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FG is Charlie - August-September 2015
1
FRIENDS’ GAZETTE
A PIONEERING French chef is determined to single-
handedly bring his country up-to-date with the vegan
and vegetarian world in what could be termed a
culinary revolution.
The country is currently noted for its lack of vegan
and vegetarian fare in restaurants, supermarkets and
even the local epicerie.
Now Christophe Bolis is set on a course to change
all that by serving up scrumptious veggie meals in his
restaurant in the south of France.
And so proud is he of his masterful cuisine that he is
prepared to teach his unique technique to budding
English chefs keen to bring a touch of haute cuisine to
their busy kitchens and tables.
Said Christophe: “I am proud to embrace vegan and
vegetarian cooking and give it a French flavour.
“There are so many French meals which are already
almost vegetarian or vegan and with just a little twist
can be changed without losing any of their original
flavour, colour or attraction.”
For vegetarians and vegans, eating out in France,
apart from one or two Parisian exceptions, can be an
absolute nightmare. There’s the ubiquitous ‘salade de
chevre chaud’ (warm goats cheese salad) or ‘assiette
vegetarien’ (vegetarian dish) but apart from that
vegetarian and vegan meals are ‘nul part etre trouve’.
Instead they are quite often ready-served meals
from which the meat has obviously only just been
removed or where a greasy burger has been hastily
substituted with a lump of cheese.
Yet the country, renowned world-wide for its haute
cuisine, has so much to offer. Vegetables and fruit
grown locally have a taste and succulent texture pretty
much impossible to find in northern Europe and
organic farming, known there as ‘bio’, is supported by
the government and is becoming more and more
common.
Said Christophe: “For me it is a challenge to come
up with delicious and tempting meals or ‘repas’ to suit
the vegetarian or vegan palate. See p 8
Your articles look at moral reasons for beingvegetarian or vegan which is a veryinteresting mix and unique . . .
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 - ISSN 2053-4426 London and Avignon - e-mail: friendsgazette@gmail.com -
Tim Barford - founder VegFestUK
PIONEERINGCHEF STIRS UP2ND FRENCHREVOLUTION
WHATBEING AVEGANMEANSTO ME
VegfestUK founderand dedicated
vegan, Tim Barford,writes exclusively
for Friends’ Gazette
See page 4
Special report by Stephen WardChristophe Bolis
FG is Charlie - August-September 2015
1
A RIGHT PAIR
FG BOSSES have accepted an
invitation from VegfestUK to become a
festival media partner.
The surprise invitation came early this
month (August) in an email from
VEGFESTUK organiser and a top
manager, Alan Lee.
FG is a regular attendee at the
festivals in London, Bristol and Brighton.
Editor Steve Ward has even chanced
his arm giving popular cooking demos
at Bristol and London.
Asked why he had invited Friends'
Gazette to attend VegfestUK founder
Tim Barford said: "We wanted to keep
working with some of our grass roots
and national people."
In an email to editor Steve award,
VegfestUK's Alan Lee said: "Would you
like to be our media partner for each of
our upcoming London, Scotland and
Brighton shows?"
The London and Brighton events are
annual attractions drawing tens of
thousands of vegan and vegan friendly
visitors, but the Scottish one, in
Glasgow is a first-ever.
Barford added: "[Glasgow] is a first
year show and we are used to first year
shows."
Editor Ward said: "We're proud to be
a media partner of, what is arguably, the
best vegan and veggie extravaganza of
all time. We make a very good pair.
"I'm not in the least bit surprised that
Tim Barford's pioneering spirit is now
taking him north of the border.
"He's not a man who rests on his
laurels and the veggie and vegan
universe would be much the worse off
without him."
FG will be at stand VA6 on level
three. French chef Christophe Bolis will
be a special guest at the stand and is
set to give a vegan cooking
demonstration on Sunday at 3pm.
Helpful representatives will be on
hand to meet readers old and new for a
chat.
