'Most of our Indian dishes are already vegan but we don’t realize it' 🌶🌶
❌ Don't miss the final part of our interview with Verhaen Khanna! The inspiring New Delhi Nature Society founder shares his personal lifestyle philosophy & has some sage advice for young people ❌
🤔 Verhaen what’s your personal philosophy regarding diet & lifestyle?
🌱 It may not be possible to fix your lifestyle overnight but gradual shifts work well. I try to sleep by 9pm so that I can wake up by 3am. These are the golden hours for sleep and there is research online to support this. I usually go to Lodhi garden to absorb nature and practice yoga under a tree or just water the plants at home, a dose of fresh air and fragrance of flowers early morning is really invigorating. I return home and make herbal tea for myself, and then I sit with the laptop and try to finish pending work. I prefer to eat fresh fruit and fresh juices in the morning to stay fresh and energized. By noon I am quite exhausted from digital exposure, so I take a power nap for 45 mins to an hour. The second sleep of the day is priceless, dreams are more vivid and you feel totally recharged. Farmers also follow this routine of completing their chores in the morning before taking a nap under a tree in the afternoon.
For lunch I enjoy vegan meals, which is so easy to find in India, most of our Indian dishes are already vegan but we don’t realize it. Vegan food is best for your body and for the planet. Any food derived from animals involves cruelty and definitely does not have the permission of those animals. People hesitate with their addiction to milk, cheese, butter, eggs etc but when you understand how the animals are tortured for the sake of profits, plus the health benefits of a plant based diet, then making better choices becomes easier. After lunch I usually step out, meet friends, meet for work, try to do more physical activities outdoors, listen/practice music, watch documentaries, strategise plans for the environment and nature awareness in Delhi.
Its best to have dinner before the sun sets. I have observed my body carefully and the way it reacts. The sun is a symbol for fire, like the fire in your belly which burns your food to give you energy. Have you noticed that in spite of eating a big meal for breakfast, you feel hungry very soon? Once the sun sets, your metabolism slows down drastically. Eating food after sunset and sleeping immediately is the worst thing to do to your body; you will feel unwell when you wake up.
I’m a good multitasker, so I’m also managing the social media for NDNS by myself throughout the day. My body clock is synchronized with the sunrise and sunset, but I don’t like to stay in a rut for too long, so I have altered some of these activities, teaching in school, organising walks workshops and events for nature awareness, rock climbing with friends, cross city cycling, group yoga, exploring green-zones of Delhi, rescuing and rehabilitating plants and animals, camping overnight, making videos takes a long time, learning new skills also takes up time, creating art digitally, or on various types of canvas is usually a great peaceful exercise.
I spend time talking to people, inspiring and motivating them to live sustainably and praise their smallest eco-friendly actions, stop people from cutting trees, stopping fires, calling police and fire brigade for support, visiting National Green Tribunal for cases to save trees in Delhi, removing nails from trees, writing letters to officials, networking with NGO's and RWA's.
🤔 Any words of advice for young people out there who want to make a difference?
🌱 Hi young people, by the time you read this, hundreds of trees have been cut, many animals lost their homes and have been killed, thousands of plastic bags and bottles were used for a few minutes and then thrown to the ground or burnt.
Did you ever want to be a superhero? This is your only chance.
Delhi has a few dozen superheroes that I have met, they have done really amazing work to conserve this world for you. The disturbing fact is that the number of zombies and villains in the city are massive. So, we need each and every aware young citizen to take action.
Don’t just watch trees get cut and animals abused, say something, stop them. It is your fundamental duty article 51 a (g) the Indian Constitution requires you to preserve the environment, plants animals and rivers. Learn about sustainable living and help your family with the transition. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Talk to strangers about the right choices they can make. We all have to live in this world together, so let’s just be there for each other.
Unless you have personal experience, giving instructions will not be easy, so bring the change in your own actions before correcting others. Share your opinions online. When you see something, do something. At least call 100 and get the incident recorded on their system. Talk to people in your residential area about eco-friendly upgrades which can be possible in your area. Use the resources you have to make the world a better place; every small action makes a big difference.
🤔 Lastly how can we get involved or help support the New Delhi Nature Society?
🌱 At NDNS we need all the help we can get. We require volunteers and interns who can use their skills for nature. Participation in NDNS events will really help us spread the cause. If you like the work done by NDNS, you can donate money or things we require from time to time. You can contact NDNS and fill up the online form so that we can contact you and send you notifications about activities. NDNS is also great for networking with other environmental NGO's in Delhi and around India.
In case you have a nature emergency, contact NDNS, take pictures. You can help by organising gatherings where NDNS can participate to spread awareness. So much money is involved in destroying nature, but not that much in saving nature. Sometimes an individual may not have the time, or don’t know where to start to make a difference but they have the funds and resources, so they don’t mind letting an NGO use that for improving the world they live in. In fact it makes them happy to become part of something great in this way.
A big thank you 🙏🏽 to Verhaen Khanna & New Delhi Nature society for taking part in this interview series!
Follow Verhaen on Twitter @Verhaen_Khanna
Instagram @newdelhinaturesociety
Facebook @NewDelhiNatureSociety
All images courtesy of Verhaen Khanna & New Delhi Nature Society
