"When you have your health, you have everything. When you do not have your health, nothing else matters at all." – Augusten Burroughs

Did you know you it's possible to lose weight, boost your health and reduce the risk of deadly diseases just by changing your diet? Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is bringing you a program based on the ever-popular 21-Day Vegan Kickstart initiative that has helped more than 150,000 Americans lose weight and improve their health with a low-fat, plant-based, dairy-free diet.

Trust us: these 21 days will be fun-filled, nutritious and yummy! Kickstart India will send you 21 e-mail messages – one each day – that will provide you with an all-access pass to the following resources:

• Three weeks of dairy-free recipes for traditional Indian favourites, like carrot halwa, tofu palak paneer and navratan kurma
• Cooking demonstration videos by Dr. Nandita Shah, an Auroville-based physician who developed delicious and healthful recipes for the program
• An online community forum to connect with others, get support and have your nutrition questions answered by PCRM nutrition experts

A list of celebrity coaches who will offer their favourite vegan recipes and tips to help you stay on track during the program. Actor Amala Akkineni, cricketer Murali Kartik, actor Veena Malik, international star Maggie Q, actor Rashaana Shah, musician Rahul Sharma, actor Jackie Shroff, actor and author Alicia Silverstone, actor Sonu Sood and member of Indian Parliament Dr Shashi Tharoor are all involved.

Go get started, India! Get yourself enrolled now! Also, spread the word around to family and friends.

Be healthy!

Let's hear a big round of applause for our friends at Animal Rahat, a PETA-supported organisation dedicated to helping animals who are forced to work. Their efforts, along with PETA's, have resulted in the cancellation of a cruel bull-racing event in Satara, Maharashtra.

After learning that bull races were scheduled to take place in late August and early September in Aundh, Baghwadi, Kolewadi, Anjanapura, Bidal, Dhokalwadi and Padegaon in Satara district, PETA sent an urgent letter to Satara Superintendent of Police KMM Prasanna asking him to step in and stop the cruel – and illegal – events. PETA pointed out that during bull races, the animals are commonly beaten with sticks, which often have nails protruding from them, and that the races are illegal. The local police did their job admirably, stopping the races.

Thank you, Superintendent KMM Prasanna and the Satara police, for enforcing the law and common decency over the cruelty and greed that drive these spectacles.

Now that the Ministry of Environment and Forests has stated in The Gazette of India that bulls can no longer be used as "performing" animals, this means that cruel bull races are now banned everywhere in India. If you learn about any such events, please do everything in your capacity to stop them. You can also write to us at Info@petaindia.org, and we'll guide you through your efforts.

Have you ever thought: What if the right to peacefully assemble were granted to animals and they could organize a protest to demand better laws for their treatment?

Well, we did. This is why we organized a never-before-attempted demonstration outside the iconic Ramlila Maidan in Delhi where dozens of PETA volunteers wearing cat, dog, goat, cow and other animal masks held placards urging the government to pass the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) 2011.

Why is the AWA 2011 so important?

Simply because it has the potential to make the lives of animals in India a lot better. Penalties for cruelty under the current animal protection law – the 5-decades-old Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 – are woefully weak and do little to deter animal abusers.

"A 10-rupee fine won't stop abusers from overloading a bullock cart or beating a homeless dog", says PETA India campaign coordinator Himani Shetty. "While the government keeps the new law on the back burner, animals are suffering and dying and their abusers are getting away with murder. The new Animal Welfare Act has the teeth that it needs to take a bite out of cruelty."

While this protest helped us to get the word out, we still need more support. Please write to the Ministry of Environment and Forests to urge it to pass the act. Take action here!

Didn't you just go, "Awww …" when you saw Dia Mirza's and Zayed Khan's characters rescue a pup from the street and bring him home in the recent flick Love Breakups Zindagi?

