A new docu-film titled ‘The Land of Ahimsa’ inspires viewers to practice ahimsa (non-violent behaviors) by adopting a vegan lifestyle, which will benefit their health and wellness, as well as the environment and reduce unnecessary suffering of animals.
The feature length documentary shot in India premiered on Plant Based News last November. It has been subtitled in English and a dozen Indian languages.
The Land of Ahimsa aims to restore the meaning of ahimsa – respect and non-violence towards all living beings. Ahimsa is a central part of the Indic religions – Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. But India has become disconnected from its meaning, according to the maker of this film, Dolly Vyas-Ahuja.
This film covers multiple dimensions for why one needs to practice ahimsa. The filmmakers interview doctors, athletes, animal activists, entrepreneurs, and visit animal sanctuaries to illustrate the importance of ahimsa in action in India with the intention that this will resonate across the globe.
The title ‘The Land of Ahimsa’ is, of course, satirical. India is the only country where animals are worshipped (Hanuman in the form of a monkey, Ganesh in the form of an elephant and Nandi in the form of a bull, and similarly the symbols of all Jain Tirthankaras are of some animals) and cows are sacred. These and many other animals are worshiped as long as they are made of stone and are in the temples but outside, but the same animals when in flesh and blood are tortured or killed for money.
Dolly Vyas-Ahuja, who lives in the Houston metropolitan area of Texas, is a vegan and ahimsa activist. Along with several of her friends she has often demonstrated in front of slaughterhouses in Houston with placards arguing, ‘Animal are not for food.’
The documentary sees Dolly journeying across India and the US where she speaks to physicians, environmentalists, philanthropists, and experts in nutrition, spirituality, and those who advocate the importance of ahimsa and its role in modern-day India. The film is directed by Bollywood actor Aryeman Ramsay.
India born granddaughter of the Indian freedom fighter Chhaganlal Joshi, Dolly went back to take a stark look at how India treats its cows, buffaloes and goats. Cow is the primary source of nearly 90% of the milk in India and the world. Hindus particularly revere the cow as Gau Mata, mata meaning mother. The truth is wildly different. The current population of cows in India is nearly 300 million (the male calves do not even see their life beyond 6 or 8 weeks and go to slaughter houses to be killed for meat) and this number keeps growing as the demand and consumption of milk keeps on increasing. As a result, India is one of the largest producers and exporters of beef in the world. Believed to be healthy, milk and dairy products are popular in India. Huge quantities of milk are even used in temples to bathe the idols. Note to the uninformed, every drop of milk is a product of himsa and cruelty to the cow and has been so for centuries.
The film is a call to action, inspiring people in India and the world to shift to a vegan lifestyle. It features author and Advaita teacher Acharya Prashant, politician Maneka Gandhi, Philip Wollen (former vice president of Citibank), Keegan Kuhn (Cowspiracy, What the Health), Dr. Neal Barnard (Founder of the Physicians Committee of Responsible Medicine), and Jane Velez-Mitchell (founder of UnChainedTV), and me, Dr. Sulekh Jain (founder of the Jain Academic Foundation of North America).
Some people in India could not stomach this documentary. One well-respected scholar from India wrote to me, “Is this film not a conspiracy against India? Some countries are jealous of the progress India is making.”
I believe that India can become the superpower of the world if we choose to live by our true nature of Ahimsa which means nonviolence to all sentient beings. I am reminded of a quote by Dr. Richard Oppenlander, “The ethical diet that is going to save the animals, is the same ethical diet that is going to optimize our health and heal the earth”.
The Land of Ahimsa is available to watch on the Plant Based News (PBN) YouTube channel.
