Considering the upcoming (and hugely anticipated!) Singaporean Vegan Festival 2021, which kicks-off Friday, 27 August 2021 – Expat Choice recently caught up with Pooja Bakhshi, Founder of the Singapore Vegan Festival for an enlightening in-person session, to discuss Edition 3 of this popular National Festival, and here passion for all things Vegan.
What we were most curious about to share with our readers, was the fascinating brief divulged to us of her own intriguing path to veganism. How did it all begin? We discovered Pooja has been a vegetarian for the majority of her life, which was a leading cause behind what inspired her initiation of EatRoamLive in 2017 – intended to be a reliable resource for vegetarians.
A few months down the line, as Pooja was publishing an article about “Vegetarian Pizzas available in Singapore,” she found herself fielding questions about whether the cheese on these pizzas could be classified as vegetarian. At that point of time, these questions took her by surprise, as she explained; “I had never imagined cheese to be non-vegetarian.” Upon further research, she was able to glean learning of the fact that many cheeses contain animal rennet (a set of enzymes derived from the stomach of animals) – in this case, cows. Understanding this piece of knowledge truly dumfounded her!
Looking back in hindsight, Pooja traces this single incident as the kick-starter point in her personal journey to re-educate herself on the ingredients which go into food consumption. She was genuinely shocked to learn just how many animal-derived ingredients find their way into our plates, and thereby our bodies and lives.
The more Pooja learnt, the clearer this visionary thought became to her: “If I wanted to hold true to my beliefs of leading an ethical and environmentally friendly lifestyle, and truly make an impact, I knew I had to make the switch to veganism.” As she made the switch, so did the platform. For over a year now, EatRoamLive has primarily covered plant-based food and products, and they hope to make an official announcement soon.
One takeaway from this experience Pooja shared, was our own learning of just how important seeking intentional awareness is – and more so, the intrinsic role it plays in one being able to understand the bigger picture at large – especially from a more knowledgeable and informed perspective. The more factual knowledge one comes across, retains and reflects upon (to see whether it could resonate personally), the more it furthers potential of a solid basis behind supporting one’s ability to make sounder choices and decisions. A good reminder for us all to stay informed, updated with the current times, and uphold the consistent attitude of a life-learner!
When discussing Pooja’s noteworthy vision and role in giving rise to the Singapore Vegan Festival 2021, she breaks down the journey of the SVF annual event over the last 3 years so far; “The Singapore Vegan Festival came about once I came to the realisation of figuring out that Singapore was in need of an event which focused completely on veganism and vegan food (and products). For one, vegans deserved a field day – and just as importantly, I felt it was necessary to raise awareness and show people the plethora of absolutely fantastic vegan options available in Singapore and prove the point: Vegan doesn’t equal boring.”
She expounds further in relaying to us that “Over the last few years, Vegan options have really exploded; be it food or fashion or skincare – and the SVF aims to bring all of this under one umbrella. People need awareness to realise they’re really not missing out on that much, and for the sobering sake of our planet and the future generations – it is imperative for us all to make sustainable food choices to the best of our ability.”
Since the inaugural event in 2019, Pooja has been the primary organizer and decision-maker. Her involvement in SVF 2019 included everything from planning to execution – with aspects such as; contacting the fabulous brands and labels who offer Vegan products, bringing restaurants on board, getting amazing guest speakers to come and talk about their Vegan journeys, selecting the physical site, finding an online solution (brought upon by COVID-19 last year – and basically the whole gamut! It’s great to witness her contagious passion, the display of which is certainly evident to be her greatest resource in sparking and fueling her own contribution to making a difference in today’s world with the vegan movement!
Pooja has a great deal of praise for Mansi Virmani, someone she’s kept on the organizing team since last year, and says she’s been “lucky enough to have her as an integral team player.” Mansi, handles Business Development for ERL, and has taken up a bulk of the communication and organisation, allowing her to concentrate on the crucial aspects of planning and decision-making in these initial months, and later on the execution. She does admit, “Of course, it takes a village and I couldn’t have gotten to Edition 3 without the support and hard work of my small team, and the tremendous support which I have received from friends and the vegan community.”
Regarding inquiring from Pooja as to what she considers are essential qualities needed, in order to be successful in her role as Founder of SVF, we were wowed and inspired by her following comments:
“From the time when the idea first germinated in my mind, to pulling off the inaugural event in 2019, it’s been an absolutely exciting journey. Of course, there are a lot of hours which go behind organising the event (I do acknowledge that), so a ton of hard work and perseverance are essential. However, I feel the key is the drive, the desire to be a champion of Veganism and to bring all the amazing work being done in the Vegan industry in front of consumers.”
“There are fabulous brands and founders who are creating some wow products and I really wish to create a platform for all of them to be showcased and highlighted in the public eye. By bringing visibility to the abundance of Vegan options, we can then have a conversation with people on how they can start substituting Vegan products into their lifestyle.”
In wrapping up the delightful session, we touch on what Pooja feels is her most noteworthy achievement till date. She lets us in on the impressive accomplishment of having carried her twins for 38 weeks during her pregnancy term, but jokes with us by saying, “I’m guessing that’s not the answer you’re looking for.”
On a professional front, Pooja goes on to relay that the launch of the Singapore Vegan Festival and getting it to Edition 3 – despite facing a whole ton of challenges along the way – is what she admittedly feels most proud of, with respect to her personal achievements made thus far. We wish her all the best with the upcoming event and her future endeavours with the vegan movement!
For the full list of activities and how to register, browse the official website here
