What happens when veganism clashes with your hobbies?
What happens when veganism clashes with your hobbies?
This article is by Vishal Shah. He has been learning to play the Tabla for some time now but after going vegan, he struggled with the fact that he was using an instrument that is the result of an animal being killed and stripped of its skin.
Vishal is introduced to veganism
I was first introduced to veganism in 2011 / 2012 when I saw a video that the Jain Vegans circulated. It was about animal cruelty in the dairy industry. After being awestruck by what I saw, I immediately made a conscious decision to reduce my dairy intake and virtually became vegan overnight. For the years that followed I may have had dairy in biscuits or cakes but did not drink cow’s milk and used vegan milk substitutes in tea/coffee. I decided to become completely vegan in October 2016. After that, being vegan was no longer limited to being about the food I consumed. It became a lifestyle choice. I started looking for vegan clothes, shoes, wallets, belts and so on.
Playing a non-vegan instrument
I have been learning and playing the Tabla (an Indian percussion instrument) since April 2017. The traditional conventional Tabla uses many animal products. One example of this is the drum head, which uses skin from goats and camels.
I started feeling uncomfortable using an instrument derived from animal and began having thoughts like “why am I vegan but have pleasure in playing an instrument that uses animal products”.
Finding a vegan alternative
In November 2017 a post appeared on my Facebook feed, which was advertising a company called Karunya Musicals. The advert was about vegan Tabla! I immediately started learning more about his range of vegan instruments and began a dialogue with the founder, Dr K. Varadarangan. There is a great deal of information on the website, ranging from why he created vegan Tabla, to the differences between traditional and vegan Tabla.
Dr K. Varadarangan’s motivation for creating the synthetic Tabla revolved around the elimination of animal products in the instruments, and the need to avoid cutting trees. The shells of traditional Tabla are made out of wood.
When I contacted Dr K. Varadarangan, the product had just gone to production and hadn’t yet been released formally. Over the coming weeks, we exchanged numerous emails. I got to see photos of the Tabla and hear audio tracks of how they sound.
Here are a few of the things I learned about this wonderful creation:
the drum heads are made of polyester film
the Syahi (black spot on both drum heads) is made of synthetic rubber
the Tabla comes in two models - one that can be tuned from C-D and the other that can be tuned from D-E
Making a commitment
I ordered the Tabla in June 2018 and they were here within days! I was excited when it arrived and after playing them for the first time, I was really glad that I had ordered them.
Here, you can hear audio clips of them. Look out for the clips that say SRI Tabla.
Taking my vegan Tabla to my music class
I took my new Tabla to my music class in July 2018, and it was clear that the students and teachers were impressed and fascinated.
I have been using the Tabla ever since and I’m happy to share that I sat my exams since using them and have performed in internal concerts at the school where I am learning.
Before, as well as after, purchasing the Tabla, I had several conversations with Heena. She helped me gain clarity around questions that I had about what others would think of the Tabla, the difference in sound between the traditional and vegan Tabla, my motivation for looking into them and so on.
I came to the conclusion that I had made the right decision. I would no longer be living a duality in terms of living a vegan lifestyle and playing an instrument which went against my beliefs. I am grateful to both Heena and Dr. K Varadarangan for their input and guidance.
Hot off the press!
Recently Dr Varadarangan informed me that he has introduced a new version of Tabla head which has a much larger sustain and better tonal quality. There will also be two new Tabla models - one covering the higher octave in the range of F-G and the other in the middle octave range of G-B have.
“When I turned vegan, I didn’t feel that way about every animal around. I’ve noticed it’s something that changes naturally. Nowadays I vacuum around a spider, catch flies to release them outside and let silverfish go about their business; a whole new world, a whole new-found mental peace.”