The Satvik Vegan Society, formerly known as the Indian Vegan Society, is based in a small town called Byndoor on the Western Ghats of Karnataka. It is a registered public charitable trust with its main focus on promoting the vegan way of life among people. Founded by Mr. Shankar Narayan in 2004, the society is based on the principle of Ahimsa (Nonviolence) with respect to all beings at all the times. The original idea behind the inception of the society was to give an identity and voice to all.
In 2007, Mr. Shankar organized the first International Vegan Fest in India, as a part of a series of international fests held in Denmark which started in the year 1981. This year’s Vegan Fest, which happened on the 4th & 5th of August, was a fun-filled festival with about 50 vegans, 12 states, and about 100 vegan enthusiasts taking part. This was the 16th Satvik Vegan festival (Satvik Vegan Satsang) organized by the Satvik Vegan Society, and it took place in Sthitaprajna, Yeljit Village, Byndoor.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Joanne Kong, a music professor at Richmond University, USA, who is also an avid vegan advocate. Among the speakers were Ms. Giselle Mehta, a novelist, Mr. Sandeep Kumar, the international marathon winner, Mr. Sandeep Dangi, blogger and local Education Officer, Mr. O. R. Prakash, Mr.Girish Shah, and Major Chandran received SVS Vegan of the Year Awards for their outstanding contributions for veganism in India.
The fest kick-started with different entertainment activities like swimming, nature walks and more. There were also very immersing talks by the eminent speakers on the topic of Veganism. The lectures delivered by the speakers were enriching and helpful and gathered a lot of acclaim amongst the attendees. The event also got covered by the local dailies and one of the highlights of the event was the delicious south Indian Vegan food, which was served on both days.
FIAPO congratulates Mr. Shankar on this great achievement and for the wonderful work in the field of Veganism. Here are some glimpses from the fest:
