PETA is proud to present India's 2007 Proggy Awards for animal-friendly achievement in 21st century culture and commerce. Over the past few years, PETA and its affiliates have given these prestigious awards to progressive, compassionate companies across North America, Europe and India! Proggy Award winners help consumers discover, access, and explore vegan food, animal-friendly fashion and cruelty-free products. They also help raise awareness of the needs, nature and behaviours of animals while promoting respect and empathy for animals through culture, commerce and community.

By educating consumers about animal rights issues and providing them with award-winning alternatives to products and processes that hurt animals, Proggy recipients are contributing to a more humane way of life for our entire society and should be commended for their initiative, creativity and kindness.

PETA's panel of judges has picked the best of the best among animal-friendly innovations and cruelty-free offerings. Check them out below!

AMAR

Great-tasting toothpaste made without gelatine – now that's something to smile about! Launching the first-ever "vegetarian" toothpaste in 1991, AMAR has been helping compassionate consumers banish plaque, tartar and bad breath ever since. The perfect paste to maintain perfect teeth, AMAR's aniseed-flavoured regular toothpaste is more than deserving of a Proggy Award for the Best Vegan Toothpaste.

Baggit

Using eco-friendly natural fibres and synthetics, Baggit offers an array of ultra-fun, ultra-functional bags in to-die-for colours (from rainbow brights and assertive pastels to professional blacks and browns and demure creams). From roomy nylon bags perfect for freshers with a full class-load to cute canvas print carry-alls to fabulous faux-leather handbags, Baggit has a bag to match your every mood! Generally less expensive and heaps more humane than their leather counterparts, Baggit cruelty-free bags won't cost you – or a cow – an arm and a leg. Found at select outlets – including the Shopper's Stop chain and the Crossroads-Piramyd store – Baggit is also available at their own boutique, Inxs.

BIS

Vijay Kumar Singh of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is awarded PETA India’s Backbone Proggy Award for making Indian standards more animal-friendly, Mr. Singh’s contribution to the cause of animal rights has set the gold standard for others to emulate.

The BIS has as its objective the harmonious development of standardization, marking and quality certification; providing a new impetus to standardization and quality control and evolving a national strategy for according recognition to standards and integrating them into the growth and development of production and exports.

Channel [V]

Why are we singing the praises of India's hottest international music channel? Their new animal-friendly youth programming is music to our ears! Not only do they have a permanent PETA page on their website – which is chock-full of fresh features and downloads designed to educate and inspire kids to get active for animals – Channel [V] also ran an enlightening spot about protecting dogs from the noise and chaos of Diwali.

Chetan Tofu

Offering the very best dairy substitutes, Pune-based Chetan Tofu has created vegan butter and milk alternatives that will fool even the most die-hard dairy gourmands – and we are glad they did! Perfect for those who are lactose-intolerant, vegan or health-conscious – and people who are concerned about studies which link dairy products to osteoporosis and other health problems – Chetan Tofu's brand of creamy impostors are 100 per cent animal-free and 100 per cent yummy! Read more about why PETA is asking India to dump dairy products here.

DNA YA!

The fastest-growing newspaper in any language in Mumbai – and the fastest-growing English-language newspaper in all of India – Daily News and Analysis (DNA) lives up to their tagline: "Speak up! It's in your DNA". What is our favourite thing about this always notable newspaper? Their ultra-fun, ultra animal-friendly kids' magazine, DNA YA! With features on everything from India's dismal zoos to interesting facts about animals, YA! is the best reason to get out of bed on Sunday mornings. We only wish kids got a chance to get their hands on this must-read magazine every day!

École Mondiale

Home to awesome animal rights activist Nishiki Bhavnani, PETA is proud to present École Mondiale with a Proggy for including compassion for animals in a curriculum that provides "students with the values and opportunities that will enable them to develop sound judgement, make wise choices [and] respect others in the global community".

Gala Plastic

Whether you are looking for a brush to clean your kitchen, bathroom, shoes or body, Gala Plastic has just the synthetic fibre brush to do the job. "Helping you make cleanliness and healthy living a part of your daily life" (as the company's website proclaims), Gala's high-quality collection of brushes have all the cleaning power but none of the animal-derived bristles found in most commercial brushes. Durable, long-lasting and made without hurting a hair on a pig's head, we applaud Gala Plastics for helping us clean our houses with a clear conscience!

Garden

Offering a cornucopia of cruelty-free munchies, Garden has the largest variety of vegan snacks around. Dishing out delicious Namkeen and Wafers for almost two decades, Garden is dedicated to giving consumers tasty snacks that are fun and enjoyable as well as good for you. Using only natural, raw ingredients – no additives or artificial flavours are used – all of Garden's snacks are prepared with cholesterol-free oil. As healthy as they are humane, their tasty collection of mixes – especially the Cocktail mix, Onion Pakoda and Garden Mix – are a must-have for vegans on the go.

