ABSTRACT
Almost half a decade into the vegan movement, there are clearly decipherable influences of veganism on various dimensions of Indian life and thought. A range of literatures focusing on Indian vegan recipes have played an important role in the rise of vegan foodways in India. Not only many food establishments have begun labeling their food items as “vegan” and “veganizable,” vegan e-commerce is also flourishing. Ahimsa, which has been an Indian concept central to the development of Vegan Studies, has left its impressions on Indian religions like Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. In My Experiments with Truth, Mahatma Gandhi, a vocal advocate of ahimsa, vehemently criticizes the violence and suffering meted out to animals, emphasizing vegetarianism and abstinence from milk. Jainism is one Indian religion that closely reflects the beliefs of ethical veganism. Jainism considers entire nature to be alive: Jains believe that each and every component of nature, right from rocks and trees to gods, contains an immortal soul, or jiva. The vegan nature inherent in the asastriya vratas of Hinduism further consolidates the claim that the spirit of veganism exists in Indian cultural memory from the beginning, though in the form of small patches. This chapter has two purposes. First, it aims to critically analyze the geo-cultural development of veganism in India. Second, it contemplates how the emerging vegan theory and criticism can intervene in the discourses that constitute the present Indian culture.
