24th December 2022 around 100 animal rights activists across Delhi were seen conducting a unique challenge called ‘Feel Their Pain’. This event is an initiative by the pan India collective, Vegan India Movement to show people the reality of the world’s most neglected victims – animals.
In Delhi the event was organised by Delhi Vegans of Animal Liberation at Jantar Mantar as part of this campaign, the public was requested to sit inside a cage or stand on a crate for as long as they could, to experience less than a fraction of what animals are put through every day to be used as commodities by humans. The volunteers then showed the public footage of what animals are subjected to in different industries and conversed with them about Veganism. The footage gave glimpses into the lifelong suffering and cruel deaths caused by our exploitation of animals for food, clothing, entertainment, experimentation, etc.
The event aimed at drawing people’s focus to the immense suffering that our everyday choices inflict upon animals and urging them to make changes.
“Veganism is not a diet choice, but a social justice movement that recognizes that animals are sentient beings and should therefore not be treated as commodities – not just for food (which includes meat, dairy, and eggs), but also all the other ways in which they are exploited – for clothing (silk, wool, leather), entertainment (circuses and zoos), experimentation, etc.”, says Indraneel, one of the event organizers.
“Anyone who has spent time with animals knows that each animal has an individual personality, just like us humans. They value their families, freedom and lives just like we do. Yet, we separate animals from their loved ones, rob them of their freedom, and mutilate their bodies. Every day, hour and minute, non-human animals are subjected to horrors that no human would knowingly support”, adds Muskan Yadav, another organizer.
The reputed Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics writes that vegan diets are “not only appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, but they also help reduce the risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, obesity, and some types of cancer”. Other types of animal-based products and animal use such as leather, wool, silk, fur, pearls, circuses, zoos and animal testing also lead to immense suffering and can easily be avoided. There exist numerous delicious plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products, animal-free clothing options, and alternatives to other animal use.
“When we can live happily and healthily without harming others, why don’t we?”, ask the volunteers coming from a variety of backgrounds.
“Every year, we breed into existence billions of animals for food, clothing, entertainment, experimentation, etc. Imagine being born just to be tortured & killed for someone’s wants. That’s the story of billions of animals that we exploit yearly for food, clothing, entertainment, experimentation, labour, etc. Had these victims been humans, we would’ve called this the worst ever barbarity. And, unless we avoid animal-based choices, we are among those causing this barbarity”, says Manisha one if the vikunteers.
The animal liberation movement has already spread rapidly in India over the last decade and is poised to become much bigger!
News Mania Desk
