Veganism gradually gaining ground in Kathmandu

By Arpana Adhikari,Kathmandu, Sep,1: Once considered a niche idea, veganism is steadily gaining ground in Nepal’s urban culture.

The three-day Ahimsa Festival organised by the Nepal Vegetarian Society with the support from various groups at Police Club, Bhrikutimandap, has reflected Nepal’s growing interest in veganism, and its impact on lifestyle choices.

 It featured plant-based dishes, cruelty-free fashion, and immersive art, while bringing together community, vegans, activists, experts from Nepal and abroad for interactive sessions on sustainable living and animal rights. 

For 28-year Dipesh Shrestha, one of the organiser, the festival is about more than food choices. It’s about redefining how people live. 

Shrestha, a brand strategist, shared how his own vegan journey began 12 years ago after watching documentaries exposing the cruelty of animal agriculture. “I realised I could no longer be part of that system. That was the moment I chose to become fully vegan." 

He is also a member of Kathmandu Animal Save (KAS), a youth network raising awareness against animal cruelty. 

Fashion with conscience 

Saraswoti Yonjan, a 42-year-old CEO of SaaS (The Breath), was among the entrepreneurs showcasing innovative alternatives at the festival.   Her stalls displayed plant-based leather jackets and bags crafted from agriculture waste, offering style with sustainable options. 

Yonjan leads the women run enterprise that is reimagining fashion and skincare 100 per cent plant-based alternative. 

She explained the cruelty behind traditional leather production, including the use of scalding water and skinning live animals.

Another stall featured animal activist Raghu Aditya, who showcased his book “Shakahar Tarkadhar’ (arguments about vegetarianism), which tackles 117 common myths and questions about veganism. 

From questions like “What made you become vegan?” to misconceptions such as “plant-based diets also harm plants” or claims of extremism and foreign influence, the book uses humour and insight to debunk myths and highlight the ethics of a plant-based lifestyle.

Yonjan of SaaS sees veganism not as an imported trend but as a continuation of Nepal’s historical and cultural connection to ahimsa, a principle deeply embedded in Hinduism, Buddhism and other local traditions. 

She said avoiding meat alone doesn’t protect animal exploitation. 

“Animal agriculture is one of the cruelest industries, where animals are exploited to the extreme for human profit. This is not natural. Today, cows and buffaloes are treated like machines, overbred, injected with harmful medicines and milked painfully.  They are forced to get pregnant repeatedly beyond their natural capacity. And the main point is that their milk is for their calves, not for humans,” Yonjan said. 

Veganism in messages

Sarita Shrestha, a vegan campaigner, also highlighted the environmental benefits of veganism through clothing and bags printed with powerful messages. One design read, “One year of being vegan can save 401,500 gallons of water, protect 10,950 sq. ft. of forest, preserve 146,000 lbs of grains, reduce 7,300 lbs of CO-equivalent emissions, and save 365 animals.” 

She said animal agriculture is a major driver of global warming and environmental degradation. 

According to her, animal agriculture wastes large amount of water, drives deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, and food inequity. 

Shila Sambahangphe, owner of White Lotus Café in Gairidhara, has been serving fully plant-based meals for two and a half years, from pastries and drinks made with soya or almond milk to momos, biryani, all prepared with fresh vegetables and seitan, a protein-rich meat substitute she produces herself from beans and besan.

She said her goal is to normalise vegan choices by offering healthy, sustainable, and accessible food alternatives. “Many think they’d have no options to eat outside if they became vegan. I opened this café to prove otherwise, to make veganism both accessible and enjoyable,” she said. 

While the festival painted a favourable picture, the reality of living vegan in Nepal is often fraught with challenges.

Coming from the Newar community, where meat is deeply woven into cultural traditions, Bikesh Shrestha, 55, chairman of the Nepal Vegan Society, faced immense pressure for his lifestyle choice.  

“I lived separately from my family for over 20 years because we were unable to accept each other’s eating habbit,” Shrestha recalled. This even cost him his marriage six years ago. Today, he lives alone, but continues to campaign for the movement he had been carrying out since 2007.”

He believes many newcomers to veganism face similar cultural and family pressures, from animal sacrifices during festivals to dairy offerings as rituals.

According to his estimation, Nepal has around 600–700 vegans, with 65 actively involved in the Vegan Society.

Health questions and misconceptions

Critics often question whether veganism leads to deficiencies, especially in Vitamin B12, protein and other nutrition. 

However, Bikesh Shrestha clarifies, “As per the findings, no human or animal body produces Vitamin B12. It comes from soil bacteria. Ruminant animals like cows, buffaloes, and goats host these bacteria in their stomachs, which is why their milk, eggs, and meat contain B12. Humans can also get it through supplements and green veggies.”

Sambahangphe also dismisses the myth that plant-based diets lack protein. “Kidney beans, tofu, soya, and other plant foods are rich in protein. What people often overlook is that meat and eggs from industrial farming bring more harm due to the chemicals and medicines used in the process,” she said.

She adds that cow’s milk, with triple the protein meant for calves, is a major cause of lactose-related health problems in humans. Going vegan can also reduce chances of getting multiple health issues, like blood pressure, heart diseases, diabetes among others, she added.