20 simple ideas to enjoy life

Random ideas to enjoy life, for which you dont need much time or money -

1.       Go for a walk

2.       Read a good book

3.       Watch a good movie

4.       Have a good meal

5.       Cook

6.       Sing

7.       Dance

8.       Play indoor or outdoor games

9.       Go for a drive

10.   Go to the beach

11.   Go to a park/garden

12.   Go trekking

13.   Spend time with loved ones

14.   Have evening snacks with family

15.   Watch the sunrise & sunset with loved ones

16.   Gaze at the marvels of the night sky with loved ones

17.   Sit in your balcony or on the terrace with family/friends

18.   Go for a picnic (but dont litter)

19.   Volunteer at an ngo

20.   Join like-minded groups and participate in their activities

Thanks for reading, hope it lights some bulbs :)

List of Vegan lifestyle products in India

Here is a list I've compiled for all the vegan products, most of which have no or minimal chemicals. Hope it helps all those who have been looking for truly cruelty-free products (not only no animal testing but no animal ingredients too). I decided to eliminate all chemicals from my life after a severe jolt that I received. My beloved Dog Rapchik died due to chemicals (wrong medication & over medication) and that was when I decided to get rid of chemicals as far as possible and become a complete vegan in all aspects of my lifestyle too. I was AMAZED at the results these simple products gave me! I had the same preconceived notions about using these products as anyone else (like they may not work/how can just herbs & oils work, blah blah). I repent not making this shift sooner, as these products are sooo much better than the non-vegan chemicalized crap I had been using.

This list is made from my own experience & knowledge & by no means is foolproof, so please do your own research and use your own discretion before buying & using any of these products. Also veganism is about animals, not about money and not about health.  Thus all of the products listed below are vegan and if some of these products do not appeal to you on the bases of health or money, then please skip them. All of these products can be ordered online, so they can reach any and every person in even the remotest parts of India. Just check the 'store locations' option on their websites and you'll find many of them are stocked at the same online stores, so buying becomes easy. Two stores where you can find many of these products are - www.naturalmantra.com & http://www.vegetarianshop.in/. I personally order in bulk (6 months- 1 year's quantity) to save the hassle of ordering regularly and to keep a smaller eco-footprint. Not every product listed in each of these websites is vegan, so just check the ingredients & find which ones are - for eg. 1 or 2 soaps out of the 10 listed on a website may have honey, so just check ingredients of the product you'd like to order before buying. Your additions, suggestions and queries are most welcome, just keep them polite :)


1. Soaps - Medimix, Neev (http://neevsoaps.weebly.com/), Sri Aurobindo (http://www.miraura.org), Puro's (http://sanisa.co.in/pdf/Puro-Brochure.pdf), Biotique (www.biotique.com), Dear Earth (www.dearearth.in), The Natures Co (http://www.thenaturesco.com/), Sri Sri Ravi Shanker (http://www.artoflivingshop.com/), Burst of Happyness (http://www.burstofhappyness.in/), Rustic Art (http://rusticart.in), Soulflower (http://www.soulflower.biz/), Omved (http://www.omvedstore.in/), Forrest Essentials (http://www.forestessentialsindia.com/)

2. Shampoos - Energy home shampoo powder (www.energyhome.in), Biotique (www.biotique.com), Surya Brasil (http://suryabrasilproducts.com), Neev (http://neevsoaps.weebly.com/), Soulflower (http://www.soulflower.biz/), Rustic Art (http://rusticart.in), Omved (http://www.omvedstore.in/), Burst of Happyness (http://www.burstofhappyness.in/), The Natures Co (http://www.thenaturesco.com/), Forrest Essentials (http://www.forestessentialsindia.com/), Calify shampoo (ph: 9953980203) 

3. Handwash - any of the above soaps or Neev's handwash (http://neevsoaps.weebly.com/)

4. Toothpaste/Toothpowder - Vicco toothpaste, The Natures Co (http://www.thenaturesco.com/), Natures Lap (http://www.natureslap.in/), some locally available ones are vegan too but read labels & get it in writing from the company

5. All purpose disinfectant/insect repellent - can be used instead of phenyl or in cupboards, bed boxes & kitchens by putting some of it on a piece of cotton - works to repel all insects including flies, cockroaches, mosquitoes, fruit flies, etc. - just put 3-4 drops in 3-4 litres of water & mop as usual - Nirvaaha Floor & Surface Cleaner - http://www.nirvaaha.com/, Nature's Lap Herbal Cleaner - http://www.natureslap.in/, A combo of any citrus oil (lemongrass, orange, citronella) & mint family oil (basil, lavender, thyme) - can be brought from any reputed wholesaler at low costs

6. Detergent for washing clothes - Krya (krya.in), 108 soapnuts by Daily Dump (www.dailydump.org), Vanastree (vanastree.org), Rustic Art (http://rusticart.in)

7. Dishwashing powder - Krya (krya.in), Vanastree (vanastree.org)

8. Mosquito repellent - Herbal Mosquito Repellent (ph: 8590211102) & can be ordered from Energy Home (www.energyhome.in) OR use citronella oil (10 drops in 1 litre of water & spray in room or put a drop or two on your bed or use citronella or lemongrass essential oil as phenyl in your house)

9. Deo - Alum (a Rs.10 bar can be purchased from any medical store & lasts a lifetime. Can be rubbed on the skin after wetting & works as antiperspirant), Perfume Oils from Fab India (http://www.fabindia.com/personal-care/skin-care/jasmine-perfume-oil.html) (I havent confirmed with the company but it *seems* vegan as per ingredients), Biotique (www.biotique.com) (check with them for individual products, whether what product you'd like to buy is vegan or not), use any nice smelling essential oil diluted very well with base oils like olive/sunflower, etc.