FG agrees to back top veggie event inLondon, Glasgow and next year in Brighton.
Hungry for info - a curious journalist quizes workers about the mag (click to view)
4
DON’T WANNA sniff your friend’s smelly armpit in the
queue for VegFestUK at London Olympia, then
Friends’ Gazette can help. We are offering six, yes
SIX, free entries to one of London’s leading vegan
extravaganzas on October 10 and 11.
After two hugely successful events in the west hall
of Olympia with around 10,000 visitors in each of
2013 and 2014, Europe's premier vegan festivals
VegfestUK return to arguably one of the nation’s best
venues this year in the central hall (levels 1 and 3).
VegfestUK holds masses of appeal not only to
committed vegans, veggies, meat reducers and
health seekers but also people just looking for a top
day out; stuffed with sumptuous cuisines.
There are stacks of cookery demos and living raw
food demos to kick start your vegan journey, as well
as dozens of talks on vegan living, a bodybuilding
contest, comedy hours and music.
To win simply answer this question: What is the
venue for this year’s VegFestUK London? Is it the
O2, the Albert Hall or London Olympia? Send your
answer, saying which day you prefer, to us at
friendsgazette@gmail.com The first six correct
entries out of the hat will win one ticket each. The
editor’s decision is final. Closes: September 14.
Additional reporting by Alan Lee
WIN FREETICKETS TOVEGFESTUK
ADVERTISING BOOST FORFRIENDS’ GAZETTE
FRIENDS’ GAZETTE is on the hunt for
an advertising supremo.
As the magazine’s commercial base
expands a professional is being sought
to take advertising content to the next
level.
Interviews will take place the day
after the VegFestUK London show, on
Monday, 12 October at the nearby
Hilton Olympia hotel in Kensington
High Street.
Said publisher Steve Ward: “We are
looking for the right person and believe
they are out there. A background in ad
sales is essential as well as the ability
to manage a small team.”
FG is Charlie - August-September 2015
3
‘SHAMEFUL SILENCE’
OVER MIGRANT CRISISA LONDON parish priest yesterday
challenged the UK government and
British politicians to break their
silence over the refugee crisis
sweeping Europe.
The confrontation came in a
'homily' by Canon Pat Browne at
the Holy Apostles church in Pimlico,
London on Sunday, August 30.
Canon Browne told the
congregation: "This week some
Syrian refugees wrote love letters to
Angela Merkel. Why? Because she
has overturned the Dublin
agreement which says asylum
seekers have to apply for asylum in
the first country at which they
arrive. This is courageous of her
and brave and these Syrian
refugees are grateful.
"Is there any politician in this
country of any party who might be
deserving of such a love letter from
a person fleeing persecution. I
cannot think of even one. There is a
shameful silence in this country."
So far this year approximately
200,000 migrants from Syria, the
Middle East and Africa have
attempted to cross into Europe by
road or across the Mediterranean
many dying in the attempt.
A lorry was recently found
abandoned on an Austrian
motorway containing the bodies of
around 50 refugees who had
perished from suffocation.
According to a report in the
Independent Catholic News the
canon went on to say: "We are the
United Kingdom! All of us
contributing to this society in our
own way - our skills, our values, our
decency and our taxes. And those
who are fleeing persecution and
torture and yes, some poverty also,
are similar."
European Commission officials
told CNN recently. "Migration is not
a popular or pretty topic. It is easy
to cry in front of your TV set when
witnessing these tragedies. It is
harder to stand up and take
responsibility.
“What we need now is the
collective courage to follow through
with concrete action on words that
will otherwise ring empty."
SALES MANAGERw a n t e d
Can you sell?Are you friendly?Can you think out-the-box?Then you may be just the person we are looking for.
Friends’ Gazette is seeking a consummate
professional to build up and manage its advertising
sales department.
Salary negotiable with good commission.