Indian Vegetarian Congress’ IVC Veg Expo

Nothing beats a gathering devoted to great vegetarian eats and other animal-friendly treats – that is why we cannot say enough good things about the first-ever Veg Food Expo! Sponsored by the Indian Vegetarian Congress (IVC) – whose mission is to educate people about vegetarianism and encourage them to shift to a healthy, plant-based diet – this fun and informative festival was held in Chennai at Rajah Muthiah Hall, Egmore. All about promoting compassionate living and a healthy lifestyle, the expo featured more than 50 stalls packed with interesting products, educational literature and an array of freebie vegan food samples and discounts. With its uplifting atmosphere and positive approach to nurturing the world and nurturing the community, the IVC Veg Expo is well-deserving of the Proggy for the Best Caring Community Event.

Komal Fashions

Forget nasty chemicals and noxious sprays that are bad for you and murder on mosquitoes. Thanks to Komal Fashions, repelling biting insects is as easy as accessorising your outfit with their attractive ARNYWEAR fabric. ARNYWEAR has been tested and clinically shown by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine to work effectively as an insect repellent. The fabric rubs against a person's skin and emits a vapour that bugs hate. This vapour creates a "no-bite zone" of up to 50 centimetres around the person for as long as three hours once it is activated, and it can be easily reactivated by scrunching the cloth to have continuous protection. Soft, comfortable and safe for even the most sensitive skin, ARNYWEAR comes in a variety of fashionable colours and can be turned into a stylish sarong, bandana, neck scarf or wrist wrap.

Little Italy

A popular vegetarian chain, Little Italy has been bringing the mouth-watering tastes of the Mediterranean to India for more than a decade. Little Italy has found a way to make animal lovers – and lovers of fresh, perfectly prepared Italian dishes – happy with a huge variety of made-to-order vegan foods. Menu must-haves include the Bolognese with fresh tomato sauce and soya mince as well as the sliced farmer's bread, which is grilled and topped with sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, basil, garlic and roasted Italian aubergines. And everyone must experience their Zen pizza, which is made with fresh tomato sauce, capsicum, garlic, oil, olives and oregano.

Mac

Proving you can look beautiful without blinding bunnies, Mac cosmetics has become the source for make-up that is high-quality, high-glamour and – best of all – never tested on animals. By far the best colours, textures and tools from studio to street, Mac also offers a large assortment of completely vegan lipsticks, eye shadows, eye pencils, concealers, blushers and make-up brushes. A US-based company, Mac has achieved tremendous success and is now the cosmetics line of choice for many people around the world. Featured in a variety of fashion magazines, Mac products can also be found on a bevy of Bollywood beauties, including Ayesha Takia, Neha Dhupia, Esha Deol, Tanushree, Shilpa Shetty, Amrita Arora, Sophie Chowdhury and Koena Mitra. Mac also offers an Earth-friendly recycling programme and raises funds to fight against HIV/AIDS.

Manoj Tapadia and R Balakrishnan

A dialogue writer and lyricist, Manoj Tapadia and director and scriptwriter R Balakrishnan are the men behind the magic of the hit movie Cheeni Kum. An entertaining film about a May-through-December romance between the chef of London's top Indian restaurant and a visiting younger woman, Cheeni Kum has been receiving rave reviews from critics and audiences everywhere. We love it for its crisp, contemporary dialogue – especially the parts in which vegetarian main character Amitabh Bachchan speaks his mind about the cruelty that animals suffer in factory farms. PETA is proud to honour Manoj Tapadia and R Balakrishnan for this breakthrough film script. Cheeni Kum was their first-ever joint endeavour, and we hope they will continue to entertain and enlighten audiences in many more movies to come!

NIE – The Hindu

Why do we love The Hindu 's NIE programme? Because PETA's internationally recognised humane education programme has just been added to the newspaper's already impressive and innovative education workshop, which they offer to schools across the country. Thanks to The Hindu, PETA's Compassionate Citizen is now being taken to scores of students in standards 3 and higher as part of their language arts, science, social studies and humane education curricula. Designed to enhance students' understanding that animals are living, feeling beings to be treated with respect and compassion, PETA's programme enables students to appreciate the amazing characteristics and abilities of animals and aids students in recognising how the once-pervasive use of animals is being replaced, thanks to increased understanding and technological developments.

