I am a Sindhi-Hindu married into a Gujarati-Jain family. As a child, I was fed meat and dairy, but became a vegetarian at 6 when I realized that the birds and chickens on the streets were the same ones I was eating. At that age and over the years, I was very vocal with family and friends about the importance of vegetarianism.
Years later, at the age of nineteen, when I was trying to encourage an omnivore friend to adopt vegetarianism, he shocked me by asking, “If you care about animal abuse, why are you only vegetarian and not vegan? How would you feel if someone squeezed your breasts and took your milk without consent?”
Until that day, I had not heard of the word “vegan” and never questioned how cows produced milk. My friend’s question stuck with me, leading me to explore the cruelty of the dairy industry. I tried to argue that “I’m not killing cows by taking their milk,” but after everything I learned about the dairy industry, the argument just didn’t hold true.
Although I agreed with the principles of veganism from the very beginning, I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t make the switch until I was twenty-nine, after a decade of living in guilt.
The turning point came when I was living in London and saw my younger cousin, a meat-eater, go vegan overnight after watching a documentary on the meat and dairy industry. I felt ashamed that someone so much younger than me could make the change so quickly, while I still hadn’t.
In 2017, I finally adopted a vegan lifestyle, which remains the best decision I’ve ever made. For the first time, I felt truly aligned with my values. My husband, mother, and sister followed suit as well. The running joke with my Jain in-laws is that I’m more Jain than them, because I truly practice ahimsa through my vegan lifestyle.
Embracing our passion for food and travel, my husband and I launched @theveganglobetrotters to raise awareness about veganism in different countries, support local vegan businesses, and share our vegan experiences worldwide and from our own kitchen.
Looking back, I only wish I had gone vegan sooner. But today, I’m grateful for the journey that brought me here – and for the chance to live each day in alignment with my values.
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