Experience essential, preferably with contacts in
the vegan/vegetarian world. Send CV with covering
letter to friendsgazette@gmail.com
First round interviews will be held on Monday, 12
October at the Olympia Hilton, Kensington High Street,
round the corner from the exhibition centre.
Syrian and Afghan migrants arriving on the Greek island of Kos recently.
PIC
CO
UR
TES
Y R
EU
TER
S
FG is Charlie - August-September 2015
4
ON THE CREST OF A WAVEFounded by Tim Barford VegFestUK aims to showcase the very best of a vegan
lifestyle. It first saw the light of day in Bristol in 2003 under the name Bristol
Vegan Fayre. The Brighton event began in 2009, and since 2010 has taken place
annually. The 2013 show attracted an all-time record of 7,200 visitors over two
days. The London show started in October 2013. It takes place annually in
Kensington Olympia and regularly draws 10,000+. In December for the first time
VegFest goes to Glasgow. All food and drinks must be suitable for vegans.
It’s quite heart-warming to see so much positive media coverage about
the vegan lifestyle. Everyone from Miley Cyrus to Beyoncé to J-Lo
seems to have gone vegan and with Ricky Gervais hunting down the
hunters, and with a mass outcry over the
shooting of Cecil the Lion, you would be
forgiven if you thought we were on the crest
of everyone changing their diets.
But it’s not quite like that.
Although it’s a great thing that so many
celebrities are going vegan all of a sudden and standing up for animal
rights, let’s not forget that doing so means a lot more than a simple diet
change. Granted, most of us start our vegan journey by adjusting our
eating to exclude more and more animal product from the dinner table
until we eventually cut out all meat, fish,
milk, eggs and honey.
And it’s true that most of us get to the
vegan stage after going veggie and slowly
making these changes, although there
are some who go straight to the vegan
stage without a vegetarian transition.
But what does vegan actually mean? Is it more than just a diet? Is
it indeed more than just a lifestyle? The answer is a resounding
YES.
Vegan is not just a diet, or a lifestyle, it is a broad reaching
philosophical ethos that came out of the Second World War and
embraced a vision of true lasting and far reaching peace for all living
beings on the planet.
Going vegan means excluding animal products from your diet. And it
means excluding them from what you wear and what you put on your skin,
what you use to wash with, wash your clothes with, indeed it means the
exclusion of ALL animal products from your lifestyle.
But it goes further than that too. It’s about justice. Justice for every
living being – including humans. It’s an ethos that excludes
racism, xenophobia, sexism, homophobia, violence, retribution
and any other injustice of rights, be they human or animal rights. Going
vegan means finding true peace within.
Many of these issues will be debated at our People’s Vegan Activists
Summit this October at VegfestUK London, including debates about
whether so called vegan celebrities are that helpful, whether single issue
campaigns are an effective form of
Tim Barford, VegFestUK founder and manager writes exclusively for Friends’ Gazette
See us atVegFestUK
LondonOct 10/11
See youat LondonVegFest
Most of us get to the veganstage after going veggie
It’s about justice, justicefor every living being
Continued on page 12
FG is Charlie - August-September 2015
6
FRIE
ND
LY F
EED
BACK Dear Stephen,
I thought this article would be of interest - taken
from the book “What Vets Don’t Tell You”, a book
that can be downloaded from “What Doctors
Don’t Tell You.”
All the best,
Lorna
Cats’ nutrition is very different
from dogs - not so much in
what they need, but how they
get what they need. That’s
because cat metabolism and
chemistry are different from
those of dogs - they process
food in a way that is unique
to cats.
Although both dogs and
cats are natural predators - and therefore meat-
eaters - dog digestion has evolved to accept all
types of food. Thus, the dog doesn’t need to kill
to sustain life, and if push comes to shove, a dog
can survive on plants alone.
In contrast, cats will die if they don’t eat meat.
This fact may be uncomfortable for vegetarian
cat owners, but cats are what are called ‘obligate
carnivores’. In order to survive, they must eat the
flesh of other animals.