We at PETA found this not only cute but also award-worthy. That's because this scene that will be viewed by millions will help fans realise that they, too, can save lives by choosing to adopt one of the millions of homeless dogs or cats who languish on the streets or in animal shelters instead of buying them from a pet shop or breeder.

"We give Love Breakups Zindagi 'two paws up'  for reminding filmgoers that India's streets are full of loving animals in need of a good home", says PETA India Chief Functionary Poorva Joshipura. "We encourage everyone who has the time and resources to care for a dog or cat to adopt a homeless animal in need – you'll have a loving companion for the rest of his or her life."

Congratulations to Born Free Entertainment for receiving PETA's Hero to Animals Award for promoting compassion to animals in Love Breakups Zindagi!

The film has done its part, and now it is your turn to help. Please encourage everyone you know who is looking to welcome a dog or cat into their home to take in a homeless animal from the streets or adopt one from an animal shelter.

Here's wishing everyone a very happy Eid! To help you make this Eid extra special – and animal-friendly – we're sharing these yummy vegan recipes with you!

All you need to keep the festivities and kindness alive is to replace meat with mock meat or veggies. Try out these vegan recipes, and share them with all your friends

Vegan Mutton Curry

2 medium potatoes, cubed

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 Tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 red chillies

5 green cardamom pods

5 cloves

1 Tbsp black peppercorns

6 large garlic cloves, sliced

1-in piece of ginger, thinly sliced

1 onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup shredded coconut (I use packaged coconut from Whole Foods)

1 14-oz can diced tomatoes or 2 medium tomatoes, diced

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 1/2 cups soya chunks

1/2 cup watercress, optional

Cilantro for garnish, optional

• Microwave the potatoes in a little water for approximately 5 minutes, or until they are slightly tender.
• Heat 1/2 tablespoonful oil in a skillet. Add the coriander, cumin, chillies, cardamom, cloves and peppercorns and roast until they start changing colour and become fragrant. Remove and set aside.
• Heat another 1/2 tablespoonful oil and stir-fry the garlic, ginger and half the sliced onion until golden brown.  
• Without adding more oil to the skillet, roast the coconut for a few seconds until it starts turning golden brown. (Be vigilant because coconut can burn easily.) Remove immediately.
• Put the spices, onion, garlic, ginger and coconut in a blender with 1/2 to 1 cup water and blend to a smooth paste.
• In the skillet used for toasting the spices, heat the remaining 1 tablespoonful oil.
• Add the remaining onion and cook until golden brown.
• Add the tomatoes and turmeric and cook until the tomatoes start to break down.
• Add the mushrooms and soya chunks and stir to coat with the spices.
• Add the potatoes. Cover and let cook until the veggies are tender.
• Add the spice-onion mixture and stir thoroughly.
• Cover and let cook for another 10 minutes to allow the flavours to meld.
• If desired, add the watercress in the last few minutes of cooking and garnish with cilantro.

Makes 2 servings

This recipe is adapted from http://www.holycowvegan.net/2008/01/my-dads-not-mutton-mushroom-curry.html.

Soy 'Keema'

1 Tbsp oil

2 small pieces cardamom

1 star anise

2 large onions, chopped

1 red chilli

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp jeera powder

1 1/2 tsp coriander powder

Garam masala powder, optional

100 g (1/4 cup) green peas

2 potatoes, boiled and cubed, optional

1 cup soya granules, boiled and drained

Salt, to taste

Coriander leaves, for garnish

• Heat the oil, add the cardamom and star anise and fry over a low flame.
• Add the onions and fry until pink.
• Add the red chilli and garlic and fry for 1 minute. Add the chilli, jeera and coriander powders. Add garam masala if desired and mix well.
• Add the peas and potatoes if desired and fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the soya granules and mix well.
• Add enough water to cover the keema, bring to a boil and add salt.
• Cook over a low flame until the water is absorbed. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Makes 3 servings

This recipe has been contributed by Dr Nandita Shah of Sharan-India (Sharan-India.org).

