PANAJI
It's been 20 months since Trisha Bene decided to be vegan. “I always wanted to be vegan because I loved animals but could never stop eating chicken, cheese and other animal products simply because I was used to it. In August 2022 I went vegetarian and after 20 days I went vegan. The main reason was I saw some videos and actually learnt about how cruel the industry is. After that I couldn't get myself to have any non vegan products,” says Trisha who takes vitamin D and B12 supplements to avoid any deficiency.
“I do have PCOS which was diagnosed before I went vegan and the doctor had suggested that I stop the consumption of meat and dairy because of the injected hormones,” says Trisha who now lives guilt-free and has developed an aversion to meat, dairy and eggs. “It feels nice and light when you stop lying to yourself or ignoring someone's pain for your pleasure,” says the second year BA (Psychology) student at Parvatibai Chowgule College of Arts and Science, Margao.
“I wasn't born vegan. But it's not that difficult once you weigh out and understand who is really suffering here: a person having tea without milk or the cow who is going through artificial insemination for milk production. Once you start looking at animals as living beings, not commodities, it gets easier,” explains Trisha.
She recalls, “When I told my family that I'm going vegan my family almost disowned me. I was subjected to humiliation and taunting. But now my family is used to it. They sometimes brag about it saying I'm very good at self control since I used to eat a lot of meat and now I'm vegan.”
Trisha does activism at the bus stand and public areas, “Our aim is not to persuade people but to educate them. If one knows how their food is made and still chooses to eat it then what can we do? We just try to tell/show how the animals suffer for our two minutes of taste pleasure. But many times vegans are perceived as ‘extremists’ and people feel that vegans will make them leave tasty chicken and yummy milkshakes or ice-creams and make you feel bad for having the food you love.”
Trisha does not convince others, she makes them question their choices and focuses on letting them know the truth. Many people understand it well when she gives this example: If you wouldn't kill a dog then, why a chicken, goat or any sentient being which feels as much pain as the dog. If you wouldn't do it to a three-year-old human then don't do it to the animals. There's not much of a difference in their cognition.
Has the word vegan lost its true meaning and become plant-based food for health, gluten-free and expensive food? “It simply means, I don't like that the animals are in pain because of me, thus I am not going to consume any animal products, thus I am vegan,” concludes Trisha.