Although their basic nutritional requirements
are fairly similar to those of dogs (and humans),
cats find it difficult to process plant materials.
This forces them to get their nutrients by stealing
them from other animals that are able to derive
nourishment from plants.
For example, of all the vitamins, the cat can
only make vitamin C, and it must
obtain the rest of its vitamin
intake directly from other
animals.
Equally vital to cat health are
some of the amino acids. Two
amino acids that are especially
important are arginine and
taurine; dogs can make their
own, but not cats.
Both these amino acids are
important in protein metabolism.
Arginine helps eliminate the waste products of
protein - a vital housekeeping task. If arginine is
missing from the diet for just 24 hours, cats can
go into a coma and die. Fortunately, this is a rare
event, as meat contains lots of arginine.
CORRECTION
In the June/July 2015 edition of Friends' Gazette
we reported on page 7 that donations could be
made to the website adoptaveggiedog.com
This site does not accept donations.
We apologise for our error.
Think we’ve got it wrong or just want to sound off about something. Feel free! Write to friendsgazette@gmail.com
A dog can survive on plantsalone . . . WHAT VETS DON’T TELL YOU
COOKING DEMONSTRATIONTop French chef
Christophe Bolis
will be sharing his culinary skills with
you at the VegFestUK 2015 London
on Sunday, 11th August at 3pm
book your seat at stand VA6 (level 3)
places are limited
FG is Charlie - August-September 2015
7
‘INSPIRING’ FG WINS PRAISE
“I can’t remember the last thing I won . . . “
That was the reaction from FG reader Rebecca
Hurst who scooped the prize in our exclusive
fashion competition.
Now she’ll be heading off to the Vintage
Fashion Fair in Hammersmith thanks to Friends’
Gazette - and her lucky streak!
She said: “I wouldn’t say I’m naturally lucky. I
can’t remember the last thing I won.
“I signed up for the Friends’ Gazette at
VegFest London last year.
“I had recently cut out
meat at the time, but
have now been a vegan
since January.
“I read it when I can.
I find the stories
interesting and
inspiring.”
Editor Steve Ward
said: “We run regular
competitions for our
readers. We choose
prizes carefully to suit
our readers’ tastes.
“These competitions have proved very
popular and we hope to run more and more in
the future. I would like to congratulate Rebecca
personally. I’m glad she now has a recent
memory of being a winner!”
The Vintage Fashion Fair is the brain child of
Paola Francia-Gardiner and Alberto Ricca.
Paola is the creative force and Alberto the
organisational supremo. An experienced
antique dealer, Paola used to buy, sell and wear
vintage fashion in the late 70s.
At that time, she got to know a lot of people
who were selling vintage clothes. “By the early
90s the market was almost dead - no one was
buying the clothes because the fashion scene
had moved on,” she says.
The dealers were complaining to her that they
had a lot of stock and did not know what to do
with it.
With an innovative approach she decided in
1999 to organise a fair
that incorporated not
just vintage clothes
but also accessories
and textiles.
And it was indeed
Paola who first coined
the term "vintage
fashion" that is now
widely used.
Described by many
as "the Rolls Royce of
the vintage fashion
fairs", this event takes place approximately
every five to six weeks.
For the past 19 years the pair, known as P &
A Antiques, have been organising specialist
events and for the past 12 years have been
based at the magnificent large hall at
Hammersmith town hall, putting together around
nine vintage fashion fairs a year as well as other
fairs dedicated to antique textiles, tribal art and
decorative antiques.
Nigel signs up for
latest adventure
WHAT have the late Beatle, George
Harrison and author and film maker Nigel
Lesmoir-Gordon, once described as ‘one
of the grooviest men in the London of the
late 60s’, got in common?
Answer: the jacket Nigel is wearing
pictured above and in colour on p12.
