Written by Samruddhi Kadam
On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, animal rights activists marched in Pune and organised an event to raise their voice against animal slaughter. The event, Satyagraha 2.0, saw participation from over 10 cities and was a peaceful demonstration against animals exploited for food, clothing, entertainment, scientific experiments etc.
The participants fasted for more than 12 hours during the demonstration, and educated passers-by on veganism on their 10-km march.
Some of the activists were seen carrying play cards with messages like “Fast against killing of male calves (a young cow) in the dairy industry”, “Dairy Destroys motherhood Live vegan”, “Fast again killing of chicks in the egg industry” etc.
At the venue, people read some poems, gave speeches, sang songs about animals from various industries. This year’s organisers focused on 2 sectors that are rarely talked about from the Animals perspective i.e. the dairy and eggs industries.
This was the second year of the campaign run by Simba Animal Save in collaboration with Vegan India Movement (VIM).
Divya, a core team member said “Dairy consumption has become so normal that we don’t even question it. We rarely give a moment’s thought to where milk comes from, how it was produced and who it was for. These basic questions point to the core issue of dairy, that cow’s milk is not for us.”
Most Read
Jawan box office collection day 26: Shah Rukh Khan’s blockbuster refuses to slow down, nears Rs 1100 crore worldwide gross
Asian Games 2023 Day 10 Live Updates: Parul wins stunning 5000m gold, Tejaswin bags silver and breaks decathlon, NR Lovlina wins Paris quota
Twinkle, the other organiser said, “I have visited many cowsheds and farms and talked to people from all sections of the society on this issue. There is a deeply held misconception that cows and buffaloes give milk throughout their lives and what we consume is only surplus. To keep this cycle going, female animals are kept in a constant state of pregnancy and are later sold to slaughterhouses at only 6-8 years of age.
“All industries that deal in meat, be it chickens, fish, goats, cows or pigs, kill these animals at a fraction of their natural lifespan,” said Rajesh, a participant.
Mayur a participant, concluded, “I encourage everyone to look at this information and ask themselves if this is appropriate. Would we want to be in their place? It is a cruel cycle that is a complete violation of their rights. To which we contribute with every sip of tea, every piece of meat or cheese.