There is a magic in motherhood. Wondrous, joyful, confusing, terrifying, surprising, glorious motherhood. Human mothers would agree. Animal mothers wouldn’t have much to say.
Growing up Jain, Shilpi and I had an unshakeable confidence in jivdaya. So, when someone in university brought to our notice that our dairy habits were a product of hinsa, we didn’t believe them. Forced impregnation, separation of mother and child, the agony of a mother cow; this couldn’t be legal, this couldn’t be human. The dairy habits stayed.
The birth of our son, Aarav, changed everything. When Shilpi nursed him in his first few days, he’d barely keep his food down and would break out into rashes. When the doctor suggested Shilpi quit dairy, we were skeptical. As a nursing mother, where would she get her calcium from? But as distraught parents, we were willing to try anything to give him the care he needed.
And to our surprise, it worked! Within a day, his symptoms disappeared. No longer in distress, he laughed more, and we laughed with him.
Curious, Shilpi dug deeper into the science behind Aarav’s transformation. She discovered that dairy is not profitable unless you separate calves from their mothers. A new mother herself, she couldn’t imagine if it had happened to her and Aarav. That was enough for Shilpi to know she would never put another mother in this position again. She hasn’t touched dairy since.
It took me 2 years to make the switch myself. At some point, cheese was not worth knowing that my jivdaya had a gaping hole. Soon, our parents and siblings joined us in leaving the dairy behind.
Practicing ahimsa in the home is crucial, but not enough. In 2015, we founded Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary. Here, cows, goats, sheep, pigs, horses, donkeys, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and peacocks get a second chance at sukh. In a country that slaughters ten billion animals a year, our sons look to this sanctuary to remember their Jain values.
Today, Luvin Arms is home to 165 rescued residents. Many are mothers who’ve never met their children, and many are children who never drank their mother’s milk. With unending patience, unselfish love, and uncompromising care, this mix-n-match family somehow works. They arrive, heal one another, and learn to love and trust once more.
There is magic in motherhood. In these blessed 10 years, we have built a place where bushy-tailed, curly-horned, and motley-feathered motherhood can take form, often for the very first time.