Hey, I'm going to India for the summer in three weeks. Anybody got any advice to give me in regards to veganism over there? anything at all will be greatly appreciated. we're starting off in Delhi and going to try and hit as many places as we can in ten weeks. Thanks!
I am immensely pleased to announce our next vegan event. We will be having a one day Vegan Music Festival on Saturday, 20th September, 2008 at 4pm at Sai Vishram Vegetarian and Non-alcoholic Beach resort, Byndoor.
Vegan Mohan Santanam and his troupe from Chennai, India will present a Karnatic Classical Music Concert followed by vegan dinner.
All the 11th International Vegan Festival (at Murdeshwar in 2007) participants and supporters are specially invited.
You are all welcome. Limited seats (only 100) available. Prior confirmation of participation is suggested.
Anyone from abroad planning to visit India soon is requested to coincide the visit for the Music Festival.
This event may please be publicised wherever you can so that we get some mileage for veganism.
With love,
Shankar.
-------------------------------------------------
Vn.Shankar Narayan,
President: Indian Vegan Society,
Councilor & Regional Coordinator for India, South & West Asia: International Vegetarian Union (IVU), UK.
Organisers of the 11th International Vegan Festival, Murdeshwar, Karnataka, India, from Sep.30 to Oct.6, 2007 (http://ivu.org/veganfest/index.html)
don't know if u remember me, long long long long time ago i used to chat with u on yahoo! messenger (myfirstlogginname).
anyway i'm originally from israel, living in australia now, and will be visiting india from late october until begining of december.
i have no plans at this stage apart from going on a tigers' safari in ranthambore, rajasthan. so i was reading this thread and thanx for all the advice about veganism in india!
anything in particular that i should be aware of when in rajasthan? any vegan related recomendation of places to visit?
shame i won't be joining the vegan event in september...
don't know if u remember me, long long long long time ago i used to chat with u on yahoo! messenger (myfirstlogginname).
anyway i'm originally from israel, living in australia now, and will be visiting india from late october until begining of december.
i have no plans at this stage apart from going on a tigers' safari in ranthambore, rajasthan. so i was reading this thread and thanx for all the advice about veganism in india!
anything in particular that i should be aware of when in rajasthan? any vegan related recomendation of places to visit?
shame i won't be joining the vegan event in september...
thanx manish and everyone else for the info!
maya
Hi Maya,
I remember you by 'maya' name. I'm very delighted to see after a long time.
You are most welcome to India.
In Rajasthan, you will have to check food, if they are without Ghee. ghee( clarified butter) is very common in Rajasthan.
Don't miss to visit, Jaipur, Jaiselmar, Mount Abu, Delwada temple in Abu, Ranakpur, Udaipur. Jain temples are very nice there.
Do you still chat on Yahoo? I'm on Yahoo with indianvegan id.
I'm a bit late with this but I thought I'd offer Maya my experiences of being vegan in India at the end of a three month trip. To be honest it's very difficult, very difficult indeed. The biggest problem I found was paneer, it is in absolutely everything! Even when you specifically order rice or channa without it, there it is on your plate. During one particularly frustrating week I got paneer in my food every day! I've also accidentally eaten more dairy in the last three months than I have in the last 6 years! I'm not trying to scare you about Indian food but you really need to be prepared for a challenge. Having said all that it is well worth it, I've had some of the most amazing food I've ever eaten and all the problems relate specifically to dairy, you'll have no problems with meat or eggs. I highly recommend you go to Varanassi on your trip, it's an amazing place, and if you have the time cross the border and go to Nepal, easily the most beautiful place I have ever been.
india has amazing avocados, during the right season,and cheap! I used to have avocado juice/shakes (w ice or water and a bit of sugar at a local juice place.... very nice)
you can sample all the amazing juices from many different fruits or/and veg... and tru out new things, the fruit chicu is amazingly sweet....
or you could have lemon nana, on a hot day, to feel refresched. its made of lemon and mint and water/ice, w some sugar....
going to the market is fun, so different than in the western world... i really miss india!
