My first step towards veganism: A beginning to a remarkable journey

Adopting a vegan lifestyle yet again fails to bring me satisfaction. I still have the voice inside my head which constantly says that I haven't done enough. It still shatters my heart to see how badly cows are being tortured in the dairy industry. I had to face the hard fact that turning vegan was not enough. There was still so much cruelty in the world and I just couldn’t be doing nothing. There had to be something I could do. I needed to spread more awareness.

I did some research and made a decision to go to the Brahma Kumaris Thane Center to give a speech. I did some background research about them and then created a script based on the type of audience that was going to be present during my speech.

While preparing I felt quite confident about my speech because I felt that I was well prepared. Though as time started to pass, and the date of speech came closer, I started to doubt my decision of giving the speech. I felt like people would judge me or take offence to the statements I was about to make.

A few hours before my speech, I felt a mix of emotions pass my mind. From nervousness to excitement. I felt myself overthinking about it. I took a long look at the crowd, seeing an estimate of 100 people. But I finally made up my mind to go ahead with my speech. I kept picturing the torture the animals would be going through and I knew I had to try my best. No matter how small the difference is. I couldn’t let these small negative thoughts get in the way of such an important thing that requires immediate action.

I kept reading my speech over and over again just minutes before I was going to go on stage. Finally, the time arrived and I was called to the stage to present my speech. Suddenly, I felt all the nervousness, unconfidence and doubtfulness wash away. I felt something I had never felt before. I felt an unexpected confidence and clarity.

While giving my speech, I became unconscious of all the distractions, negative thoughts, difficulties and nervousness. Raising awareness was my passion and I would be ready to endure any challenge for it.

I was completely immersed in the flow of my speech. Every word resonated with the entirety of my heart, and I sensed that my words left a profound impact on the audience. As soon as I ended my speech, everyone started clapping. I felt a rush of happiness. I was proud of myself. No matter how small my first step is, it marks the beginning of a remarkable journey.

A few days later, I reached out to them to check if they had eliminated all animal based products from their kitchen. Unfortunately, they hadn’t. My heart sunk down in the dumps. I felt a lump forming in my throat. I kept wondering what I did wrong and beat myself up about it.

I was heartbroken at the thought of missing such an amazing opportunity of reducing the consumption of animal based products for the benefit of both the animals and the people.

Soon, I got over it and moved on with my life. Until one day, my mother passed on the news that they had a long thought and discussion regarding the consumption of animal products in the centre. They came to the conclusion of eliminating all the animal products from their kitschen. I was overjoyed to hear this. I felt like a dog with two tails!

Overall, they would be reducing 22 litres of milk every week and replacing it with a plant based milk alternative called ‘Pilk’. This worked out very well for them. This encouraged me to give more speeches at other places. I realised that this was just the beginning, and I would have to embrace the challenges ahead with a lot of resilience and determination.

In the end, my journey towards advocating for a compassionate lifestyle taught me valuable lessons. It wasn't without its challenges, self-doubt, and setbacks, but the triumphs were equally significant. The impact of my speech at the Brahma Kumaris Thane Center, though initially met with disappointment, eventually bore fruit. The decision to adopt a vegan lifestyle and advocate for change was just the beginning, and I am motivated to continue making a positive impact, one speech at a time.