ANIMAL ACTIVISTS ADD A DASH OF GANDHIGIRI TO OUTREACH ACROSS INDIA

Activists unite to fight for a reduction in animal product consumption

With their Gandhi Topis on, animal activists across India are celebrating ‘non-violence’ for animals in honour of Gandhi Jayanti and World Farm Animals Day. Events across India are being organised by FIAPO, the apex animal protection body in India, in collaboration with FARM or Farm Animal Rights Movement in the United States.

A plethora of events such as stalls and tabling events, talks, leaflet and literature distribution are taking place 13 cities namely, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Surat, Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Bangalore, Jammu, Jaipur, Coimbatore, Trivandrum and Chennai. The national capital hosted the event at the Jawaharlal Stadium, along with Cure India at the Delhi Charity Run. The event was coordinated by Ms. Sunita Godara, Asian Marathon Champion, 1992.

‘The condition of animals in India and the consumption patterns are increasingly inversely proportional. With an increase in consumption, animals are housed in conditions of confinement, deprivation and abuse. With 132 million metric tons of dairy, India stands first in milk production, 1^st in beef exports, and 5^th in table egg production ,India is fast losing its stance of an ‘animal friendly’ non-violent nation , the need for the Living Free program arose out of the urgency of stewardship in this issue’, said Richa Thapliyal, Campaign Manager of the Living Free Program at FIAPO.

The event witnessed a footfall of close to five thousand people, and many enthusiasts came to learn about the cruelty in the present animal production industry. A few even sported the Gandhi Topi, vouching for a change in diet patterns soon.

The movement is dedicated to exposing and protesting the needless suffering of more than 70 billion land animals and the countless numbers of aquatic animals slaughtered for food globally each year.