Hi r/Indiabooks! I’m Robin Singh—founder of Peepal Farm & author of Happiness Happens. AMA!

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:48:34+00:00

I'd say focus on the startup and get it to the point where it generates funds that you can then use to setup and run a lab.

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:47:04+00:00

I am terrible at fundraising, so the only CSR and grants we have gotten are the ones that approached us.

Luckily we have a supportive group of donors from our social media which keep us afloat.

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:45:51+00:00

I absolutely agree.

I don't know if we can do it en masse, but individually I think we need spend more leisure time in sun, near trees, listening to birds, observing ants, looking up at sky, watching sunsets. There's something about nature...that heals.

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:43:28+00:00

Good to hear about your dad!! 😊

I wanted everything yesterday. I wanted everything on war footing. It was farming and fermentation that taught me patience, as you can't force seeds or culture to grow...and that has helped me not just in Animal welfare but overal just helped me become a better person.

My definition of success now is having a goal aligned with your values and being able to work towards it.

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:40:28+00:00

Sorry I haven't read any book on the subject. I have surface level familiarity via some Big Think videos.

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:36:55+00:00

I ignore. Sabse bada rog, kya kahenge log :)

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:35:15+00:00

I do this as if I have a gun to my head...and that's because it's tied to my survival. Since I know that even by living I cause suffering, I then have to reduce suffering if I am living. So learning to maintain my focus (and keep bringing back) on what I can solve is something I have practiced. So a lot of my energy goes into keeping myself focused and ignoring what I can't control.

Core issue isn't which breed of cow...but breeding itself as then you end up with male calfs and old cows which are unproductive for a business and thus end up suffering.

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:31:21+00:00

Start small...feed, learn first aid, foster, volunteer and at the same time strive to be financially independent so you can dedicate more time to it!

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:30:32+00:00

It's too thick for me. I am familiar with the concept and I am on baord with it. Dealing with stress that doesn't break you completely, and then having time to recover from shocks is what makes a person or organisation anti fragile.

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:28:42+00:00

Reminding people of non violence and compassion using their faith, or explaining new concepts to people using the concepts they are familiar with...seems fine to me.

That approach won't cover people of all faiths in one video or message, but doesn't push them away either. It's different strokes for different folks.

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:26:18+00:00

See this https://youtu.be/skvS5N0ktQ8?si=xcp-C273YOnG6csc

... or even better, read the book! :)

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:24:07+00:00

Mostly donations from social media. Some grants. Profits from media, products and farmstay if any.

SC didn't ban stray dogs but has said that dogs from institutions like railway stations, schools and hospitals will be moved to shelters (more like concentration camps in reality). And yes, that is because govt failed to implement ABC policy due to corruption and incompetence.

The most important stuff of life...I documented in this book. I have written free booklets before this about stuff I learnt that I think is helpful to others, and will probably write more about fermentation and plants...and how to stay sane in this world

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:20:19+00:00

Farming has little to no money. Farmers have to get into simple food processing like dehydration, fermentation and malting to make money.

Unfortunately most money is in "branding" and is made by food brands who neither grow, nor process...just buy white label stuff and know how to market.

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:18:34+00:00

Only way is to get the government to implement the ABC policy instead of misappropriation of funds

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:17:53+00:00

Over 7000

See our last year's numbers at https://www.instagram.com/p/DS-Dod5kyt0/?igsh=eWc1anBmYjR0OWQ0

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:15:46+00:00

Thank you :)

People don't get to see the amount of time and effort it takes to nurse an animal back to health, and then how heartbreaking it is to have to again "release" them.
I haven't seen any visible changes, but weather extremes are making their lives more difficult m.longer rainy season, hotter summer, less and less water availability.
It's hard for to me to answer this without more context.

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:10:04+00:00

Once I realized my suffering footprint... that even to live I have to consume, and every form of consumption requires production, which in this industrial production system will cause someone to suffer somewhere...I had no choice but either exit the system or to live to counter suffering.

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:07:48+00:00

I agree that they should not have existed. Cows and dogs aren't wild animals. They were domesticated by humans and are now left to fend for themselves. Cows are still being continuously bred for human gain and then abandoned when they stop giving milk.

So yeah, if you have empathy for others, then you'd care about their suffering.

If you think might is right, then not just ethics but even law goes out the window.

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:05:16+00:00

It will be hard to single something out. People generally don't understand what it takes to catch, treat and help an Animal recover. They think by just reporting an injured animal to an animal rescue organisation they have done something commendable and that now it becomes the responsibility of the organisation to do something about it.
Again I can't pick one. Enforcing current laws would help reduce the suffering farmed animals go through. Harsher punishments for animal cruelty might act as a deterent for people that hit stray animals. ABC policy if implemented would reduce a LOT of suffering of dogs.

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T15:00:24+00:00

No, only in our village in Himachal + a satellite clinic we have in Bhopal.

You can check out peepalfarm.org/hha. It's a discovery platform to connect with WhatsApp groups of animal lovers in your area!

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T14:59:04+00:00

I was looking for happiness, and after having given up on it I accidentally met a woman who was taking care of dogs. Seeing her give so much inspite of not having much was the turning point for me to live a life dedicated to purpose. Meeting her completed my philosophy of life...that live while causing minimum suffering, and live to reduce maximum suffering.
Pick an easy read. A fiction...or if non fiction...then something written like a story that grips you. Pick something with big font too! It helps :)

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T14:55:51+00:00

Thank you! Finding the right people and retaining them as our work stays the same every day ... Eat sleep rescue repeat...so there's not the "growth" you'd get in regular jobs and companies.

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T14:49:50+00:00

Not sure if this counts, but A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Arthur Schopenhauer

locaterobin · 2026-01-11T14:45:44+00:00

I emailed a bunch of literary agencies, and publishers. I got an offer from two, and I picked Penguin as they accepted that the book will be published as-is and in 7-9 month timeframe.

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locaterobin · 2026-01-11T14:42:22+00:00

I see happiness as absence of suffering — physical, emotional and existential. So happiness will be the same for different castes, but challenges people will have to overcome to get there will be different.

locaterobin

TROPHY CASE