Mr Manish, who began marketing his "veg shoes" in 2016, says they are also available online and are less expensive than real leather products.

Hassan: Being eco-friendly is the buzz word today and the Mahamastakabhisheka of Bahubali at Shravanabelagola with its message of non-violence has provided just the right platform for promoting "veg shoes" among people.

A stall by Vegan Fashion Private Limited at an expo organized as part of the event has the " veg shoes" on sale and is promoting their use as against the leather variety to save the lives of animals whose skins are otherwise used for making footwear.

Pointing out that leather shoes are made from the hides of animals, who are slaughtered for their meat, director of vegshoes.in Manish Parikh also notes that leather processing is one of the most polluting industries taking a toll on the country's rivers. "But veg shoes available in the market are made from pre-dominantly polyester fibre, which is light weight and twice as strong as leather shoes," he explained.

In addition, polyester fibre when used for shoes, looks like real leather, he claims. As for branding the shoes "veg" he says the idea is to send the message home more clearly to customers.

Mr Manish, who began marketing his "veg shoes" in 2016, says they are also available online and are less expensive than real leather products.

The sale of "veg shoes" has been quite good among the people, especially among Jain community members, he reveals. A visitor to the stall, Shankar seemed all willing to give them a shot. "It's worth a try," he shrugged.