The garment featured in a documentary
about the music and fashion of the
swingin’ 60s called ‘Oh You Pretty
Things’ screened on BBC 4 last year.
Described as the epitome of early
psychedelic style it uses William Morris’s
Golden Lily print, and was reputedly worn
by Beatle, George Harrison. It is no
stranger to the glare of studio lights.
It appeared on BBC2’s Style Genius
series and has
featured on a Royal
Mail stamp (left) and
as part of the Queen’s
diamond jubilee bash.
cont. p12
I read it when I can. I findthe stories interesting and
inspiring Rebecca Hurst
Splendour in thegrass - NigelLesmoir-Gordon
FG is Charlie - August-September 2015
1
“There is one strict vegan customer
who lives not far away who comes in
regularly. I make sure she is not
burdened with a warm salade de chevre
chaud or assiette vegetarien which
frankly are not very inviting, especially
when that’s all you’ve got.
“France is behind the rest of Europe
and the world, I think, because there are
not many vegetarians or vegans living
here. So it’s a bit like the chicken and
the egg. If there is no demand then no
one provides vegetarian meals.”
Vegan members of a nearby yoga
club were treated to Christophe’s
culinary skills recently (see picture)
when they tucked into a starter of slivers
of courgette and carrot delicately
marinated in a vinaigrette, followed by
saffron tofu in an almond cream sauce,
garnished with exotic green shoots all
topped off with a tangy vegan sorbet for
dessert at his restaurant the Cafe de
France in Caderousse in the Vaucluse.
Writing in her blog Rosa Jackson who
lives in Nice and whose young son Sam
recently became veggie, explains what
happened when she tried to explain the
situation at his school: “I went to see
the économe, the woman in charge of
collecting money for the canteen, and
explained the "problem." She gave me a
sympathetic yet puzzled look.
“‘Vegetarianism is not a recognised
diet in France,’ she said. ‘We'll have to
put everything on the plate even if he
doesn't eat it.’ Thus, my son who doesn't
want animals to die for his sake, still gets
served meat or fish every day at school
and has to eat around it.”
Christophe will be giving a demonstra-
tion of his skills at VegFestUK Olympia on
Sunday, October 11 at 3pm. Register to
attend at the Friends’ Gazette stand, VA6
on level three. Places are limited.
PIONEERING CHEF . . . from front page
Yoga club members enjoy their annual dinner al fresco at the Cafe de France
A one-stop bike shop, where you can
get your bike repaired, look over new
models and get professional advice on
the sport, all over a cup of coffee has
opened in Newcastle in the north of
England.
‘The Journey’ on Higham Place was
opened by Robert Goodwill MP under-
secretary of state for transport, recently.
The city held annual cycling Sunday’s
in the ’20s where the whole village,
almost, got on their bikes and rode
through the town centre and on into the
surrounding northern countryside.
ON YER BIKE!
CHICKPEA BURGERSAdapted from a Gillian McKeith recipe
Makes 20 – serves four (they’re small)
Set oven at gas mark 7, or 425F or 220C
Grease a baking tray.
INGREDIENTSone carrot chopped finely
one small onion chopped finely
one tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
one tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
two peeled, crushed garlic cloves
50g sunflower seeds
Vegetable bouillon powder (Marigold): 1 heaped
tablespoon
gram flour - two heaped dessertspoons
two tablespoons tahini, drained of excess oil,
OR one tablespoon olive oil
herbs: large handful fresh corriander or heaped
teaspoon dried herbs
METHODChop the carrot and onion in a food processor
then add all other ingredients and whizz for 10
seconds, scrape down, whizz again so it is still
'bitty'.
Arrange 20 balls on greased baking tray and
press down lightly with a fork.
Cook shelf above centre for 23 minutes.
Freeze
CRITICISED FOR being shy and retiring Radha
Soami Satsang Beas leader Gurinder Singh
was anything but at a UK meeting recently.
Scotching possible notions of elitism or
exclusivity he told a crowd of thousands from
across the UK, Europe and America that he had
never said that his path was the "only" or "best" way.
