About veganism

Last week a group of Sadhana Forest’s (long term) volunteers participated in a workshop on cooking and veganism, as a follow-up on the famous Peas vs Pills workshop that Dr. Nandita Shah regularly gives in Auroville.  During five days we cooked one or two meals a day and discussed the meanings of the vegan choices. This workshop enabled us to share our experience and expand our knowledge, as for most of us it is still quite a new concept.

It has been a bonding experience because every time we work together we get to know each other better and cooking is an interesting way to learn about cooperation. If you make the dough and I cut the vegetables, we can make a dish together and enjoy a new taste.

To give you an example of the quality of what we learned I’m really amazed about how simple it is to make vegan pancakes and mostly about how enjoyable and tasty it is. Basically you soak whole rice for three hours, then you blend it with some grated coconut and enough water, you wait again a couple of hours and here is your dough. Cook the pancakes and fill them with a mix of steamed pineapple and dates, mashed bananas and walnuts. As Reza said with a big smile and his eyes closed from pleasure, “This is high class food!”

As Sadhana Forest is a vegan community it’s important that we can answer the questions the volunteers have about our beliefs and the practical aspects of it. Becoming a vegan is not a choice that you can make only with your head. I believe that it has to be in harmony with your heart, otherwise you might find it difficult. You might feel depraved, or guilty. Facts, numbers, and practical information are essential, but to explain people why Sadhana Forest is a vegan community we probably have to explain why we individually make this choice and to somehow communicate the feeling behind it. Every person has his/her own reason to become vegan, for the environmental aspect, for animal rights, for health reasons, etc. Sadhana Forest wants to be a place where to raise the level of consciousness and as Nandita says veganism changes not only the body, but also mind and spirit.

We are very grateful to Nandita! She taught us wonderful recipes during these five days. She is a patient teacher and she shared her knowledge with a great enthusiasm, and listened to our needs, worries, or ideas. Thanks to her I think we are more conscious about something we have in common: that we want to inspire people about what touches us in Sadhana Forest. And it can be about veganism.