Dr. Nandita Shah is a homeopathic doctor, author, and founder of SHARAN (Sanctuary for Health and Reconnection to Animals and Nature), an organisation dedicated to promoting whole-food, plant-based living for human health, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability. SHARAN has been a member of ACTAsia’s Compassionate Choices Network since 2022.
“Do you want me to help you get well, or do you want me to teach you how to always be well?”
This question has guided Dr. Nandita Shah‘s work for decades. A homeopathic doctor by training, she has spent her career exploring the deeper connections between lifestyle, compassion, and long-term wellbeing. What began as a clinical practice evolved into a broader movement, eventually leading her to found SHARAN(Sanctuary for Health and Reconnection to Animals and Nature) in 2005.
Introducing Dr. Nandita Shah
Dr. Shah always knew she wanted to become a doctor. Growing up in a homeopathic household, she was drawn to a holistic approach to healing and has always been particularly sensitive to pain and suffering. As she began practising, she became increasingly aware of how stress, anxiety, and lifestyle habits shape illness. “Homeopathy connects the mind and body,” she explains, noting that many conditions she encountered were rooted in the pressures of modern life rather than isolated physical symptoms.
“When we are stressed, we produce cortisol. When animals are stressed, they produce the same thing. So, when we consume animals, we consume their stress.”
Although Dr. Shah had long been vegetarian, her thinking shifted in the early 1980s when she learned more about the realities of the dairy industry. “I was shocked,” she recalls. At first, she did not eliminate dairy entirely. In India, milk products are deeply embedded in everyday meals and giving them up felt difficult. “The reason I hadn’t done that was because it felt like deprivation,” she says. “When I realised it was me who was feeling deprived, that I should shift, I did it immediately.”
At the time, plant-based alternatives were almost nonexistent. This challenge became a catalyst. As patients began asking how to make changes themselves, Dr. Shah started experimenting with plant-based versions of familiar foods, from milk and yogurt to desserts made with whole, organic ingredients. Many patients who came to her were living with chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, often taking multiple medications with little improvement. “Patients would come to me with one foot in the grave,” she says. “Through lifestyle adjustments alone, we began seeing changes.”
To reach more people, she began offering free seminars, later known as Peas vs Pills. Food played a central role. “In order for people to change, they needed to taste the food and recognise it was good,” she says with a smile. These gatherings grew quickly, sometimes drawing more than seventy participants at a time. As interest expanded, Dr. Shah began training others who had experienced improvements themselves, laying the foundation for SHARAN.
SHARAN and ACTAsia’s Compassionate Choices Network
Dr. Shah first encountered ACTAsia through a seminar in Bangalore nearly two decades ago. She was immediately struck by its commitment to education as a tool for long-term change. “Education is everything,” she says. “We can save one life, and we should save every life we can, but if we don’t shift mindsets, how are we going to get there?”
This shared philosophy created natural alignment between the two organisations. The collaboration formally developed in March 2022, with SHARAN becoming part of ACTAsia’s Compassionate Choices Network. Both organisations emphasise empowering individuals to make informed decisions, whether related to food, lifestyle, or broader compassion for animals and the environment.
For Dr. Shah, the partnership also reflects a deep personal admiration. “I would collaborate with any organisation that is that passionate and committed,” she says of ACTAsia founder, Pei Su. “The fact that she has been doing this for so long is amazing.”
Through retreats, talks, and training programmes, SHARAN’s health-centred approach complements ACTAsia’s education-based mission, creating opportunities to encourage more conscious, compassionate choices across Asia.
Dr. Shah was awarded the Elegant Woman Achiever’s Game Changer award from the Rotary Club of Mumbai Elegant, 2022
Challenges Along the Way
Building SHARAN was not without challenges. When Dr. Shah began her work, veganism was virtually unheard of in India. “One of the biggest challenges when I started was building a team, because no one was vegan,” she explains. “When you’re really passionate, it is always difficult to employ people who are not aligned,” she reflects. Finding people who shared the organisation’s values and could communicate them authentically proved difficult. Her solution was to train participants who had experienced lifestyle changes themselves. “People who experienced the changes wanted to teach,” she says, and gradually she built a team grounded in lived experience.
Reaching the wider public also required flexibility. Many people in India already identified as vegetarian and saw no need to go further. Dr. Shah found that practical experience was more effective than theory: shared meals, cooking demonstrations, and retreats helped participants see that change was achievable without feeling deprived. Over time, she noticed that public interest was shifting too. “Peas vs Pills began to empty, but Reversing Diabetes in 21 Days was full,” she observes. Meeting people where they were, rather than where she hoped they might be, became central to her approach.
Hopes for the Future
Despite many challenges, Dr. Shah remains optimistic. Although she acknowledges that lifestyle-related illnesses are becoming more common, Dr. Shah believes this also creates an opportunity. “People are sicker than ever,” she reflects. “But we have a chance.”
She is encouraged above all by the growing number of young people embracing vegan advocacy and compassionate living. “There are so many young people who are vegan advocates today,” she said. “They may start with ethics or the environment, but when someone learns about the health aspects, those who are willing to look a little further will make the connections.”
Looking ahead, Dr. Shah sees collaboration and education as the most powerful tools for change, and her continued partnership with ACTAsia plays an important role in that vision. She is particularly encouraged by opportunities to collaborate on workshops, retreats, and training initiatives that bring these ideas together. By combining ACTAsia’s education-based approach with SHARAN’s practical lifestyle guidance, Dr. Shah hopes to support more individuals in making informed, compassionate choices. “The goal is to change habits,” she says, “and that happens best when people are supported, educated, and inspired.”
With growing awareness, collaborative efforts, and continued education, Dr. Shah hopes to see a future in which compassionate choices support both human health and the wellbeing of animals and the planet.
Join Us in Action
As ACTAsia continues to magnify its educational outreach, partners like SHARAN play a vital role in demonstrating the transformative power of compassionate choices. Together, they are helping individuals reconnect with their health, with animals, and with the world around them.
Join us in expanding this work. Your support helps ACTAsia deliver education programmes that inspire empathy, critical thinking, and sustainable living. Donate today and be part of building a future rooted in compassion and responsibility.
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