Jain Vegans ►Please consider giving up dairy this Paryushan

As most of you will be aware, Paryushan, the Jain festival of penance and forgiveness will be starting very soon.  

During this 8 day festival, many Jains exercise dietary self discipline in repentance to shed karmas accumulated over the previous year. Typically this can involve fasting or avoiding foods that are traditionally considered more harmful than others, such as root vegetables. The Jain Vegans Working Group would like to encourage as many Jains as possible to reflect on the cruelty inflicted on cows during milk production and thus consider giving up dairy products this Paryushan and beyond.  

We would be very grateful if you could forward this email on to friends and family and share this link via Facebook and Twitter. 

Paryushan, the Jain festival of penance and forgiveness will begin very soon. During the festival, followers of the Jain faith traditionally fast, repent and forgive. For lay members, fasting often entails avoiding activities that are traditionally thought to cause more himsa than others, such as eating root vegetables or eating after sunset.

As someone who has come across the activities of the Jain Vegan Working Group, you will be aware of how our consumption of dairy (organic or conventional) involves immense levels of violence to be inflicted upon cows:

• Dairy cows are forcefully impregnated by means of artificial insemination to stimulate milk production. 
• Calves are immediately separated from their mothers at birth.  
• Male calves are slaughtered soon after birth or sold on to be reared for veal or beef (they are of no other value to a dairy farmer)
• Dairy cows will normally get slaughtered before the age of 7, even though they could live up to 20 years if given the chance. This is because at around that age her milk yield drops, and it does not make financial sense for a farmer to keep her alive when he is able to obtain milk from her younger (and more productive) daughters.

In light of all this, it seems reasonable that during Paryushan we as Jains should acknowledge and reflect on the suffering we have imposed on cows as a result of our consumption of dairy products.

Paryushan offers a perfect time to reflect on the actions we undertake in our daily lives and to make changes to our dietary habits.  So, in addition to the other activities you undertake, why not consider giving up dairy this Paryushan?

This short video provides a concise summary. Please share with friends and family.

1) Vibrant social events in London

For information on monthly informative talks, regular scenic walks at different locations in London, social meals at some of the best vegan-friendly restaurants in the city, social meetups in London among like-minded folk, check out the follow links:

www        .        londonvegans        .       org       .       uk/lvdiary
and
www       .       londonveganmeetup       .       co       .       uk

2) Shambhu's cookery demo - Willesden Green library - Thursday 3rd & Wednesday 23rd September
(Part of the 'India’s Gateway: Gujarat, Mumbai and Britain' series)
https://brent . gov . uk/events-and-whats-on-calendar/events/gujarati-cookery-demonstration-by-shambhus/ 

3) Portsmouth Incredible Vegan Roadshow - Saturday 5th September
www . viva . org . uk/Portsmouth

4) Shambhu's cookery class: A Taste of Persia - Saturday 26th September
4pm to 6.30pm, central London
www . shambhus . co . uk/cookery

5) VegfestUK - London (Olympia) - Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
http ://london . vegfest . co . uk

6) Cambridge Vegan Fair - Saturday 28th November
www . facebook . com/cambridgeveganfair

7) Vegfest Scotland (SECC Glasgow) - Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th December
http ://vegfestscotland . com

8) Animal Aid's Xmas Fayre (Kensington Town Hall) - Sunday 6th December
www . animalaid . org . uk/h/n/ACTIVE/demo_organiser//2260//

For further information on vegan health nutrition, please consult the  Vegan Section on the NHS website  or visit this link: http ://www      .      vegansociety      .      com/resources/nutrition-health

It is possible to get a range of dairy free alternatives to traditionally animal based products. Normally available from free-from sections of supermarkets and also from healthfood stores.

You can easily replace:

• Cow milk with Soya/Rice/Almond/Coconut Milk (Supermarket ownbrands, Alpro, Provamel, Bonsoy, Ecomil, Koko)
• Yoghurt / Dahi with plant based curds (Provamel, Alpro, Sojade)
• Butter with vegetable spreads (Pure and Vitalite are commonly available from supermarkets. Note many margarines contain butter milk and thus are not suitable for vegans)
• Cheese / Paneer with Dairy Free Cheeses (Tofu, VBites, Scheese, Tofutti, Vegusto, Vegourmet)
• Ice Creams with sorbets or dairy free ice creams (Bessant and Drury, Swedish Glace, Booja Booja, Worthenshaws)
• Chocolate with dark chocolate (Plamil and Organica do specialist dairy free ‘milk chocolate’ and many brands do vegan dark chocolate)
• Eggs with egg replacement powder (baking) or tofu (scrambled)
• Honey with  maple syrup, rice syrup, agave syrup, date syrup or golden syrup

Jain Vegans supports members of the Jain community in the transition towards a plant-based low-himsa lifestyle, and helps raise awareness about the abuse, violation and killing of cows in milk production.

You can find out more about Jain Vegans online (www      .      jainvegansorg)