Marly Winckler – Brazil
The author, founding president of SVB (2003-2015), president of IVU (2011-), translator of the H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writings
The contact with the Theosophical ideas awakened vegetarianism in me. It was the early 1980s. I had already lived in London for about two years and visited more than twenty European countries without noticing anything related to vegetarianism there. Before going to Europe, I had learned about Helena Blavatsky. I bought a few books, including Fernando Pessoa's translation into Portuguese of The Voice of the Silence. However, I would only delve deeper into the subject later when I returned to Brazil. These readings made a lot of sense, and I began to ‘devour’ everything I could find.
Adyar - Watercolor by Countess Wachtmeister
I went to India in 1988 to attend the 113th International Convention of the Theosophical Society, whose headquarters is in Adyar, in the city of Madras, now Chennai. I lived for a few months in Adyar and then traveled extensively throughout the country and Nepal. I’ll never forget the good surprise of seeing on a domestic flight departing from Bombay that vegetarian food was the standard. Those who wanted meat had to request it. What a luxury.
In Adyar, I lived for a time at Leadbeater Chambers, then at Bhojanasala, in the same room previously occupied by the Italian educator Maria Montessori—and finally in a Beach House, surrounded by many animals. India at that time was still quite closed off to the West, not even Coca-Cola was available.
I met some "prominent figures" in Adyar, such as the Society’s president, Radha Burnier, which I already knew from a visit she did to Brazil; the author Rohit Mehta, Pupul Jayakar, India's "culture czarina," dear Norma Shastri, Vic Hao Chin from the Philippines, and others.
In 1992, I wrote Vegetarianism – Elements for a Conversation About It, which, as the name suggests, aimed to compile elements that justify vegetarianism. The little book started circulating, and to answer the questions people asked me, I had to study more on the subject.
I then learned from The Vegetarian Times magazine that there would be a World Vegetarian Congress in the Netherlands. Off I went. That was when I first learned about vegans! It was a loud group, complaining because there was a booth selling cheese. This Congress in the Netherlands (in The Hague, 1994) was organized by the International Vegetarian Union (IVU), of which I would become the Latin American coordinator in 1999 and, in 2011, president, a position I still hold today. This was the last IVU event where the sale and consumption of dairy or eggs were allowed.
At this Congress, I met many "famous" figures from the movement, such as Peter Singer—later, I had the honor of translating his most important book, Animal Liberation, into Portuguese—and Helen Nearing, the mother of the "back to the land movement," which advocated for a simpler and more purposeful life in the countryside. Her book Living the Good Life inspired many young people to embrace the principles of sustainability and vegetarianism. After the Congress, I met Helen in the library of the Theosophical Society in The Hague, and I asked if she had any connection with the Society. She went to a shelf, picked up The Years of Awakening, a biography of Krishnamurti, showed me a photo, and said, "that's me." Helen was Krishnamurti’s "sweetheart" during a gathering in Australia, under Leadbeater’s guidance. Small world. Helen Knothe was the daughter of Theosophists and a born vegetarian.
At this Congress, I also learned that there would be a Vegan Festival the following year in San Diego, California. Off I went. And I came back vegan. I was living in Rio de Janeiro at the time and didn’t know any vegans or any places that served vegan options. My first impression at the event in the Netherlands, upon hearing complaints about cheese (I later found out it was about all animal products), was that it seemed exaggerated. But I quickly realized that it wasn’t an exaggeration at all: meat, eggs, and dairy are part of the same equation—animal exploitation and all the ills that come with it, which are numerous and shocking.
In California, I discovered the Internet. Determined to use this new tool to promote vegetarianism and help people who, like me, faced daily challenges, I created the Sítio Vegetariano, which became the first Portuguese-language website about vegetarianism in the world. I also launched two discussion lists on Yahoo: veg-brasil and veg-latina. These lists were also pioneers, both in Portuguese and Spanish. Vegetarians and sympathizers from all over began to appear! The atmosphere was very positive, full of mutual support and discoveries.
I am a sociologist, but after my trip to India, I adopted the profession of translator to have more freedom to come and go. I started with books from the Brazilian Theosophical Publishing House. In total, I translated about 15 books for this publisher, among more than 70 other works. In 1999, I began translating the H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writings.
More than twenty years later, the first printed volume of the collection was finally released in Lisbon. I owe a great deal to J.M. Anacleto, who believed in the project and dedicated his team and expertise as a publisher and bookseller to bring the work to light.
In the words of the work’s compiler, Boris de Zirkoff, a relative of Blavatsky, H. P. Blavatsky's writings “constitute one of the most impressive products of the creative human mind. Considering their unparalleled scholarship, prophetic nature, and spiritual depth, they must be classified, by both friends and foes alike, among the inexplicable phenomena of the age.”
The collection consists of 15 volumes: 14 of articles (each with about 500 to 800 pages) and one index, totaling around 10,000 pages.
The compiled articles are estimated at approximately a thousand, originally written in English, French, Russian, and Italian. It took 25 years of research to gather these articles.
Boris de Zirkoff began compiling Blavatsky’s writings in 1924. Between 1950 and 1981, he managed to publish the first 12 volumes (which took 31 years). From the start of Boris’s work in 1924 until the publication of the entire series in 1991 (a hundred years after H.P.B.’s death), 67 years had passed. This gives an idea of the magnitude of the work.
I confess that I felt a certain relief when I did these calculations because I was anxious about taking so long to translate the work and not seeing it published.
In 2002, I attended the IVU Congress in Scotland, where I proposed organizing a Latin American Vegetarian Congress. The next IVU Congress was to be in Singapore, but due to the economic collapse and the bird flu outbreak, the location was canceled. So, the IVU Council asked if I would organize it. Off I went. I couldn’t miss this opportunity.
It was the first time an IVU Congress would be organized without an established vegetarian organization behind it. I had already been making contacts to start an association, and with the Congress in sight, I founded the Brazilian Vegetarian Society (SVB) in August 2003. The Congress, held in November 2004, was a great success, still remembered today as the best of all time in terms of venue (Costão do Santinho) and the best food (something very important for vegans). During the 7-day event, we provided high-quality meals, prepared by the two best chefs I knew. Everything at the event was vegan, including a fashion show.
In 2006, we organized the 1st Brazilian and Latin American Vegetarian Congress in São Paulo, at the Memorial da América Latina.
In 2009, we launched the Meatless Monday campaign in São Paulo (the second in the world to receive government support). That same year, we held the 13th International Vegan Festival in Rio de Janeiro, at Pontifícia Universidade Católica – PUC-Rio, where I studied.
In 2011, we succeeded in implementing the vegan school lunch project in partnership with the São Paulo Department of Education, immediately becoming the largest vegan school meal program in the world. Two million meals are served daily, so one out of every five days, no animal products are included.
In 2007, we launched vegan certification in partnership with Ecocert. The partnership didn’t flourish, but in 2013, the Vegan Seal was relaunched, this time successfully and directly by SVB.
After 12 years of many struggles and achievements, in 2015, I stepped down from the presidency. Today, I focus mainly on the International Vegetarian Union (IVU), an association of vegetarian organizations, founded in 2008. And, of course, on translations.
Even though our cause has expanded enormously, thanks God, we cannot let our guard down—there is still much work ahead. Let’s keep moving forward!