meat again in 1997.

I was a meat eater till early part of 2000. During that time, I had a chance to read Gandhi's autobiography - "My experiments with truth". I got motivated by Gandhi's determination to be a vegetarian. He got closer to death, because of not eating meat & not drinking milk. He then started consuming goat's milk. Poor guy, he didn't have alternatives to milk-based diet, at that time. I decided to be a vegetarian. This time, I gave up eating egg also. I continued to consume milk-products.

I'm a vegetarian since 2000. I was able to stick to my eating habits. I got married in 2005, and luckily, my wife is also a vegetarian. Having been a vegetarian for quite sometime, I got bored. In mid 2006, I got a desire to 'experiment' a new eating style. I wanted to put my self-control to test. I wanted to go to the next-level of diet. I decided to adopt a Vegan diet. I told myself that I should give up only when I run into health issues because of not consuming milk products. Fortunately, there were milk-substitutes in USA. I started consuming 'fortified' Soy milk. I included spinach & more vegetables/fruits in my everyday diet. I managed to be a vegan for 3 years.

I returned back to India in May, 2009. I was doubtful, if I would be able to continue my Vegan diet in India. I was surprised to see that 'calcium-enriched' Soy milk is available in Chennai. I'm continuing to be a Vegan. I've also substituted my favorite 'Soy Cafe Latte' with 'Lemon/Black Tea'.

My wife takes good care of me, by cooking healthy vegetable food. I'm very thankful to my wife. If not for her, I cannot continue to be a Vegan & at the same time maintain my health. The journey continues ...

Also read:

What can you do to reduce the impact of climate change & global warming?
Subway experience - How much can you change?