For me, veganism has been a journey that started with my Jain upbringing with our ethical North Star of ahimsa, to learning and teaching about health benefits as a doctor, to promoting the environmental benefits as the climate crisis and its effects on all life have become increasingly obvious.

I went to Siddhachalam in 1989-1990 with my parents, and as they went to a puja, I found myself at a NJ Animal Rights Alliance convention where I learned about the premature death and suffering of female daily cows and the torture of their male offspring, with their ultimate fate of slaughter as veal calves. Antithetical to Jain practice, I vowed to renounce dairy. It was easier to vow than to maintain, but eventually I was able to become fully vegan. As I trained as a physician in Family Medicine, General Preventive Medicine and worked in Public Health, Pharmaceutical Development,  and Bioethics, the knowledge of the health benefits of veganism grew and eventually found its expression in the field of Lifestyle medicine. Subsequently, I felt a duty to bring this knowledge back to the Jain community, began posting on veganjains.com,  and joined the Eco Vegan Committee of JAINA as chair, giving presentations at my local center and National JAINA conventions. While living in California, I learned more about the climate crisis and the great impact that the dairy industry has on methane production, contributing to global heating. I worked with Suhanshu Jain to draft the Jain Position on the Climate Crisis to outline steps we could take as individuals, as a community and as global citizens. Later it seemed to me that our community may appreciate a reflective practice and developed a Climate Focused Pratikraman. We have a great opportunity as educated Jains to make choices for ourselves and with others that can benefit  all living beings.