SHARAN

From the desk of Dr Nandita Shah

It’s that time of year when one has to take stock of what has been done, and what needs to be done in 2018.

2017 was a phenomenal year for SHARAN. This is all thanks to YOU.

Every person that actually makes the switch to a whole plant-based diet, benefits and becomes an ambassador of change for so many others. Although our numbers are exponentially increasing, so are lifestyle diseases, notably hormonal disorders and cancers. We have a lot of work ahead of us, so 2018 promises to be very busy.

We are going to be doing seminars in two new places –  Kolkata and  Kochi. Although we have built up Mumbai substantially, and Dubai and Bangalore as well, we still have a lot of work to do in other places. We will also begin working on a future residential centre, so that our retreats and trainings can go on continuously. We also need to expand our reach in Indian languages.

I thank you for being a part of our vision, and helping us grow. We couldn’t have done it without you! I wish you a very happy and healthy 2018

Highlights of 2017

We started the year with a bang! SHARAN was part of a corporate retreat for Aditya Birla group in Mahabaleshwar in January 2017, and our work was very much appreciated by the organisation and the attendees.

Mudit and Malti Jain hosted a wonderful vegan party for their friends and invited us to do a short talk there.

Dr Nandita Shah received the Nari Shakti Purskar, the highest award for women in India from the President of India in March 2017 for her pioneering work in reversing diseases through food.

We opened a second office and SHARAN Centre in Mumbai in June 2017. Here we have an administrative office, a consulting room, a kitchen cum program room. This centre really gave us a boost as it is a place where we can all work together.

Reyna Rupani conducted a training for the 6 Week Weight Loss Program. This program has been very successful because it offers support to participants throughout the six weeks to make changes and get the results. We definitely want to increase the availability of this program.

We launched a 21-day Online Diabetes Reversal Program in June 2017. This is an online program with three coaches – Dr Nandita Shah, Nandini Gulati and Nithya Shanti, to cover the body, mind, and spiritual aspects of disease reversal. This program is truly holistic, and a great way for people who are unable to come to a 21-Day Health Retreat, to get similar benefits at home.

We had another 21-Day Health Retreat at the beautiful Swaswara in June 2017, and as with all our retreats, we had amazing participants and extremely high results. Even though it’s hard to believe that it’s possible, each year our retreats get better and better! Many people have said that this is truly the best holiday they’ve had in their lives because while they are enjoying themselves and making new friends they are also getting healthier!

We held several dinners and lunches – with our film screenings and for festive occasions. Our Healthy Festive Onam dinner was such a success that we had to do a second one!

In Mumbai, Our Juhu Organic Farmers Market completed one year and we launched several new farmers markets this year. This is all been due to the hard work of Capt Joseph Pinto, who left his career as a pilot, to spread the message of ecologically sustainable lifestyles. He has been supported tremendously by the SHARAN Mumbai team. We have also started Organic Farm Visits in Mumbai to help people connect better to where their food comes from.

Nidhi Nahata, who attended SHARAN’s 21-Day Health Retreat in 2016 was so inspired that she opened the JustBe Café in Bangalore where she serves food according to SHARAN’s guidelines. The food is delicious, and healthy. Her head chef is so pleased that he is working in a restaurant that serves food that he can be proud of serving! She’s been able to reach out to many people through her talks, cooking classes, kitty parties, and other events at JustBe. She continues to inspire many people to a plant-based diet.

We hosted Dr Will Tuttle along with other groups in four different cities in India – Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Delhi in Oct & Nov 2017. Dr Will Tuttle, author of the World Peace Diet, originally from the USA, was on a tour of Europe, India, and China to spread the teachings of the World Peace Diet through music art and talks.

We had the first Retreat for all SHARAN Team members in November 2017. This was very special because we have people working hard in all parts of India, and we have two offices in Mumbai and Auroville. Although we are working together we often don’t meet each other. It was so much fun to have many of us together just to relax and enjoy each other’s company. Dr Will Tuttle & Madeleine also joined us there together with Shankar Narayan and Philip Nicozisis, for one day and we enjoyed a private session with them. This was very inspiring for all of us.

Dr Nandita Shah’s book, Reversing Diabetes in 21 Days, published by Penguin-Random House was launched on World Diabetes Day, November 14, 2017. This will help us fulfil our vision of a diabetes free India because all the information required to reverse diabetes is in this book and is available to anyone at a very reasonable price. This book has been on the Amazon bestseller list for quite a while now, so we hope it will make an impact.

In Dubai we were firmly rooted thanks to the work of Surekha Sadana who attended our 21 day program in September 2016. Surekha has been conducting cooking classes as well as providing WhatsApp support there. Other team members in Dubai are also doing events there, so our presence in Dubai is growing.

We were part of the fabulous 18-day Ahimsa Fest in Mumbai. In this festival various organisations and individuals took part to spread ahimsa throughout Mumbai. SHARAN was part of the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony, and many events during the 18 days.

Two Consultation Training Programs for medical doctors and nutritionists were conducted in January and Dec 2017 with the goal of spreading health to even more people. Some of these doctors and nutritionists will be working with us, and others will be working independently to spread plant-based nutrition, and help even more people become free of disease and medicines through plant based nutrition.

We published a new Recipe Book with pictures, and the new edition of our SHARAN Health book. This was done by teamwork of SHARAN members in Mumbai. Several new volunteers and team members have joined in us in 2017.

We launched individualised, personalised cooking classes in Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi and Dubai this year and we also launched Healthy Kitty Parties in Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Dubai. (Ask us if you need this!)

It would have been impossible  to end without a mention to our amazing backend administrative team in Auroville and Mumbai who have taken on more responsibilities to support all our growth!

FACEBOOK SUPPORT GROUP

If you love Facebook, then join us to be supported on your plant based journey. We offer 3 possibilities from 1st Jan 2016.

1. SHARAN India This is SHARAN’s main Facebook page which you can like and follow for getting useful daily updates and news from the plant based health world. You will also get news about the latest SHARAN events, see testimonials, and more.

2. SHARAN’s Vegan Support Group This is an open support group to know more about vegan/plant-based lifestyle. Here you can ask questions and share inspiring stories, tips, recipes, etc.

3. SHARAN’s Plant Powered Health This is the new group only for the past attendees of SHARAN’s events: seminars, cooking classes, retreats or longer programs.

All our doctors and presenters will be here to answer your questions and give you tips. If you have attended our events join this group to be a part of our family.

Please like the main SHARAN page and join the group(s) applicable to you.

This newsletter was compiled by SHARAN Associate Reyna K Rupani, who is based in Mumbai. She facilitates the Six Weeks to Health & Weight loss program and also conducts Health talks for schools, groups, corporates and more. Find out how she has benefited in so many ways by going on a whole plant-based diet here…