A large part of Gandhi’s nonviolent mission was encouraging a meat-free diet as a moral issue. I have read that some vegans believe if Gandhi were here today he would be vegan rather than vegetarian, but I’m not so sure about that. I just read in The Longest Struggle: Animal Advocacy from Pythagoras to PETA, by Norm Phelps, that Gandhi drank milk daily on his doctors’ advice, saying:
“I would give up milk if I could, but I cannot. I have made that experiment times without number. I could not, after a serious illness, regain my strength, unless I went back to milk. That has been the tragedy of my life.”
Perplexed by Gandhi drinking milk, I sent some questions to my vegan friend, Shankar Narayan, the Founder President of Satvik Vegan Society (formerly Indian Vegan Society), whose Sthitaprajna Vegan Forest is a unique refuge in this world. Shankar is quite busy working on his forthcoming book, Satva — 2001-2021: Chronicling 20 Years of Vegan Journey, so I really appreciate that he took the time to share answers to my questions. Here is the Q & A session we conducted via email:
Teja: Some vegans believe if Gandhi were here today he would be vegan rather than vegetarian. What do you think?
Shankar: I will answer it in two levels.
If we go by the current definition of veganism, from one angle, he wouldn't qualify as a vegan because he was consuming goat's milk. With the same strictness, if we apply the definition to all other vegans of today, none would qualify to be a vegan in the strictest sense because being vegan, we are not perfect, we err in many ways. For example, there are many products which have animal ingredients but are used by vegans. For eg., bananas in some countries (“A Whole Bunch of Foods You Thought Were Vegan but Aren’t”), and we sit on a leather seat in an aeroplane.
But from another angle where the definition says, ''.....not using animal products as far as possible and practical…,'' Gandhi was a vegan. He denounced dairy and was steadfast in following it for about nine years. Later, because of his doctors' pressure and in a life and death situation, he started consuming goat's milk which he called a tragedy of his life and didn't defend. Considering the situation, it was impossible and impractical for him to avoid goat's milk, therefore, going by the definition of veganism, he was a vegan. Comparing his situation to the current pandemic scenario, though Covid vaccines are not considered vegan, most vegans have gotten vaccinated.* Will they become non-vegans because of that?
From another angle, we become better vegans with more knowledge gained along the way. I call, therefore, veganism is a journey, not a destination. If we go by this, veganism is not following a few rules, it is continuous evolution by leaving bad practices and adopting good practices in every aspect of our lives. From this angle, Gandhi was a vegan as he was continuously experimenting with truth and followed the spirit of veganism in all aspects of his life at a time when there was no vegan movement.
Teja: If today someone’s health improved with milk, what would be the scientific/medical explanation for that improvement? And, in that case, what vegan foods would you recommend that they eat instead? Would Gandhi have gone vegan if given different medical advice? And what would have been that specific advice? What vegan foods would have given him the same strength that milk gave him?
Shankar: As far as the health is concerned, it is not just physical. There is a huge element of mind in good or bad health of a person. In the case of Gandhi, his faith in his doctor and the doctor's faith in milk played an important role rather than milk playing a role in improvement of his health. And there are other unseen factors also in improvement or deterioration of one's health which we may never be able to identify or quantify. A food which may be a nectar for a person may be a poison for another. Hope this explains the situation.
Many thanks to Shankar Narayan for explaining how Gandhi-ji would be vegan today!
October 2nd is the 152nd Birthday of Mohandas K. Gandhi, and it is also (since 1983) World Farmed Animals Day. I will be celebrating Gandhi Jayanti (and praying for all the suffering farmed animals) while beginning to read Vegan Voices: Essays by Inspiring Changemakers, edited by Dr. Joanne Kong, which contains essays by Shankar Narayan and Dr. Rupa Shah.
May all beings be free of suffering. May all beings be happy.
* I (Teja Ray) googled and found this statement about veganism and Covid vaccines: “Vegan Society response to Covid-19 vaccine”
Gandhi photo: source unknown; appears on many websites.
