KATHMANDU, Dec 19: “I was a meat eater, but I stopped eating meat six years ago after my dog died due to poisoning,” said Sneha Shrestha, founder of Sneha’s Care which treats injured and sick dogs in the Kathmandu Valley.

“After that incident I started saving dogs. It made me realize that I am the one who protects animals and I am the one eating them,” Shrestha told Republica during the Veg-Fest organized at Utpala Cafe in Bauddha, Kathmandu on Saturday.

“As an animal rights activist, I support veganism. Vegan food is also good for health. Just like us humans, animals also have the right to live,” added Shrestha.

Sneha's Care organized the “Veg-Fest” on Saturday for the third time. This event was organized to support veganism. The objective of the event was to promote plant-based diet and to educate people about veganism. 

The program was attended by Samjhana Kafle, director general of the Department of LiveStock Services, Yogi Somnath from Kamdhenu Gaushala, Dr Lok Nath Paudel, former senior livestock development officer at the Ministry of Agricultural Development, and Shree Ram Adhikari, chairman of Veterinary Practice Association.  They all were there to show their support towards veganism.

The fest involved vegan eateries such as Vegan Momos, organic condiments, and clothes made without using animal products. “It is hard to turn a non-vegetarian person into a vegetarian. Therefore, we use condiments which give a flavor of meat as an alternative. No animal product is used in the food we make,” said Dipankar Thapa, chef of Utpala café.

Apart from food stalls, the festival offered free tasting of a variety of vegan items such as vegan meat balls, choilla, vegan pork kebab. The fest will also have a workshop to educate people on the importance of veganism and how to prepare vegan food. The workshop will be conducted by the winners of the Local Vegan Food Presentation, which was held earlier this year.

“We are a vegan restaurant, we speak against animal cruelty, those who eat meat in the name of protein are wrong as they perform animal cruelty. There are other items which provide protein. Vegan community is growing. If someone wants to promote veganism or start a business of veganism we will support them. I plead with everyone to follow veganism. We at Utpala guarantee that your taste will not change,” says Deepak Bohara, general manager of Utpala Café.

This event was a step towards veganism. There were many people who came forward  in support of veganism. There were people who turned vegetarian after realizing meat was the flesh of animals. Among them is Revati Shrestha, who was a meat lover but turned vegetarian in grade 5 after realizing how meat was prepared. 

 
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