If my plate of food is cruelty-free, then my financial investments should also be cruelty-free

Amit, a firm believer in ahimsa, realised that to be truly compassionate, our financial investments should avoid supporting companies that are not.

Hello, I am Amit, a software architect by profession. I have been an ethical investor since 2016. From my early college days, I had heard many Jainism lectures on ahimsa and compassion towards animals. Being a member of BWC, I was familiar with their investment guides which were thoroughly researched and published periodically. These guides reconfirmed to me that our usual financial investments lead to massive animal suffering. The animal cruelty caused by this lifestyle factor is exponentially greater than others including food, clothing, household goods etc. Since then, I have had this thought that if my food plate is non-veg-free I should try and keep my investments also non-veg-free. 

When the onus of managing our investments was transferred to me by my father, I started structuring them to achieve my goal. The BWC investment guide was a good starter in confirming that the popular investment choice of mutual funds is almost a no-no because their holdings are many and constantly changing. Analysing and choosing the companies I should promote and gain profits from was the way out. 

Through a combination of self-learning and professional financial services, I could align my investments with my ahimsak values, making them as green as possible. As I learnt the challenges in ethical investments and their solutions, I started collating them to roll out an informative website called veginvest.in

Looking at India’s growth in meat export, pharma and animal husbandry in recent years, I am very satisfied that I have done my bit in not investing in these sectors thereby reducing the suffering that animals go through when such commercial businesses expand.

Vegan Custard Cream

Custard cream generally uses gelatine which comes from animals. However, our recipe uses agar agar which is plant-based and a great alternative. Try it and be surprised!

Ingredients

• ½ L of any one of the following, or a mixture of all or a few of them – coconut milk, cashew milk, rice milk and soy milk (These milks are mixed so as not to give the cream any specific taste. This can easily be done by blending a mixture of cooked rice, cashew nuts and grated coconut with warm water in the blender and straining the puree. Soy milk can be added later).
• Date paste
• Unrefined salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla beans
• 1½ tsp agar agar powder
• Cinnamon powder for sprinkling on top

Method

Add just enough sweetener to the milk to get the right amount of sweetness that you desire. Add a dash of salt and the vanilla beans or extract to add to the taste. Add some agar agar (about 2½ tsp of flakes works with ½ litre of liquid or 1½ tsp powder with ½ litre of liquid). Mix all these and heat in a pot, on low heat and allow to simmer for the agar agar to dissolve. Scoop out a portion in a spoon and place in the refrigerator to check if the agar agar is sufficient to set the custard. If it does not set, add more agar agar. Keep in mind that it should not become too hard. The custard can be applied on a cake and set in the refrigerator. Garnish with cinnamon and serve.

Food For The Mind

FACEBOOK SUPPORT GROUP

If you love Facebook, then join us to be supported on your plant based journey. We are offering two possibilitie

1. SHARAN India is SHARAN’s main Facebook page which you can like and follow for getting useful daily updates and news from the plant based health world. You will also get news about the latest SHARAN events, see testimonials, and more.

2. SHARAN’s Vegan Support Group is an open support group to know more about vegan/plant-based lifestyle. Here you can ask questions and share inspiring stories, tips, recipes, etc.

All our doctors and presenters will be here to answer your questions and give you tips. If you have attended our events join this group to be a part of our family.

Please like the main SHARAN page and join the group(s) applicable to you.

Being aware and informed is the key to aligning your actions with your values
 

We can’t change what we don’t know. As so many forms of cruelty are hidden, here are some examples to get you thinking of what you can do differently besides eating vegan.

1. Use only cruelty-free products The truth is that most products are tested on animals – soaps, shampoos, hair dyes, detergents, perfumes, cosmetics and cigarettes. Animal testing is truly horrific as thousands of innocent victims are traumatised and mutilated. Learn more. Look for products that specifically mention that they have not been tested on animals. Even better is to make your own. To do that, check out our Eco Champs playlist

2. Avoid zoos and aquariums Remember how you felt during the lockdown? Animals in zoos face that their entire lives. They have been snatched from their families and environment and trapped in glorified cages just to entertain us. They face a lockdown for their entire lives. If they’re not fed they go hungry, if they are not given water they remain thirsty. These majestic animals are rendered totally vulnerable with no control over their own lives and most important of all, they are bored to death. Their frustration often leads to self-mutilation. The lifespan of animals in captivity is far lower than it is in nature. These animals are innocent prisoners. Never be a party to this.

3. Avoid circuses Animals in circuses are forced through fear and starvation into unnatural behaviours for our entertainment day after day. Circuses can be not just on land but even in pools like Sea World.

4. Say no to animal tourism and sport Elephant rides, camel rides, horse rides and other animal rides. Animals want to be free and live with their own kind. We have no right to commercialise them in this way. Also, in these situations, animals are often forced to perform through pain and starvation.

5. Don’t use animal parts or skins for fashion Avoid leather, silk, fur, pearls, wool, down or any other animal skin or parts for fashion. When you use these products, you are encouraging businesses that exploit animals for their parts. Unfortunately, this is a multimillion-dollar industry that raises animals in abysmal conditions for profit.

6. Avoid products made of animal parts These could be ivory or even animal hair for paint brushes, animal gut for string instruments and tennis racquets or leather on drums or cricket balls. Woollen carpets, leather upholstery and bone china are other examples. All these have cruelty-free alternatives these days.

7. Do not buy pets In pet stores, birds are locked in cages and fish are kept in bowls or small tanks. This is against their inherent nature. Breeding facilities to produce animals, including puppies and kittens, for pet stores look like hell in most cases. Every animal is a being in its own right and not a toy to be sold for profit. Every baby wants to be with his mother and every mother wants to enjoy her family and not be made pregnant repeatedly to fill a pet store. Ironically, at the same time, there are shelters everywhere and hundreds of stray or abandoned animals who need homes. If you would like a companion animal, adopt – never shop.

8. For financial investments, consider cruelty-free options  Be aware of where your savings are going and what kind of industries they are supporting. Check out this site for more information.