And he defended one of the group's tenets, a
lacto-veggie diet, claiming that milk from cows
was a "good source of calcium".
When asked if he had recovered his health
after a recent cancer scare he quickly retorted:
"How do I look?"
The comments came in August at a relaxed
and often jovial question and answer session at
Haynes Park, Bedfordshire, one of the groups
many international centers.
Headquartered in the Punjab in India group
members follow a programme of daily
meditation, a strict lacto-vegetarian diet, a moral
lifestyle and abstain from drugs and alcohol.
Numbering among its adherents mostly
amongst Sikhs in India and the Sikh diaspora are
thousands of westerners and growing numbers of
eastern Europeans.
High profile members include Bollywood star
Shahid Kapoor whose recent glamorous wedding
was reportedly attended by Singh.
An official investigation by health and safety
officials is currently ongoing into the death in April
last year of a volunteer working at the
Bedfordshire centre. See Friendly Comment p12
‘I HAVE NEVER SAID THIS IS THE BEST
OR ONLY PATH’ GURU TELLS CROWD
Showcase your product
in front of hundreds
A HIGH-PROFILE cooking demonstration is set to
take the crowds by storm and you can be part of
the event.
Christophe Bolis will be hotfooting it from the
heart of the south of France to give his vegan
cuisine demonstration at the VegFestUK event in
London’s Olympia on October 10 and 11.
Christophe has not yet finalised his programme
so is open to ideas for ingredients from UK
suppliers.
Anything from fresh produce to pastes and
sauces, all strictly vegan, could be on the menu.
Both sweet and savoury items could be just the
thing he is looking for.
If selected the product will be used and its
producer mentioned during his hour-long
demonstration on Sunday 11.
To find out more simply email Friends’ Gazette
in the first instance. All suggestions will be dealt
with individually and if considered suitable a
sponsorship package will be sent out.
The Bedfordshire centre
9
FG is Charlie - August-September 2015
1
THE MAHATMA AND THE
LONDON VEG SOCIETYMahatma Gandhi’s non-violent revolution helped kick the British out of India. Asa law student in London in 1891 aged just 18 he was a committee member of theLVS. He was invited back to speak in 1931. India won her independence in 1947.
OBSERVING ALONG these lines, I saw that a
man should eat sparingly and now and then
fast.
No man or woman really ate sparingly or con-
sumed just that quantity which the body re-
quires and no more.
We easily fall prey to the temptations of the
palate, and therefore when a thing tastes deli-
cious we do not mind taking a morsel or two
more. But you cannot keep health under those
circumstances. Therefore I discovered that in
order to keep health, no matter what you ate, it
was necessary to cut down the quantity of your
food, and reduce the number of meals.
Become moderate; err on the side of less,
rather than on the side of more.
When I invite friends to share their meals with
me I never press them to take anything except
only what they require.
On the contrary, I tell them not to take a thing
if they do not want it.
What I want to bring to your notice is that
vegetarians need to be tolerant if they want to
convert others to vegetarianism.
Adopt a little humility.
We should appeal to the moral sense of the
people who do not see eye to eye with us. The youngGandhi
Final instalmentcontinued fromlast month . . .
Continued on the page immediately following
FG is Charlie - August-September 2015
11
I WOULD GIVE UP MILK IF
I COULD, BUT I CANNOTIf a vegetarian became ill, and a doctor pre-
scribed beef tea, then I would not call him a
vegetarian.
A vegetarian is made of sterner stuff. Why?
Because it is for the building of the spirit and
not of the body. Man is more than meat. It is
the spirit in man for which we are concerned.
Therefore vegetarians should have that mor-
al basis – that a man was not born a carnivo-
rous animal, but born to live on the fruits and
herbs that the earth grows.
I know we must all err. I would give up milk if
I could, but I cannot.
