Dr. Kalyan Gangwal has very definite ideas and preferences about healthy nutrition and healthcare. Non-vegetarian fare, tobacco and alcohol are strictly taboo, says this Pune-based activist and medical practitioner who was felicitated by the Pune Municipal Corporation in July for spearheading a drugs de-addiction movement and promoting vegeta-rianism for over 40 years. Also adjudged ‘Vegetarian of the Year at the Jain Convention of 1998 in Philadelphia (USA) for his contribution to the cause of human welfare and non-violence, these are just two of the numerous awards that crowd his mantlepiece.A postgraduate of Punes B.J. Medical College where he won a gold medal and 23 of the 27 merit prizes in various disciplines, over the past four decades Dr. Gangwal has acquired an excellent reputation as a medical practitioner specialising in general medicine, and is a visiting consultant at several prestigious institutions such as the KEM Hospital, Poona Hospital and the Sassoon General Hospital. The medical profession apart, Dr. Gangwal is also the founder of Sarva Jeev Mangal Pratishthan (SJMP), an NGO he promoted in 1985 to propagate vegetarianism and highlight the ill-effects of tobacco and alcohol upon students and young working people.
Dr. Gangwal has spent a major portion of his working life researching addiction, concluding that government agencies and tobacco and alcohol companies are complicit in encouraging youth to take to smoking and drinking. Its difficult for young people to resist, because cigarettes and alcohol are advertised as lifestyle products. The message that you have ‘arrived if you can afford to smoke and drink the best cigarettes and liquor brands has been lodged in the collective sub-conscious of Indias youth, says this committed social reformer.
Dr. Gangwal is equally passionate about promoting vegetarianism, which he does through lectures, camps, slide-shows, and awareness sessions in education institutions. While in the US, 30 million people have converted to vegetarianism in the past decade, we seem to have no compunctions about advocating non-vegetarianism although its proven unhealthy. All the vital fibres are available in fruits and vegetables. The human body needs no supplements. Flesh is rich in proteins, but contains toxins as well, he argues.
The outcome of his activism has been a sustained campaign for animal rights, which has resulted in the closure of a number of abattoirs in the country. A ban on abusive substances and cruelty to animals is only a first step. It needs to be supported by sustained education campaigns and awareness programmes. Substance abuse and disregard of animal rights are the conspicuous lacunae of Indian education which I am determined to oppose privately and publicly, says Dr. Gangwal.
Power to your elbow!
Huned Contractor (Pune)