Blessed weekend, wise and reverent viewers. Today, on Vegetarian Elite we will take a glimpse into the life of Maneka Gandhi, respected Member of Parliament in India, devoted environmentalist, animal welfare advocate,
and compassionate vegan.

It has been over three decades since Mrs. Maneka Gandhi’s name was first heard in India’s political circuit. In 1974, she married Sanjay Gandhi, the son of the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The couple had their first born six years later, a boy they named Varun Gandhi. Shortly after his birth, however, his father Sanjay Gandhi unexpectedly passed away.

Mrs. Gandhi became politically active following the departure of her husband. While she was Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, she played a historical role in the Indian pension reform efforts. At the age of 33, she became the country’s Minister for the Environment. Prior to her post, India had no environmental protection laws.

As an environmentalist and animal rights leader, Mrs. Gandhi sees no difference between the two roles, and champions both alongside one another in her political career.

Maneka Gandhi(f): I don’t see any difference between being and being.  A chicken is a human, is a pig, is a donkey, is an ant. I, They all feel pain, they all feel love, they all feel sorrow, they all love their children, they all live in societies even if you separate them.

They are all part of the large whole. And any time we hurt any one of them or create a society that hurts them, we simply destroy ourselves, and that is what leads me to work in this field.