Written by Kriti-S
Ghatkopar Cloth Store (P) Ltd, an animal-friendly company from the suburbs of Mumbai, wants you to be a head-turner this wedding season. They are giving you a golden chance to win this exquisite Banarsi, faux-silk saree. Yes, no worms were boiled alive inside their cocoons to make this saree!
The Ghatkopar Cloth Store believes in a cruelty-free, ahimsak way of living. All their products are 100 per cent vegan. Mr Rahul Mehta says, "Approximately 9,750 silkworms are died to make one silk saree. Due to the violence caused to the silkworms, we have decided not to deal in silk sarees."
Thank you, Ghatkopar Cloth Store (P) Ltd, for thinking about silkworms. Anyone who has ever seen worms startle when their dark homes are uncovered must acknowledge that worms are sensate (meaning they have senses)—they produce endorphins and have a physical response to pain.
Now if you want this saree to be yours, tell us how you would use it to encourage others to wear cruelty-free clothing. The person with the answer we find the most interesting will get the prize.
The contest is open until 27 March 2012. The winner will be declared and informed via e-mail on 30 March 2012. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. By commenting below, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and our privacy policy.
Win a cool PETA T-shirt autographed by Anoushka Shankar. The world-renowned sitarist, who is currently in India to perform, is a dear friend to animals. Anoushka has appeared in a PETA ad with her father, Ravi Shankar, calling on the Indian government to strengthen animal protection laws. She also recently appeared in a PETA ad speaking out against cruelty in zoos.
Want to win? It's pretty simple! You just have to comment on this blog and tell us what you think is the best way to learn about animals without cruelly imprisoning them in zoos. The three answers we deem to be most interesting will win a T-shirt.
This contest is open until 20 February 2012. The winners will be announced on 24 February 2012 and notified via e-mail. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. By commenting, you're agreeing to PETA India's terms and conditions and privacy policy.
Join Anoushka in boycotting zoos. PETA's investigation of zoos across India has shown that countless animals live in concrete and iron cages that do not have any enrichment or even a blade of grass. Some cages are so small that they restrict the animals' natural movements.
Everyone carries a handbag, but you can carry a piece of art! If you are bored with identical-looking factory-made bags and prefer creative, out-of-the-box designs, Canvas Creations has a lot to offer you!
Canvas Creations was started by an artist father and his two marketing-savvy daughters. They are raising the bar of creativity in the bag industry by crafting sturdy canvas bags that are hand-painted by artists.
And best of all, the bags are absolutely vegan and cruelty-free. Renowned artist and owner of Canvas Creations Bijit Mukherjee says, "Canvas Creations believes in playing with paint and not with blood". Hear hear, Mr Mukherjee!
Enter to win one of these snazzy handbags by telling us your favourite places to shop for leather-free goods? Send us your entries by commenting below.
The contest is closed now!
Written by PETA
Anna Hazare is credited with sparking a Gandhi cap revival, with many of the caps reading, "I am Anna Hazare". Since the movement began, sales of the Gandhi cap have soared, and many vendors have run out of stock.
As Mumbai gets ready to welcome the anti-corruption crusader, PETA India is offering you the opportunity to win your very own unique Gandhi cap emblazoned with the words "I Am Vegetarian". Anna Hazare advocates non-violence and demonstrates this principle through not only his campaigns but also his vegetarian diet. We hope our caps will be worn proudly by his vegetarian followers so that others might also be encouraged to be kind, not cruel, each time they sit down to eat.
If you support Anna, how about practicing non-violence every time you sit down to eat? Want to win one of these caps? Then just tell us where you will show it off! The 20 people deemed by PETA to have the most interesting answers will be named the winners of the contest.
The contest is open until 10 January 2012. The winners will be notified via e-mail on 11 January. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. By commenting, you are agreeing to our privacy policy and terms and conditions.
As 2011 – a year full of exciting victories for animals – comes to an end, we hope that the coming year will bring even more good things to our furry, feathery and finned friends. As none of our victories would have been possible without your support and help, we would like to offer you the chance to win a wonderful New Year's gift.