10. Lip balms - Puro's (http://sanisa.co.in/pdf/Puro-Brochure.pdf), Omved (http://www.omvedstore.in/), Burst of Happyness (http://www.burstofhappyness.in/)

11. Moisturizing lotions - Puro (http://sanisa.co.in/pdf/Puro-Brochure.pdf), Omved (http://www.omvedstore.in/), The Natures Co (http://www.thenaturesco.com/)

12. Shaving Cream - Omved (http://www.omvedstore.in/), use any soap & shave as a shaving cream is not totally necessary always

13. All-purpose cleaner for basins, tiles, toilets, etc - synthetic white vinegar (just rub it on tiles & wipe clean in 30 minutes), vinegar + baking soda combination (in proportion of 4:1)

14. Baby products - These two companies have a baby products range, but check for baby safety yourself & use as per your discretion (I believe these would be safer from the chemicalized crap that we usually get in the market ) - Rustic Art (http://rusticart.in) & Biotique (www.biotique.com) (check with them for individual products, whether what product you'd like to buy is vegan or not)  

15. Dog ticks & fleas - I use it, its not medical advise, so please use after consulting with your vets - Bathe them with reetha &/or neem/tulsi/eucalyptus/mint etc leaves paste or powder (available at many local, small grocery shops/ kirana stores/ayurvedic shops) & for the last rinse use very diluted (1 drop in 1 -2 litres of water) of the above (ie the all purpose disinfectant mentioned above in point no.5) essential oils. I even put a little of it on my dogs leash in the rainy season.  

16. Kajal - Biotique (www.biotique.com) (*might* be vegan, they told me on the phone that its vegan & their website also says that most of their products are *vegan*, *however* they havent given it in writing, so recheck with them & use as per your own discretion), Lotus (http://www.lotusherbals.com/)  (*seem* to be vegan, however check with the company yourselves, get it in writing & use them as per your discretion), I have a kajal made & gifted to me by the owner of Rustic Art, so maybe we can all ask her to make more of it & sell it 

17. Cosmetics - Lotus (http://www.lotusherbals.com/) products *seem* to be vegan, however check with the company yourselves, get it in writing & use them as per your discretion. In my opinion, they are more cruelty-free than any other cosmetic brand in India.

18. Medicine - Holistic medicines by Dr.Rupa Shah (Mumbai), can be contacted on happyrupa@gmail.com. She gives flower remedies for animals too. I also prefer to use plants, herbs & oils to get rid of any problems & they work wonders. Also being vegan, we havent really fallen sick, being unwell is the rarest of the rare thing for us, and recovery is super-speedy too. I just try to stick to rest & fruits & coconut water & disease vanishes fast!

19. Dog food - Benevo by Vegeco http://www.benevo.in/ & http://www.vegeco.in/. Can be ordered from http://www.askforpets.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=benevo

20. Dog soap - http://rusticart.in/products/organic-pet-soap/

21. Any product - make your own using herbs & essential oils, detailed info can be googled.

Totally vegan companies - The Natures Co, Krya (vegan-owned too), Puro (not vegan owned)

Almost vegan company - Omved

Vegan-friendly companies (with multiple products) - Rustic Art, Biotique

My choices -

I'd like to use simple products devoid of any chemicals & preferably just made of herbs & essential oils. To figure out what works best for me, I've used & checked multiple products and have made the list of my choices below. I have also found that high cost usually doesnt mean better products, so I stick to what has worked for me, which in some cases have been inexpensive & in some cases expensive products. I am also minimalistic, so I dont use many of the products I've listed above on a daily basis, like make-up, etc.

1. Soap - Sri Aurobindo (http://www.miraura.org), Neev (http://neevsoaps.weebly.com/) - I brought Sri Auro's soaps when I went to Auroville/Pondicherry & am still using them. You can contact them at http://auroshikha.com/contact.php & check where they stock their products in your city. They cant be ordered online through their website, as they dont ship small quantities. I also keep trying out any new vegan soaps that I get to know of. However, once my current stock of soaps gets over, I'll switch to Neev, which can be ordered from their own website or from www.naturalmantra.com.

2. Shampoos - Energy home shampoo powder (www.energyhome.in), Biotique (www.biotique.com), Calify shampoo (ph: 9953980203) - I used to call & order from Calify. I recently started using Biotique which can be ordered from their website or is very easily available in many big & small stores & supermarkets.

