Author: Ruchika Chitrabhanu

About Author

By profession, Ruchika is an interior designer. She has designed several upscale homes, restaurants, and retail spaces that have won numerous awards. Her other interests include art, painting, and learning about the history of art. She pursued her Masters in Indian and Western Philosophy and is an ardent believer in Ahimsa.

Born and raised in a Jain family where compassion is a way of life, she learned early on to constantly think of the well-being of all living beings. Her close association with leading spiritual saints further strengthened her belief that compassion is the basis of all religions. For her, Jainism is not only a religion but a way life

Gurudev Chitrabhanu has had a tremendous influence on her life since a young age; he was a father-figure, mentor, and guru for Ruchika. Living with him and watching him closely (he was her father in law) for almost two decades, inspired her to go vegan. Having been a vegan for 13 years now, she sees a transformation in her everyday life.

Ruchika spreads the benefits of veganism and the unbelievable cruelty in the animal industry to produce various animal products such as meat, eggs, dairy, honey, wool, leather, etc.

She is a co-founder of Ahimsafest, the largest vegan festival in India, which aims to spread awareness about animal cruelty, health, and the environment. She continues to conduct online events to spread awareness and guide people to make the transition in their life. Over the years she has helped many people adopt a cruelty-free lifestyle. Her hobbies include art, design and reading Indian and world philosophy.

JAINA Convention 2023 August, 2023 by Ruchika Chitrabhanu

JAINA, an acronym for the Federation of Jain Association in North America, was established in 1981 due to the efforts of visionary leaders like Gurudev Chitrabhanuji and Sushil Muniji. Gurudev Chitrabhanu, who arrived in the USA in 1970 with the aim of spreading Bhagwan Mahavir's message of non-violence (Ahimsa), resonated with Westerners, attracting them to the philosophy of universal friendship and reverence for all life. In those days adhering to a seemingly straightforward principle like vegetarianism in America presented its challenges. For Jains this was compounded by the absence of centers, temples, or communal spaces. Jains struggled to assemble and form a community. The founders’ vision was to create JAINA as a platform that stands as a solitary federation uniting Jains across various sects and sub sects, with focus only on Bhagwan Mahavir’s teachings.

Forgiveness Empowering Yourself January, 2023 by Ruchika Chitrabhanu

All living beings strive to be happy. But human relationships can be complex. We face distress situations which can consume us mentally and physically, especially if the incident involves being hurt by someone we love or trust.

Jain Darshan – An All Embracing Way of Life August, 2020 by Ruchika Chitrabhanu

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to learn the Jain philosophy from a young age. If Jainism has to be summed up in one word, it would be Ahimsa.