Bengaluru Local Is PETA India’s 2023 Volunteer of the Year
For Immediate Release:
05 December 2023
Contact:
Hiraj Laljani; [email protected]
Atharva Deshmukh; [email protected]
Bengaluru – In honour of International Volunteer Day (5 December), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has named Bengaluru software developer Agastya Chandrakant its 2023 Volunteer of the Year.
Agastya, who is vegan, started volunteering for PETA India in 2022 and has worked alongside the group to oppose speciesism – the misguided notion that other animals are inferior to humans and ours to exploit at will. His actions have included participating in a “Leather Is Dead” demonstration in Bengaluru and playing a critical role in other street theatre–style awareness programmes, helping in many ways including sourcing props and taking photos of the event to share on social media.
Agastya also obtained footage of Jumbo Circus revealing that dogs and horses were being forced to perform cruel and demeaning tricks in violation of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Acting on evidence Agastya gathered that was shared with police in Bengaluru by PETA India, the police registered a first information report against the administrators of Jumbo Circus for forcing animals to perform unregistered tricks, negligent conduct regarding a horse stunt, and endangering public safety as one terrified horse was made to run around without a lead.
“From raising awareness of the violence behind leather production to exposing circus cruelty, Agastya has shown steadfast commitment and kindness to animals at every turn,” says PETA India Campaigns Coordinator Atharva Deshmukh. “PETA India is delighted to honour Agastya Chandrakant with the PETA India 2023 Volunteer of the Year Award. Agastya’s example reminds everyone that we each have the power to be animal advocates.”
PETA India – whose motto reads, “Animals are not ours to experiment on, eat, wear, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.
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