Young Visitors learn compassion towards animals with PETA India at Bookaroo Literature Festival, Delhi and Bhopal.

To encourage kindness and compassion towards animals among young people, PETA India was a part of the Bookaroo Literature Festival in Delhi and Bhopal, featuring a session based on Unlock the Animal World: Incredible Facts for Young Superheroes by PETA India and PETA entities worldwide founder Ingrid Newkirk, learning fascinating facts about animals while building compassion for all living beings. Through interactive storytelling and fun activities, children along with their families learnt about animals, their feelings, unique abilities, and how they can show kindness to animals in their everyday lives.

Alongside the reading session, PETA India’s stall offered young visitors an opportunity to engage with the message of compassion for animals through interactive activities; these included a compassion-themed Snakes and Ladders game and a colouring activity. The stall also featured a ‘Compassion Wall’ where children were invited to write on sticky notes about why kindness towards animals is important and how they can show compassion to animals in their everyday lives. Their responses were displayed on a standee, creating a space for visitors to share their thoughts and read messages left by other visitors. This opportunity aimed to raise awareness about animal protection and compassionate choices. Merchandise was also distributed to visitors.

Through the book reading session and stall activities, young visitors had the opportunity to learn more about animals, reflect on how they are treated, and consider simple ways to show kindness and respect towards all living beings.

With Indians under 25 making up nearly half (47%) of the nation’s population, PETA India puts considerable focus on its humane education programmes to encourage empathy in the next generation. They include Compassionate Citizen—an award-winning programme designed to help students aged 8 to 12 better understand and appreciate animals—and Ellie, a life-size animatronic, empathy-building “talking” elephant, who visits schools to encourage children to choose kindness.

Educators who would like Ellie to visit their schools can write to Meenakshi Narang at [email protected].