My Life As A Vegan

Veganism - the practice of abstaining from animal-derived foods and products - is more than a fad these days, with an increasing number of Indians taking to it. For our writer, the experience has been about ‘feeling like a rebel.’

- Anurag Tagat

When you’ve chosen to live the vegan life, you spend a good amount of time training your eyes to pick up on the term in everything you see. In the ingredients section of groceries and menu cards, you’re either looking for anything marked “vegan” or just looking for words like “milk”, “honey” and “butter” or “paneer”, so that you know what to pick or avoid, respectively.

While the term makes the newspapers and headlines pretty often – usually in stories about new restaurants, or workshops, or trend stories (like this one) – it made the front pages when it was reported that Virat Kohli had turned vegan. In the seven years that I’ve been practicing veganism, I’ve always noticed the phrasing “gone vegan”, “turned vegan” and, of course, “embraced veganism”. The first two expressions give the impression of a dramatic change, while the third is at least a little gentle.

Although it’s been popular since the days of the counterculture movement and before, the last 10 years have been important for veganism. Sportspersons and public figures have been vocal about their choice to give up all animal products, and bigger restaurant chains around the globe are capitalising on it, even if on a trial basis or to latch on to a “trend”. In Sweden last month, I got to try the McVegan at McDonald’s and a Spicy Vegan patty at Subway, which reassured my understanding that Europeans were likely among the most eco-conscious citizens of the world.