The Jain Vegan Initiative | Pratik Bhansali & Vinita Dugad

Engaged Jain Studies Podcast

In this episode of the Engaged Jain Studies Podcast, Professor Christopher Jain Miller interviews Dr. Pratik Bhansali and Vinita Dugad from the Jain Vegan Initiative. They discuss their backgrounds as Jains advocating for veganism and sustainable lifestyles within the Jain community.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• Backgrounds in Advocacy: Vinita and Pratik share their journey as Jains promoting veganism and sustainability.
• New Course Overview: Insights into their new course, "Reimagining Sustainability: Jain Environmental Advocacy," which focuses on sustainable living principles.
• Practical Sustainability: Practical advice on how Jains and non-Jains can adopt more environmentally sustainable lifestyles, emphasizing the urgency for both individual and collective action to ensure a better future for all life forms.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES & LINKS

• The Jain Vegan Initiative | Facebook
• The Jain Vegan Initiative | Instagram
• Beyond Vegetarianism: Jain Veganism and the Promotion of Ahiṃsā | Course: 102 - Arihanta Institute
• Reimagining Sustainability: Jain Environmental Advocacy | Course: 106 - Arihanta Institute
• 40+ Self-paced Online Courses | Jainism, Veganism, Animal Advocacy, Climate Change, Yoga, Professional Ethics, Social Justice
• Subscribe to the Arihanta Institute Newsletter
• Arihanta Institute | Ancient Wisdom Modern Living

Join us for an inspiring discussion on integrating Jain principles with contemporary environmental challenges.

Subscribe and stay tuned for more enlightening episodes!

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ABOUT OUR PODCAST GUESTS

Pratik Bhansali is a PhD in Mechanical Engineering. He thinks taking a stand against any form of discrimination is something that forms basic decency. This stand should encompass all animals – humans and non-humans, and being a vegan is a mere logical consequence of this stand. He also sees the interconnections between all forms of oppression and their links with animals and their rights.

Vinita Dugad embarked on her sustainable lifestyle journey at a young age when she recognized that the excessive and long-lasting impact of our consumption patterns is convenience driven. Through her observation of human behaviour in relation to the environment, she realized that societal pressures to conform are a major hurdle in making sustainable choices. She emphasizes that previous generations hold plenty of valuable solutions and innovation is not always necessary. As she noticed that many solutions being promoted prioritize profits, making them unaffordable for the majority, Vinita founded Ecomo, a startup dedicated to addressing this, while also raising awareness about greenwashing practices. She also has a keen interest in exploring how the hospitality and tourism sectors can step in to foster environmental responsibility.

ABOUT OUR PODCAST HOST

Christopher Miller, PhD, Professor at Arihanta Institute

Christopher Jain Miller is the co-founder, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Professor of Jain and Yoga Studies at Arihanta Institute. He completed his PhD in the study of Religion at the University of California, Davis and is also a Visiting Researcher at the University of Zürich's Asien-Orient-Institut and Visiting Professor at Claremont School of Theology where he co-developed and co-runs a remotely available Masters Degree Program focusing on Engaged Jain Studies. His current research focuses on Engaged Jainism and Modern Yoga, and he is the author of a number of articles and book chapters concerned with Jainism and the practice of modern yoga. Christopher is the author of Embodying Transnational Yoga: Eating, Singing, and Breathing in Transformation (Routledge 2024), as well as co-editor of the volumes Engaged Jainism: Critical and Constructive Approaches to the Study of Jain Social Engagement (SUNY 2025) and Beacons of Dharma: Spiritual Exemplars for the Modern Age (Lexington 2020).

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