I have made that experiment times without
number. I could not, after a serious illness, re-
gain my strength, unless I went back to milk.
That has been the tragedy of my life. But the
basis of my vegetarianism is not physical, but
moral. If anybody said that I should die if I did
not take beef tea or mutton, even on medical
advice, I would prefer death. That is the basis
of my vegetarianism.
I would love to think that all of us who called
ourselves vegetarians should have that basis.
There were thousands of meat-eaters who
did not stay meat-eaters. There must be a defi-
nite reason for our making that change in our
lives, from our adopting habits and customs
different from society, even though sometimes
that change may offend those nearest and
dearest to us. Not for the world should you sac-
rifice a moral principle.
Therefore the only basis for having a vege-
tarian society and proclaiming a vegetarian
principle is, and must be, a moral one. I am not
to tell you, as I see and wander about the
world, that vegetarians, on the whole, enjoy
much better health than meat-eaters. I belong
to a country which is predominantly vegetarian
by habit or necessity.
Therefore I cannot testify that that shows
much greater endurance, much greater cour-
age, or much greater exemption from disease.
Because it is a peculiar, personal thing.
It requires obedience, and scrupulous obedi-
ence, to all the laws of hygiene.
Therefore, I think that what vegetarians
should do is not to emphasise the physical con-
sequences of vegetarianism, but to explore the
moral consequences.
While we have not yet forgotten that we
share many things in common with the beast,
we do not sufficiently realise there are certain
things which differentiate us from the beast. Of
course, we have vegetarians in the cow and
the bull - which are better vege-
tarians than we are - but there is
something much higher which
calls us to vegetarianism.
Therefore, I thought that, dur-
ing the few minutes which I give
myself the privilege of address-
ing you, I would just emphasise
the moral basis of vegetarian-
ism.
And I would say that I have
found from my own experience,
and the experience of thousands
of friends and companions, that
they find satisfaction, so far as
vegetarianism is concerned,
from the moral basis they have chosen for sus-
taining vegetarianism.
In conclusion, I thank you all for coming here
and allowing me to see vegetarians face to
face.
I cannot say I used to meet you forty or forty-
two years ago. I suppose the faces of the Lon-
don Vegetarian Society has changed.
There are very few members who, like Mr.
Salt, can claim association with the Society ex-
tending over forty years.
MahatmaGandhi
THE MAHATMA . . . from previous pageThe Mahatma asthe world came toknow him
HENRY SALT was a prominent member of the
London Vegetarian Society.
He was also a prodigious author, writing
nearly 40 books of which half consisted of his
critical studies and biographies and the other
half which cogently argued and urged for
some much needed humane reforms in
prisons, schools, in the economic
organisations of society at large and in the
treatment of animals.
His circle of friends included Ernest Bell,
George Bernard Shaw and Edward Carpenter.
He was born in India in 1851, a son of the
British Raj.
He wrote ‘Seventy Years Among Savages’
as part of an autobiography criticising English
life and customs from the humanitarian point
of view. For more on this amazing character
see next month’s FG.
SEVENTY YEARS AMONG SAVAGES
Henry Salt at his writing desk
FRIENDLY COMMENT
BURNING heretics at the stake or a centre for learning,
you pays your money and takes your choice when it
comes to visiting the Palais des Papes, the ancient
seat of Catholicism in Avignon, southern France.
But at a light spectacular, rivalling anything Disney
may have to offer, all versions of the magnificent seat
of western Christianity during the 14th century, come
vividly to life.
Director Bruno Seillier told FG: “I don’t want to erase
the building under artificial lights. On the contrary I
want the power of technology to bring it to life and to
have a dialogue with the audience.”
For just ten euros (kids under ten go free) the
audience is ushered into one of the palace’s inner
sanctums where on gigantic stone walls in full colour,
backed by a surround-sound melange of narration and
music, they experience the fascinating, sometimes
gory, history of the palace.
