Schools worldwide have closed their doors to slow down the spread of the virus, bringing the classrooms online. At the same time, online classes are running smoothly as it comes with the comfort of staying at home but has challenged students with their projects. I contacted a few International students of Høgskulen I Volda to know how they are coping with this change as being quarantined in a different country away from their family.
The student talked about how challenging it is to make an interview-based documentary project that is part of the curriculum; when the schools are closed, it is difficult to borrow camera equipment and access libraries and books. The level of challenge intensifies as one cannot see each other to conduct interviews and meet in person to film and record for authenticity. As technology plays a vital role in days of quarantine, millions of us are connecting online and making ends meet.
When the students asked if I am willing to be part of the project, I agreed to help and pushed some of my deadlines away to make a virtual interview-based documentary clip. The project's theme is veganism, and I had to film myself answering a set of questions. I wanted to make it interesting by filming additional clips, and I have attached part one of the interview below.
Let us begin with what is Veganism?
Veganism is defined as a lifestyle that is dedicated to excluding the use of animals in food, clothing, products and entertainment. It is an ideology that is against the cruelty, exploitation, and suffering of animals. Veganism is not a diet, unlike following a vegetarian diet in terms of not including dairy products, and not all vegetarians are vegans.
In India, you have vegetarians, flexitarians, pescatarians, people who do not intake meat on Tuesdays, Friday and Saturday. So plant-based was just another diet to me. I heard back in 2011, I read an article, but I was still ignorant of the whole concept until I watched a few documentaries about the dairy industry that changed everything. I follow a plant-based intermittent diet, it allows a 16-hour fasting window, and you consume all of the calories and proteins during the remaining 8 hours. You are flexible to choose your window ( 9 a.m. to 5 p.m / 10 a.m. to 6 p.m / noon to 8 p.m.)
I live in Norway. I still wear a woollen sweater handed to me by my friends and bought from a thrift shop. So I do not call myself vegan, but I don't buy animal-tested body products. I choose natural and organic products such as hemp chapstick and lip gloss. I have decided to follow this lifestyle because I feel compassion & empathy for every sentient being. It has improved my health as it reduces the risk of foodborne illness and for the environment.
I intake a balanced diet like:
-fruits and vegetables, which can be fresh, frozen, or canned in water
-I prefer fresh fruit smoothie with dates and peanut butter as the first meal of the day
-I add homemade granola, 2 drops of B12, a teaspoon of spirulina for extra fibre, protein, magnesium and iron,
-I made a jar mix of crunchy buckwheat, chia seeds, ground flaxseed, hemp, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and cranberries.
My dinner is a big meal which usually includes the following
-whole grains including quinoa, brown rice,
-lean protein sources, such as beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, seeds and fresh vegetables
-healthful fats from coconuts, avocados, peanut butter, and tahini
Following this diet is about choosing a compassionate life, understanding the nature of fasting and how it relates to spiritual growth to raise vibration, expand consciousness and positively thrive in your life. The purity of food is necessary to maintain the desired state of mind that leads to enlightenment. As you realize that you’ve finally made the right choice of eating quality plant-based food, keeping track of food intake, be more aware of what you feed to your body and how the body reacts to the different food and dietary staple.
Just follow the diet for a week to ensure a pure heart, long life, cheerful spirit, and you will feel the transition in the ways you process your thoughts, strength, happiness, you gain health, you gain a greater sense of living in bounds with your values, you gain all the environmental benefits. Don’t waste time. It is a decision not to live in ignorance, and that's the quality of life itself.
Start making your transition now!
