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Updated: Jun 02, 2019 10:06 IST

Animal lovers and animal rights activists in Pune will join thousands around the world today, to commemorate the 9th National Animal Rights Day at Sahakarnagar. The entire event is free and open to the public. Khushpreet Binu in a candid chat speaks to HT about the initiative and more.

The idea behind the National Animal Rights Day.

Established by the nonprofit “Our Planet. Theirs Too” in 2011, the National Animal Rights Day (NARD) is annually observed across the globe on the first Sunday of June. The day is observed to give a voice to animals and raising awareness regarding their rights, until all animals are free from enslavement and their rights are established and protected by law.

Details about the event to be held in the city on Sunday

The event to be held at Taljai Tekdi cricket stadium, Sahakarnagar, will open with a mass memorial service, where 40 to 50 individuals will stand holding pictures of animals who suffer as a result of human abuse and exploitation. These animals include chickens, pigs, cats, dogs, goats, birds among others. Following the ceremony, there will be a celebration of the major steps that have been taken towards ending the suffering of animals, and adopting a cruelty-free lifestyle, with free vegan food. The programme will also have speeches by animal activists and live music. The event is free and open to the public.

What is the motive behind holding the event?

Many people harm animals without realising it. We are conditioned to accept their suffering as normal, unless someone comes along and shows us the truth. The event is being held to increase awareness among people, where volunteers from different walks of life, come together to show the plight of these animals to the common man. This will give a new and different perspective towards how we treat our fellow earthlings.

What are the principles behind the initiative?

The use and abuse of animals is unfathomable, but all prevalent. It has been part of our daily lives since the dawn of humanity. We have gotten accustomed to relying on animals for almost everything we do. If these animals could freely talk, their cries would come from every farm, slaughterhouse, meat market, testing lab, breeding factory, fishing pond, hunting ground, circus, zoo, religious temple, pet store, city shelter, restaurant, and dinner table in every home on every street. The national Animal Rights Day was started to give a voice to billions of anonymous nameless beings. On this day, we stop everything else, and remember them. We mourn their loss, express their pain through ours, and reach out on their behalf to anyone who has a heart to listen. We also celebrate the living animals who are part of our lives, and the great strides that are being made every year towards ending the suffering of animals, and transitioning mankind to a plantbased lifestyle. We will do so until all animals are free and have equal rights to human animals on earth. The approach is to be respectful towards all and the intent is to have a dignified memorial service for the animals.

Current and future plans?

Though this is an annual event, we organise outreach events monthly and sometimes weekly across Pune to ensure people are aware of the plight of animals. We had organised an event on June 1 called “Satyagrah for Animals” where volunteers dressed in white cloth stood in a line, holding screens of laptops showing the realities behind leather, entertainment, egg, meat and dairy industries, at JM road.