Yes, we are talking about the much discussed 2012 "Rescued" calendar, which contains beautiful images of animals PETA India and its affiliates around the globe have rescued.
It is super-easy to enter the contest. All you have to do is simply suggest a caption for this ultra-cute image from the calendar. The winners will be the 15 people who come up with the captions that PETA deems to be the best representations of what Priya the monkey might like to say if she could:
Priya was found clinging to her mother, who appeared to have been injured in an attack by a predator, near a hotel in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. The hotel called India Project for Animals and Nature (IPAN), run by PETA supporter Nigel Otter, who is a board member of the PETA-supported Animal Rahat organisation. Sadly, by the time IPAN arrived, the mother monkey had already died. Barely a week old, tiny Priya was taken to an animal sanctuary run by IPAN. Still very shy and timid, bright-eyed Priya is recovering from her trauma and growing up strong and healthy under the care of her sanctuary caregivers.
The last date for submitting entries is 16 January 2012. The winners will be chosen by 19 January 2012 and notified via e-mail. By commenting below, you're agreeing to our privacy policy and terms and conditions. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.
Vegan bag company Princesse K is partnering with PETA to give you a chance to win an über trendy frog-inspired handbag from its Tropical Muse Collection. The bag is exquisitely embellished with crystals and beads – who wouldn't want to flaunt this fabulous faux-leather tote everywhere that they go?!
Want a chance to win it? Tell us where you would flaunt this leather-free looker by leaving a comment below. The person with the most interesting answer will take home the prize! The contest ends on 6 January 2012, and the winner will be announced on 9 January 2012. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting.
While you're waiting to see if you're the lucky one who bagged this glam bag, take a peek at Princesse K's collection of luxurious handbags.
And good luck!
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.
Here's our answer to all the men who felt a little left out when animal-friendly shoe company Neuaura Shoes gave the ladies a chance to win a free pair of vegan heels. We're about to turn your frown upside down by giving you a chance to win a pair of stylish, comfortable, faux-leather men's shoes from Compassion Avenue.
India's first 100 per cent vegan footwear and accessories brand, Compassion Avenue is so much more than a shoe company – it is a brand with a cause. Its founder, Pradeep Taneja, says, "When [people] use 'genuine' leather, we contribute to the killing of cows and other animals. If we stop using cruelty leather, the demand for it will decrease and so will the killing".
All you need to do to participate in the contest is to post a comment telling us why you should get the free pair of shoes. The person with the most compelling answer will walk away a winner.
If you don't win, don't worry. You can still buy a pair from their store in Pune. In addition to an extensive line of shoes, Compassion Avenue also offers a wide variety of vegan wallets, bags and belts for men and women.
Good luck from all of us and from your animal friends, who will live happily ever after when you go leather-free.
"Angel to animals" and one of our best pals, Trisha Krishnan – who appears on the cover of the June issue of Galatta – has personally autographed 15 posters for her fans, and here's your chance to win one.
As you can see, Trisha looks awesomely cute in her new PETA ad in which she urges people to adopt a homeless dog if they are looking to welcome a companion animal into their home.
Here's how you can enter: Share your story about how you have helped a homeless Indian community dog as a comment to this blog.
PETA will then choose 15 of the most heart-warming stories to win a poster!
THE CONTEST IS CLOSED NOW!
With schools' summer vacations around the corner, PETA, in association with Shoobh Group Welfare Society, has launched a campaign for children which asks them to capture acts of kindness towards animals on camera.
"People n Animal", as the campaign is called, calls for entries from children from across the country under two categories – art and photography.
Through this campaign, we encourage children to explore deeds of kindness to animals and capture those moments in photographs or art. The larger goal of this campaign is to plant the seeds of compassion and kindness in children at an early age. Developing empathy towards animals can be a key step in developing empathy for and rejecting violence towards all beings, including humans.
To learn more about the campaign, go to Shoobh's website
The jury will comprise well-known names like veteran artist Anjolie Ela Menon and educationist Shyama Chona. The last date for sending entries is August 30, 2011.
Also, you can be a part of PETA's special programme for school children by joining Compassionate Citizen.
Welcome aboard!