A person may quite easily undergo several
dikshas during his or her lifetime. TANTRIC prac-
titioners, for instance, will almost always have an
initiation after leaving their original traditions and
a second one when entering a tantric circle.
Further reading: Sanjukta Gupta, Dirk Jan Hoens, and
Teun Goudriaan, Hindu Tantrism (Leiden: Brill, 1979);
Brian K. Smith, “Ritual, Knowledge and Being: Initia-
tion and Veda Study in Ancient India,” Numen 33, no.
1 (1986): 65–89.
Dinshah, H. Jay (1933–2000) leader in
vegetarian movement in United States
H. Jay Dinshah was an American proponent of
the vegan diet. He buttressed his arguments with
Hindu concepts of nonviolence and respect for
animals.
H. Jay Dinshah was born in Malaga, New Jersey,
on November 2, 1933, and raised as a lactovegetar-
ian by his parents, Irene Grace Hoger Dinshah and
Dinshah P. Ghadiali, an Indian who immigrated
from Bombay (Mumbai) to the United States in
- Ghadiali was a scientist and health educator
and an early advocate of the vegetarian lifestyle.
He educated his son on the value of a vegetarian
diet from the time he was a small child. The boy
was home-schooled by both parents.
When Dinshah was 23, out of curiosity, he
visited a slaughterhouse on Front Street in Philadel-
phia. His wife, Freya Smith Dinshah, later recalled
that the experience changed his life forever. In 1956
Dinshah read the influential book Why Kill for Food?
by Geoffrey L. Rudd, published by the Vegetarian
Society in England. Dinshah became an advocate of
vegetarianism and sold copies of the book via clas-
sified ads. After reading literature from the Vegan
Society in England, Dinshah stopped consuming
dairy products and refused to wear leather. In 1957,
he became a vegan, restricting himself to fruits, veg-
etables, salads, legumes, and nuts.
Dinshah founded the American Vegan Society
in 1960 and served as its president for 40 years.
His efforts contributed to the steady growth of
veganism throughout North America. Individuals
seeking knowledge on veganism were welcome to
stay at his home as long as a month to learn the
ethics of veganism and ways to maintain a healthy
diet. In the mid-1970s, the society purchased
an office building in Malaga, New Jersey, and
expanded its services.
Dinshah rooted the American Vegan Society in
the doctrine of AHIMSA, a Sanskrit concept mean-
ing no killing, no injury, and no harm, which was
central to the work of both Mohandas Karam-
chand GANDHI and JAINISM. Dinshah did not view
veganism as a mere dietary choice, but rather as
an ethical responsibility to all living creatures. He
taught the principles of ahimsa through an ana-
gram: (1) abstinence from animal products; (2)
harmlessness with reverence for life; (3) integrity
of thought and deed; (4) mastery over oneself;
(5) service to humanity, nature, and creation; (6)
advancement of understanding and truth.
Dinshah was an accomplished orator and
writer. He gave lectures and talks around the
world on veganism and the mistreatment of
animals. In 1975 he helped organize the World
Vegetarian Congress at the University of Maine.
He authored and self-published several books
and was also chief editor of the American Vegan
Society’s periodical Ahimsa, which is now called
American Vegan. He died on June 8, 2000.Further reading: Freya Dinshah, The Vegan Kitchen
(Malaga, N.J.: American Vegan Society, 1987); Jay H.
Dinshah, Out of the Jungle (Malaga, N.J.: American
Vegan Society, 1968); ———, Song of India (Surrey,
England: Vegan Society, 1973); ———, Steps in Vege-
tarianism (Malaga, N.J.: American Vegan Society, 1993);
William Harris and Freya Dinshah, Veganism: Getting
Started (Malaga, N.J.: American Vegan Society, 1998).Divali (Dipavali)
Divali may be the most popular Indian festival.
Unlike some other festivals, such as RAM LILA, itDivali 135 J