3. Handwash - Neev (http://neevsoaps.weebly.com/) - I order 1 kg directly from their website & it lasts me about 10 months.

4. Toothpowder - Natures Lap (http://www.natureslap.in/), a local company Baba's toothpowder - Can be ordered from their website.

5. All purpose disinfectant - Presently I use a combo of lemongrass, basil & citronella (1:1:1) brought from a reputed wholesaler in Mumbai called Chimanlal & sons (ph: 9820033533), but once this gets over I'd prefer to use only lemongrass & any inexpensive oil (instead of basil) from the mint family. The other disinfectants I've listed above can be ordered from their websites or from the two websites I've mentioned in the introductory paragraphs.

6. Detergent for washing clothes - 108 soapnuts by Daily Dump - Can be ordered from their website or from www.naturalmantra.com. 

7. Dishwash - Vanastree (vanastree.org) - Can be ordered from http://www.dailydump.org/node/968/?width=495&height=470 - since their minimum order is Rs.500, I order the dishwash & detergent together & they last me for a few months.

8. Mosquito repellent - Because my current 'all purpose disinfectant' has citronella & works wonders, so I dont use any mosquito repellent. I also put a few drops of citronella (ordered from a reputed wholesaler in Mumbai called Chimanlal & sons ph: 9820033533) on my bed if needed & spray the 'all purpose disinfectant' (diluted a few drops in a spray can) in the house once a month. 

9. Deo - Alum - Purchased from any medical shop.

10. Lip Balm - Omved (http://www.omvedstore.in) (sometimes it doubles up as moisturizing balm for my face too) - Can be ordered from their website or www.naturalmantra.com

11. All purpose cleaner - Vinegar 

Hope this post makes it easier for more people to go vegan in lifestyle :)

The Dog running & playing on the hills behind our home #Dhinchak #vegan #vegandog

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Cold Coffee & Hot Coffee #vegan

COLD COFFEE

Cold coffee! With freshly made coconut milk!! It doesnt taste one-bit coconuty! In fact the Dog laps up fresh coconut milk because it tastes so similar to what she was used to before coming to us.

Recipe - Take a mature brown coconut. Remove the shell (I ask the coconut vendor to do that). Then cut it into pieces and blend in mixie with warm water. Sieve through muslin cloth & repeat. It takes 10 minutes in all and a Rs.15 coconut will yield one litre of milk! Then blend milk, coffee, sugar to taste and ice cubes & voila, your cold coffee is ready :)

HOT COFFEE

My hot cuppa COFFEE!! Vanilla soy milk by Godrej Sofit for hot coffee, can put any Barista coffee to shame :D

Try them to believe the taste!!! In fact my friend from Karnataka was telling me that her Dad's family used to have coconut milk coffee only earlier!

Chai - Indian masala tea #vegan

When people hear about going vegan, the first thing they think of in India is - 'How will I have my tea now??' Dont underestimate the charm and the 'necessity' of animal milk tea to Indians. Chai could easily be termed as India's favourite pastime!

I discovered this PERFECT alternative to 'milk' tea for my Mum, because I wanted her to go vegan and get rid of all her diseases. She was hung-up on tea (like most Indians are!) and so I figured that if CASHEW milk was added to tea, it tasted the SAME as cow/buffalo milk tea!! And how can I not mention the cost - cashew milk is Rs.40 a litre, just as much as animal milk!

Cashew milk is nothing but cashews (soaked for 2-3 hours is best) and blended in a blender with some water. I sometimes dont even soak them, lazy me! Usually I take 10-12 cashews and if in hot weather I wish to soak them overnight then I put them in the fridge. Making a thick consistency ie making cashew cream instead of cashew milk by putting very little water while blending, is better. This is because as it doesnt affect the temperature of the tea when you add it, as most people like their tea piping hot. It takes a minute or two to make, needs no boiling whatsoever and lasts for at least 3 days in the fridge in the autumn weather (in India). Store it in the freezer in summer and thaw it for 10-15 minutes before making tea. And the best part is - it makes at least 10 cups of tea!

For a cup of tea, take a cup of water, add cardamom or grated ginger or any other flavouring if you wish to, and bring it to a boil. Then add half a teaspoon of tea leaves and let it boil for another minute. Then switch off the gas and add a teaspoon of cashew cream (add less or more depending on how milky you like your tea), add sugar to taste, stir & sieve. Chai is ready! 

This tea has been tested by many non-vegans and proven to be 100% same! Enjoy a cruelty-free lifestyle without any compromise in taste :)

How much money do we spend on cashews when compared to animal milk? So we have to buy a minimum of half a litre of 'milk', boil it for 10 mins and it lasts for a day or two in the fridge. When I was non-vegan, we used to spend Rs.500 on animal milk every month, not forgetting Rs.500 on other animal products and at least another Rs.500-1000 on medical bills every month. Now we spend Rs.500 for a kg of cashews which last us 6 months, along with absolutely NO medical expenses at all! So take your pick :)