For more information go to:
http://www.lesluminessences-avignon.com/en/
For Eurostar direct from London St Pancras to
Avignon TGV or Gare Centre go to:
http://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/eurostar-
deals/eurostar-train-deals/france/trains-avignon
NIGEL SIGNS UP . . . cont. from p7
Nigel, a regular Friends’ Gazette contributor, will
be at a book launch for his novel ‘Life is Just...’ at
Manor Farm, Harston, Cambridge on Sunday 4th
October at 4.30pm. He will be giving a short talk
about the background to the novel, reading extracts
and signing paperback copies. The book, Nigel’s
latest work, is set in Cambridge in 1962 and is the
story of a ‘perfect family’s fall from grace and its
redemption’. It is published by Eventispress. Nigel is
continuing to seek funding for a film based on his
earlier novel ‘Nothing and Everywhere’. To view the
taster and an introduction from Nigel click here.
changing things and many other topics surrounding
the vegan ethos.
Vegan is the most far reaching ethos of the
twenty-first century and it’s important that it is not
thought of as merely a diet. For that is to lose the
very thing that makes veganism so special – it’s a
social justice movement with true liberation for all.
And it’s worth fighting for.
ON THE CREST OF A WAVE . . . cont. from p4
Nothing to fearAFTER TWO cancellations, a surprise
(somewhat eclipsing) visit to the USA
and the shadow of a pending
investigation into the death of a
volunteer, a visit from Radha Soami
Beas leader Gurinder Singh couldn't
have been more welcome.
On top form the leader of millions of
followers world wide showed a caring,
attentive and positively tender approach
to around ten thousand devotees at
Haynes Park, Bedfordshire in August.
Approximately two years ago the
group, arguably a Sikh off-shoot, was
thrown into disarray with the
announcement that Singh had throat
cancer.
Notably it took an announcement from
the man himself to reveal the truth to
tearful and traumatised believers; too
long obfuscated by over-diligent,
paranoid jobsworths.
And this time too it fell to an
undeterred Canadian disciple to enquire
as to his health.
The question was met with a confident
if slightly defensive "How do I look?"
from the guru.
But at least the elephant in the room
was sent firmly back to its cage, or
jungle - or wherever.
Why, then with such a courageous
approach were followers advised against
searching the internet for news of their
beloved leader?
True there are some vicious diatribes
out there!
Everything from doubts about the
belief system itself to bizarre watch
smuggling escapades.
But whether it's questions of
philosophy or playing fast and loose with
the "nothing to declare line" at Delhi
airport, surely these claims should be
treated with the contempt they deserve.
To counsel refraining from Google
searches in an age where 'to google' has
become part of the vernacular is surely
counter-productive.
Indeed such a request risks lending
this on-line drivel a veracity and curiosity
value it just doesn't deserve.
'Not looking' won't make it go away.
That's a forlorn hope.
Surely better give people the freedom
to see for themselves and make up their
own minds.
For, going by the discourse and
discussion under a cavernous tent in a
grassy field in a Bedfordshire village this
summer - complete with simultaneous
English translation - this inspirational
guru has nothing to fear from spurious
internet rantings.
Nothing to wear?
NOT A phrase you’d have heard Nigel
Lesmoir-Gordon utter in the swingin’
60s, nor now!
But don’t underestimate exactly what
it meant in those days to own and wear
the unique jacket pictured above.
Fashion was found in the street,
created by friends, sewn up by mates.
Shop bought items were uncool!
Even yours truly possessed a cream
pure-silk shirt with puff sleeves worn with
high-waisted pink cord bell-bottoms.
So when Nigel speaks or writes about
the 60s he knows what he’s talking
about. Not for him the reference books
galore checked avidly by modern day
know-it-alls.
So if you want a taste of the love
generation when we all wore flowers in
our hair and dug the Rolling Stones in
Hyde Park for free, don’t miss Nigel’s
book signing in Cambridge in October.
See details elsewhere on this page. SW
12