Hi Manish - and Barry,
Thanks for your great advices. I stayed in Rajasthan for almost 2 months after all and indeed visited the Jain temples both in Dilwara (Mt Abu) and in Ranakpur - very impressive! I enjoyed the food although I do suspect I had the occasional dairy product here and there.
Now I'm resting in Diu island, thinking where to go next. Most of the travelers go south to Goa/Kerala, I read your recommendation for Bean Me Up - anything else you can recommend?
Thanks!!!
Maya
May be I am late in my reply for your trip down south in India. But it is a good option for you to explore the very beautiful vegetarian beach resort at Byndoor Karnataka Sai Vishram Vegetarian Non-alcoholic beach resort(www.saivishram.com) . anyone interested, i can give more details about other options.
Best wishes,
Shankar.
‘Animals are not our slaves, they are our friends and the rightful co-habitants of this planet earth’
I would like to travel to India this summer. I especially plan to visit these regions: Uttarakhand, Himachal pradesh and Ladakh. If I would have some extra time I will visit Rajastan but I'm open to other alternatives I love trekking and hiking in mountains that's why I have choosen beautiful Himalayas for my trip.
I guess it will be very difficult to eat vegan-friendly in the North of India. Have anyone been there? Or have you got some good tips? Places? Food?
Vojta
"We should be able to refuse to live if the price of living be the torture of sentient beings." Mahatma Gandhi
Ladakh is one of the most amazing places I have ever been to. Unfortunately when I went I wasn't vegan so can't advise you on that front, but the food I had there was amazing, and I'm sure you will be able to find brilliant food that's suitable. If you are going north I would also advise making the trip across to Kashmir. Truely beautiful plce. when we went the officila uk gov advise was not to go there, but we had no trouble. There were some times that were a bit sketchier than other places we had been in India, but we were 3 women and don't think that helped! So worth it though!
My trip was around rajastan, ladahk and kashmir, if you want an opinion on any of these places feel free to pm. India is amazing, and I am hoping to go back next spring for 3-6months super excited.
Woo Hoo! I get to go back to india this summer! I'm going down south this time. Anyone have any advice on cool places or on food. I STRUGGLED with ghee and paneer last time! It was everywhere....
Opening of Vegan Center in Karnataka (Sthitha prajna)
STHITAprajna is an associate of Indian Vegan Society and International Vegetarian Union (www.ivu.org) and slated to open on World Vegan Day on 1st November, 2009.
STHITAprajna- Vegan Life Centre
An International Vegan Centre for Yoga, Meditation, Relaxation and Rejuvenation
A 5 day event is planned to mark the opening from Oct.30 to Nov.3, 2009. Tentative program is as follows:
30.10.2009: Informal Meetings and Variety Music Program in the evening.
31.10.2009: Informal Meetings and Variety Music Program in the evening.
01.11.2009: Main Event – Inauguration, World Vegan Day Celebration (many celebrities and VIPs have been invited, will be published after their confirmation).
02.11.2009: Excursion (Vana Chetana), a spiritual vegan ashram and another place, to be confirmed)
03.11.2009: Excursion (continued from previous day).
For long-distance travellers, 5 day (4 nights) packages with accommodation, vegan food and local travelling (including excursion) are offered:
1. Package 1: Stay at Jewel Rock Hotel, Hemmady, Kundapur (45 minutes drive) - Rs.4000 for Resident Indians (US $ 100 for others) onwards, per person on twin sharing basis, single supplement charges 25% extra.
2. Package 2: Stay at Sai Vishram Vegetarian Non-alcoholic Beach Resort (www.saivishram.com), Byndoor (20 minutes drive) - Rs. 7000 for Resident Indians (US $ 175 for others) onwards, per person on twin sharing basis, single supplement charges 50% extra. (Maximum 44 persons can stay here on twin sharing basis in 3 types of accommodation)
Stay can be extended at discounted rates. All programs are subject to change. Charges are to cover the approximate cost of accommodation, transportation (from Hotel to Sthitaprajna and back and for excursion) and food only assuming that there will be a minimum of 40 registrations. No amount is being taken to cover other expenses like administration, music, etc.
