The Real Game Changer for Animal Rights
Mishi Jain
As Jains, we aspire to practice nonviolence by respecting the inherent value and dignity in even the smallest of organisms. Most frequently, this principle of nonviolence presents itself through our vegan and vegetarian diets. This principle may also show up in small and intentional ways, like avoiding walking on grass or refraining from lighting fireworks to minimize harm to microscopic organisms in the ground or air. Rarely, however, does this fundamental Jain principle become the driving force of our careers or permeate every aspect of our being. Rarely is it a conscious, active, and omnipresent principle in our lives.
But it is for Nirva Kapasi Patel.
To delve deeper into what it means to live a life driven by nonviolence, we spoke to Nirva who is a Global Policy Fellow in Harvard Law School’s Animal Law & Policy Program and Clinic. She also serves as Chair of the Board of Farm Sanctuary, one of the largest animal sanctuaries in America, and she is Secretary of the International Vegan Film Festival. Even more, Nirva is an executive producer for several plant-based lifestyle focused films including The Game Changers, The End of Medicine, and Meat Me Halfway.
What’s your vegan story?
“My biggest inspiration would be Jainism. Growing up in a Jain community, I always had that sense for suffering and for animals. Growing up, however, I believed I was doing the right thing, and I did consume dairy, ghee, milk, and cheese. I just assumed from the community around me and my own naivety that this was fine until I found out the truth about dairy. It’s a common oversight to recognize the violence limited to the meat industry, but there is an egregious amount of cruelty just in the dairy industry on its own. I quickly realized that as Jains, we were already giving up so much. So, how much more was it to give up dairy as well? Not much.”
How did animal rights work become a fundamental aspect of your career?
“I realized early on that this whole career of animal rights work was not lucrative at all. So, initially, I did what the typical Indian kid does. I studied biomedical engineering. However, every time I was doing anything, animals were always on my mind. For example, what if I created a device that would just replace animal testing? After college, I started working for a pharmaceutical company and that had its own conflicts and created turmoil in my life. I had to dissect mice in the lab, and it just tore me apart. You can only go so long facing these inner conflicts.
I then applied to law school on a whim. I loved law school and studied patent law, but I didn’t know how I would incorporate animals. Eventually, my husband’s job took me to Mumbai for eight years, and I saw so much suffering of both people and animals there. Anytime I found an animal in distress, I would bring it to hospitals or my house and made sure it got adopted. I also had this amazing opportunity to attend a lecture in Gujarati by a Maharaj Saheb (Jain monk) on the cruelty of the dairy industry and artificial insemination. It was really contentious at that time to say something about dairy, and the crowd of Jain people that attended was super shocked by what they learned.
That got me thinking — I have to study in this field and do something. I got my Masters degree at the Center for Public Policy and Animals at Tufts University, which gave me a 30,000-foot view of the issues facing animals, and now I’m a Global Policy Fellow at Harvard Law researching how animal law is practiced globally, especially in India. I also had the opportunity to support various documentaries as an Executive Producer, including The Game Changers, which was an incredible film. I was literally crying when I saw the first cut of it. It’s been amazing to see the change that film has propelled and that impact it has had.”
How can our Jain community do better in the animal rights space?
“We need to debunk the notion that the dairy we know today was a part of our Jain history. The notion that the ghee we have today is ‘pure’ needs to be debunked. Even something as small as swapping out ghee for oil at our temples is helpful. We need white papers on these topics, such as how horrific the dairy industry is and the greenwashing around it that labels products as ‘ahimsa milk’ or ‘ahimsa dairy.’ Importantly, so many Jains are already 99% living a vegan lifestyle. While there are food options like Beyond Meat, our Gujarati Jain diet is already perfect. Most of it is whole food, plant based, and doesn’t require a radical shift in diet. It’s a sustainable way to be vegan.”
What advice would you give to a young Jain interested in entering the animal rights field?
“For someone interested in getting into this field, I would recommend studying it. I knew no more than most people until I did my masters at Tufts. There are also so many opportunities to get involved in this space. For example, look at the impact of our food systems. You can work on food policy, at a sanctuary with wildlife, or on issues regarding using animals in laboratories. You can bring changes at your local temples through campaigns and by introducing vegan meals.”
What message would you leave a young Jain reading this article with?
“We come from a religion that is so fundamentally based on nonviolence. Of all of the religions in the world, Jainism is pretty unique in its treatment of animals. My advice to young Jains is to feel very grateful for this philosophy that we follow. This philosophy has so much potential to create change. And while there are so many others trying to own this vegan movement, what about the Jain presence? We’ve had this philosophy for a very, very long time so own it. Don’t abandon it. Fully embrace it because you’re lucky to have it. If you believe in karma, this is your duty. Don’t give up because you’re here for a reason, and you have so much good you can do. Even if animal rights work isn’t your career, there are so many little ways in which you can make a difference.”
Although making a career out of animal rights advocacy may not be the path for all of us, Nirva’s story and work in this space shows the myriad of ways we can make a difference and the reasons why we should. Whether it is swapping out dairy milk for non-dairy milk, eating vegan on Wednesdays, having conversations about making Jain spaces cruelty free, or impact investing in vegan companies, even the smallest of efforts can be impactful and be steps in the right direction. And for those of us who are interested in making a career out of this work, Nirva serves as an inspiration to show us that it can be done. Her identities as a Jain, woman, and vegan have made her a game changer in this space, and it stemmed from the unique privilege of being born into the Jain philosophy–one that is fundamentally based on nonviolence and one that has been championing animal rights for eons.
