Dear Loyal Readers,

Writing a heartfelt blog post on my birthday has become more of a ritual now. 

Read my 

Turning 27 (click here)

Turning 26 (click here)

Turning 25 (click here)

blog post musings to know how MUCH this ritual means to me! I’ve shared a ton of unsolicited advice in those posts. I still catch myself going through those posts and feeling like- wow, I was so wise 2 years ago… lolllll!

---

Okay, so on a slightly serious note, this year I’d like to talk about a topic very very very dear to my heart.

---

ANIMAL CRUELTY

I was a non-vegetarian for 26 years of my life!

In hindsight, I’d say I was straight up ignorant & a hypocrite.

WHY?

Because I went around saying how much I love animals and also kept eating them. I mean how could my brain & heart not understand that I can’t say I love dogs & cats and then also go to a restaurant and order a plate of dead animal with some spices & curries on it.

I’ve spent enough time criticizing myself and regreting my actions but I’m over that phase now. I’ve entered a realm where I am going around spreading awareness in whatever capacity I possibly can. 

This video (click on the image below) knocked the wind out of my sails and left me crying out loud for over an hour. I watched it despite of being a vegetarian. I did that because my intuition guided me to. I’ve never ever been so incredibly proud to have taken the bold step of turning vegetarian before.

---

My reason of turning VEGETARIAN

Two years ago, I was watching a video by my favourite spiritual teachers, BK Shivani; she spoke about how when an animal is hung upside down and tortured, the feelings it goes through while getting slaughetred gets transferred to the humans who consume those beings.

Let me ask you an array of questions-

What if someone grabs hold of your child/niece/nephew, tortures him/her to death and puts them on a hot tray with a bunch of spices? 

How will you feel?

How will that child feel?

Gross, right?

Well, animals have family too. They see their parents and children being caught, tortured and slaughtered- what kind of energy would they be holding during this traumatic process?

How about a person who consumes that being? What kind of energy is that person consuming through that animal!

I am sorry if this is hurting your feelings but I am here on a mission to make you AWARE of what you do when you eat meat!

---

Benefits of turning vegetarian

If you’re seeking inspiration, motivation & push, here I AM AT YOUR SERVICE. 

Since the time I’ve turned vegetarian,

->I’ve gotten fitter. 

Vegetarian food is not just cleaner but healthier as well.

->It’s a myth that chicken provides protein better than other vegetarian sources. 

The chicken you consume is pumped with antibiotics which actually causes a lot of hormonal imbalances & gut health issues. This results in your thyroid, arthritis, sinusitis, etc.

->Fish provides omega 3 fatty acids was true 50 years ago. 

The sea is polluted with mercury and so is the fish. The fish you consume has a high amount of mercury and is TOXIC for your body. If you really give a shit about omega 3 fatty acids in your body, please consume-

sabja seeds (sweet basil seeds)

walnuts (soaked overnight)

chia seeds

flax seeds

These are much cleaner and richer sources of healthy fats.

The fish you eat is POISINING YOU!

-> When you quit non-vegetarian food, you reduce your carbon footprint. Raising animals so that they can be slaughtered and fed to us means they need to be raised in confined spaces and also fed grains. 

Where will that much land come from?

Cutting down forests, of course.

-> Turning vegan is a bold step which means you quit dairy, honey, eggs and not purchase any leather & fur product. It’s a really big step but needs to be mindful. A lot of our nutrients come from milk products so turning vegan means one has to eat very very clean. It’s needless to say that the quality of dairy products available today are full of hormones too as the animals are injected with growth hormones so that they produce more milk and satisfy this dark & hungry world. I do see myself turning vegan someday… perrhaps next birthday, I will write about vegan-ism. I believe in taking one step at a time. Also, if you turn vegan, you further reduce your carbon footprint on this planet, which is obviously a gift you can give to this world by your selfless deed.

-> Another benefit of turning vegetarian is that you actually will get to eat a bigger variety of food when you go out. One of my biggest concerns after turning vegetarian was my food choices but after traveling to over 7 countries as a vegetarian, I can tell you that it’s actually more fun- if you do not believe my words, see the pictures below!

---

How to turn a vegetarian easily

Start small. Promise yourself that you will be quitting for 30 days and surround yourself with people who won’t force you to chug a dead animal down your throat. Hang out with like-minded people or simply, CONTACT ME. I will encourage you in the best way possible.

---

Pets & the magic they bring to our lives

Since the time I adopted my first pet, Bundar (1 month old kitten), my feelings towards animals evolved. The joy, happiness and gratitude my Bundar taught me was out of this world. My heart broke and ached when he transitioned and I cannot express what I felt in my body- it was this grey hollowness that cannot be articulated into words.

Life moves on and fast forward to March 2018, when my second boy, Silver (adopted cat from Red Paw foundation, Dubai) walked into our home, something changed in each one of us. I choose to believe that we evolved to a more compassionate being.

Seeing how he lives his life and approaches food, sleep & shelter has just put things in perspective for each one of us. His love & presence also encouraged  my sister, Pink to turn vegetarian; 

can you believe that? 

And she was a hard core KFC Chicken burger lover. She was so obsessed with her KFC that she had a day every week dedicated to her chicken burger! 

Even my cousin Vishal for that matter, a hardcore non-vegetarian crazy about his workout regime turned vegetarian recently. His meat intake was high and when we declared that he’s turning vegetarian, we was mocked at by his own near & dear ones. I am so proud that I encouraged in whatever little way I could and he’s influenced his baby brother to turn vegetarian too. 🙂 This really is a classic example of a ripple effect.

When R (my husband) saw Vishal turning vegetarian, he got inspired to quit meat as well. 

I know that Vishal is not the reason why R turned vegetarian but it was surely a strong trigger which R needed. So basically, we all influence each other and have an impact on each other!

If one person is a vegetarian in the house, others get influenced & inspired too. Reasons may vary from person to person but the actions & its vibrations match. I am so incredibly proud & ecstatic to tell you that every single person in my house is now a vegetarian. Perhaps my months of banter and unsolicited persuations had a teeny role to play! 🙂

If you’ve reached till this point in my blog post, I’d like to share something super special Silver’s aunts (my sisters- Pink & Yukta) did for him.

They literally burnt the midnight oil and made this out of a cardboard box for my baby. 

Isn’t this a perfect example of unconditional love?

I mean, being an animal, he (Silver) probably doesn’t understand the material value of this cardboard house but he certainly feels a lot of love & security each time he hops into this house to sleep & just be. 

It’s all about vibes, isn’t it?

My intention with this birthday ritual blog post is to simply invite you to treat all living beings alike…just because animals cannot talk & express doesn’t mean they don’t feel the pain. 

Let’s be more compassionate please.

---

Drop your feelings & feedback in the comment section below! 

---

Also, share this post with as many people as possible!

DROP YOUR FEELINGS & FEEDBACK IN THE COMMENT SECTION BELOW! 

---

Also, share this post with as many people as possible!

“our pets are only ever lent to us. we never know how long will we be able to keep them for. so kiss them, cuddle them, praise them & hold them tightly. but most of all… tell them you love them everyday…”