Packages for shorter duration can also be given. Please write to us for more details with the dates of proposed stay.
I visited India many years ago when I first became vegan. It was a sort of food and lifestyle information tour. I thought of Jamaica and India as places where extreme vegeterianism happens. In India I did not encounter many eggs, and this was explained to me as a spoilage issue. Without refrigeration to preserve eggs the climate is not conducive to keeping eggs in the kitchen. Milk products are widely present and it was trickier to avoid these. As I tried to explain in restaurant after restaurant my food preferences, I found that people often assumed a religious basis for my diet, and several times they answered that they could prepare acceptable food for me if they treated the food as if it were for a Buddhist monk. I've long assumed that somewhere in Buddhism lie similar dietary restrictions to veganism.
Hello!
I realize there hasn't been a post in here for a while, but I'm planning my trip to India, and would love to talk about vegan options there, and just to other people who live or have traveled in India!
My plan so far is, land in New Delhi, go to Darjeeling and take a jeep up to Sikkim where I'll spend 2 months volunteering in a school, then I will somehow make my way to Goa, then Mumbai, then Agra, and back to New Delhi to go home. I realize how far Goa is from Sikkim, but I'm really hoping I can make this possible (and affordable ).
I hope to talk to others soon! I've read through this thread and it's been very informative.
Hey missara, I realise this is a bit late but I've been to all the places you've mentioned bar Darjeeling and Sikkim, so feel free to ask any questions.
Wow, this thread is extremely helpful. And, I'm so happy to find so many vegans wanting to travel and volunteer in India! I'm a 24-year-old vegan working in Sadhana Forest, India, a strictly and compassionately vegan volunteer community trying to replant 70 acres with an endangered dry evergreen forest. I've looked all over the world for a place like this, so I'm trying to spread the word to my fellow veggies. Please come visit! It's honestly a vegan dream come true.
We're looking for vegans!, tree-planters, vegan food-preparers, unschooling leaders, yogis, meditators, compost know-it-alls, permaculturalists, animal lovers, people persons, and generally happy travelers looking for a place to volunteer to help us with our reforestation efforts. We offer free accommodation for our volunteers! The food is organic and fresh, and the electricity is solar-powered.
For more information, please see our website, which I'm not allowed to post but you can easily find by googling Sadhana Forest.
There is no official counting as such. But what I feel that , they are very good % .
Even meat eaters do prefer veggies many occassions. Many meat eaters do not cook meat at home.
South Indian do eat lot of fermented foods like Idli,dosa,Bada, where Yeast is used.Sounth Indian Idli and Dosa are quite famous through out India.(basic stuff is rice flour and Dal)
Coconut milk is quite common there in South India, they I am scared if they do use other animal milk products like Ghee,Butter,Mawa,Cheese, though they might not be using "animal milk".
but more interestingly, in India there are some of Animal fat free soaps..all from Southern part of India. One brand is Chandrika and another is Mysore Sandal soaps.
I am still looking for Vegans from South India, if they are real Vegan.
Manish Jain.
Manish
I feel really sad that most north indians dont know that there are more jains in karnataka than any south state or in that matter than in MP i believe. Jain Digambars in karnataka are in huge numbers who are vegans.
I would like to post this message to all those North Indians that if you think that there are no Jains in South India or if you think all Jains in South India are basically from North India is utter false and not true. In karnataka, there are many jains i think u shravanabelagola and many temples in karnataka which are built by kannadiga Jain. Please remove that assumpution that all jains in south india are North Indians.
Coming to your question about vegans you will find less vegans than vegetarians. There are more vegetarians than any state in our country. Hindus mainly Lingayats, Brahmins, Jains are in huge numbers in Karnataka. If you have any question please mail me anil555@live.in
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