To recognise Sir Paul McCartney's work for animals and to celebrate his marriage to the beautiful Nancy Shevell, Animal Rahat – an organisation supported by PETA US that helps alleviate the suffering of animals forced to work – has named two adorable rescued puppies Paul and Nancy. A photograph of Paul and Nancy has been sent to, well, Paul and Nancy. The Beatles legend is a long-time supporter of PETA India and its global affiliates. "He and his late wife, Linda, were among the first supporters of PETA US. Sir Paul has always been concerned about the suffering of street dogs, and we hope that others will be inspired to bring a stray or shelter dog into their homes", said PETA India.

In an accompanying letter to the newlyweds, Animal Rahat programme manager Sudheesh Nair wrote that the puppies "were running in fright after having witnessed the accident which killed their mother in Sangli".

The puppies are now under the care of Animal Rahat and are doing well. See? All you need is love!

You can help end the homeless-dog and -cat crisis by always adopting and never shopping for animals.

By changing minds and changing practices, PETA India's friends at Animal Rahat are devoted to providing relief to animals forced to work. Whether they are confiscating whips and yoke spikes, providing veterinary care to elephants chained in temples or convincing owners of elderly bullocks to let their animals retire to the Animal Rahat sanctuary  rather than forcing them to face the abattoir, Animal Rahat staff members are easing suffering and saving lives one animal at a time. Here are just some of Animal Rahat's accomplishments from last month:

• Provided veterinary care to 664 sick and injured animals
• Presented a lecture on animal welfare to students at Magnum College of Engineering
• Confiscated 18 nose ropes from animals who were in severe distress and convinced many more owners to remove them
• Held a drawing competition for schoolchildren about the cruelty involved in bull races
• Succeeded in getting several days of rest for 106 ailing animals
• Erected four wall paintings with educational messages about animal welfare
• Provided 113 donkeys with tetanus vaccinations

Animal Rahat is a non-profit organisation that relies on donations from compassionate individuals to continue to provide relief for animals forced to work in India. Consider giving someone you love the gift of saving an animal's life by making a donation to Animal Rahat in his or her name.

With Children's Day just around the corner, we'd like to give you a chance to win a great book on animals for your little one.

PETA founder Ingrid E Newkirk's book 50 Awesome Ways Kids Can Help Animals: Fun and Easy Ways to Be a Kind Kid is packed with fascinating facts about animals and fun quizzes, riddles and activities that will inspire your child to put down that play station and get busy helping animals!

All you need to do to enter the contest is comment below and provide an idea for how kids can help animals. The three people deemed to have the most interesting and useful ideas will be chosen by PETA as our winners.

The contest ends on 14 November 2011. The winners will be notified by 15 November. No purchase necessary and void where prohibited by law. By entering the contest, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy.

Vegetarianism is not only healthy and kind to animals but also always in vogue! That's why the list of vegetarian celebrities from around the globe just grows and grows. The latest star to go vegetarian and to team up with PETA to speak up for animals is the ultra-sexy actor from Pakistan Veena Malik. Check out her new ad for PETA:

What was the reason behind her compassionate move?

"Going vegetarian is one of the smartest decisions I've ever made", says Malik, who won her first Lux Style Award in 2007 for being the most stylish celebrity on the red carpet. "I feel better, I'm healthier and I have the satisfaction of knowing that my food choices also help protect animals and the environment."

Thank you, Veena! Your decision to kick the meat habit not only will save lives but also is a gift to Mother Earth. A recent United Nations report concluded that a global shift towards a meat-free diet is necessary to combat the worst effects of climate change.

Veena was recently in Mumbai to unveil her ad with PETA at the Priyadarshini Park and Sports Complex in Malabar Hill. As you can imagine, she was swarmed by media outlets.

Go on – be a part of the growing number of people who refuse to tolerate cruelty to animals and go vegetarian!