Veganism or capitalism?
Gayatri Borawake
Working Student @AllianzTechnology | Masters Student at Universit?t Bayreuth
A few days ago, I saw this advertisement on a rickshaw. I found the slogan to be very funny and of course, had the urge to take a photo. After asking the rickshaw driver whether he knows the meaning of the advertisement he said, 'Unho ne pucha ad lagau kya to maine bola ha, mujhe kya pata kya hai ye.' So I had to explain to him what veganism means on which he said, 'Didi mai to non-vegetarian hu.' That's the irony! Preaching about something or in fact a concept that is way too Western to Indian society is like appearing for an exam you do not know the answers about. India has been indirectly practising veganism for many years now. With a majority plant-based food diet, India is a leading country in vegan food. Hence, we never had an issue to adapting different food types. Eating vegan food is not at all pocket-friendly and has the biggest capital market in Western countries, whereas India has been eating it since ancient times, we have not only introduced cheaper vegan options but also made these products accessible to every individual. But let's take a detour and see if this concept existed a decade ago in Western society. The term 'vegetarian' has been in use since 1839 and the term 'vegan' was first coined in 1944. Many researchers concluded that people before the 2000s were vegetarians or mostly vegetarians but much less vegan. Then what caused a sudden boost in veganism?
In 1944, a British woodworker named Daniel Watson coined the term 'vegan' referring to those who do not consume any products produced by animals. Watson seized on the fact that 40% of British dairy cows tested positive for tuberculosis the previous year to support his argument that adopting a vegan diet protects humans against contaminated food.
Began with the motive of preventing diseases obtained from animals, veganism now has a huge market in Western countries which is promoting capitalism at global levels. As of 2018, the size of the global vegan food market was calculated to be worth $12.69 billion. Is our definition of vegan food Western or Indian?
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So what are we supporting, veganism or capitalism?
IT | Content Strategist | Photography | Ambivert | Cinephile | Tech | Social Media | Esports
1 年India has been practicing vegetarianism since ancient times than veganism, the very fact that some are ignorant about where their milk comes from says a lot! We've had multiple vegan options since ages, but the cruelty between dairy farming and dairy industry was still considered 'ahimsa'.
Working in Digital Global Marketing Doing Masters in International Management at Technische Hochshule Rosenheim Specialisation in International Marketing
1 年Hahaha you've written this so well Gayatri. It's important to note that not all vegans and proponents of capitalism hold the same views. Individuals may support both concepts, reject one in favor of the other, or advocate for alternative economic systems altogether. The relationship between veganism and capitalism is multifaceted and subject to exploration. The advertisement and the irony is indeed fun to read!