Nishiki Bhavnani

When it comes to taking action for animals, no one is more dedicated than activist Nishiki Bhavnani. Working with PETA for the past three years, Nishiki – who is also the founder of Concern For Animals (CFA) – has raised Rs 47,000, organised tabling events, gathered signatures for petitions, recruited members and volunteers, and encouraged schoolchildren to start a letter-writing campaign to help animals who are suffering in the Shillong Zoo. From selling T-shirts and calendars to raise money to investigating the Mumbai Zoo and petitioning the courts for the better treatment of animals imprisoned there, Nishiki is always ready, willing and able to help spread awareness about PETA and animal rights. Both PETA and the many animals she has helped owe her a huge debt of gratitude.

Oriflame

What makes Oriflame the "natural" pick of the cosmetics crop? Inspired by Sweden's untouched natural beauty and clean air and water, Oriflame's all-natural make-up and skin-care products are infused with a multitude of vitamin-rich botanical ingredients, including algae, birch and cloudberry. But Oriflame's high-quality collection of eco-friendly products are just as special for what is not in them – namely, animal-derived ingredients like sheep lanolin, carmine and other nasties you would never want to put on your body. Even sweeter is the kind company's firm anti-animal-testing policy, which states that they do not "test products or ingredients on animals, and no ingredients derived from dead animals, or sourced while causing harm to animals, are used." Good for you and good for animals, their array of mostly vegan creams, lotions, potions, lipsticks, eye shadows, mascaras, foundations, concealers and blush also look great on your skin! One of the world's fastest-growing cosmetics companies, Oriflame is your cruelty-free connection for animal- and Earth-friendly products that are guaranteed to give you a killer look without killing animals.

Parikrama

When it comes to a band like Parikrama, we hardly need to give you a formal introduction. Since the band formed in 1991, these guys have played nearly 250 concerts in every city of India and have a huge fan base across the globe. But that is not the only reason why we are singing their praises. We believe that everyone should listen to one of petaDishoom's favourite bands because all the members of Parikrama promote animal rights every chance they get. The band members even wear PETA T-shirts onstage. And during a performance at last summer's Lady Sri Ram College's Taraang festival, frontman Nitin Malik threw PETA shirts into the crowd and later autographed them. Always supportive of PETA, keyboardist Subir Malik recently told us, "I just want to congratulate PETA for the wonderful job they are doing". He said that he loves animals, adding, "I have about 22 street dogs in my office that I take care of. I wish everybody in this world would be kind to animals and love them. They are all part of us, and we are all in it together". All we have to say to that is "Rock on, Parikrama"!

PUMA

With 2004 sales of more than $2 billion, German-owned PUMA is racing ahead of the competition when it comes to providing high-quality, non-leather athletic trainers in a huge variety of colours and styles for sports ranging from running to soccer. What is wrong with leather? Millions of cows are slaughtered for their skin every year in India. Forced to march for days without food and water, they have chilli peppers rubbed into their eyes and their tails are twisted in a sadistic effort to keep them moving. Crammed onto crowded transport trucks, many are trampled or gored during the ride to the abattoir. Once the animals are inside, their throats are hacked open with dull knives and many are skinned and dismembered while they are still conscious.

Snehal Bhat, GSPCA Gujarat

Called the "Cobra Girl of Gujarat", animal activist Snehal Bhatt has championed the cause of snakes for more than a decade. With the Gujarat Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) – which she founded – Snehal and her dedicated group of volunteers have rescued thousands of snakes, including cobras, vipers and giant pythons, from frightened townspeople, sneaky snake charmers and cruel poachers. Never afraid to stand up for animals, especially snakes, Snehal has been threatened and physically attacked by poachers. In honour of this brave woman's interesting life and amazing mission, the National Geographic Channel has produced a stunning film chronicling her work, called The Snake Wranglers: Snake Savior. A true hero, Snehal says that helping snakes is her greatest passion: "I know snakes cannot speak. But the gratitude in their eyes when they're saved, when they're released, is something that I live for. We have to save our wildlife and for that we need more dedicated people. I am sure the day is not far when there'll be lots of Snehals in this country."

Topkat

PETA is proud to honour Accelrys for developing a more high-tech, humane alternative to cruel, unreliable and outdated animal tests. Based in the US, Accelrys "develops and commercializes Scientific Business Intelligence software for the integration, mining, analysis, modeling and simulation, management and interactive reporting of scientific data". Topkat – a cutting-edge software programme that employs virtual toxicity models instead of using mice and rats – enables research and development organisations to compute and validate assessments of the toxic and environmental effects of chemicals solely based on their molecular structure. Not only is this technology pioneering, it also proves to the scientific community that animal testing no longer needs to be an option. Thanks to the ingenuity of this company, fewer animals will be tortured and killed in labs.