Animal Rights Activists in Bangalore Unite to Spread Awareness on World Meatless Day & National Milk

Throughout the country, thousands of activists are trying to convey the message of cruelty-free, vegan lifestyle. One of the many initiatives taken by them to spread the principles of this lifestyle was recently witnessed in Bangalore where animal rights activists conducted an event on the occasion of World Meatless Day on 25th November and National Milk Day on 26th November.

Marking this, they organized an event at two locations – Gopalan Innovation Mall and Gopalan Signature Mall in which the animal activists spread awareness through interesting activities which were followed by offering visitors at the mall, samples of plant-based products.

Several crowd engaging activities were held in which the visitors witnessed the animals suffering in factory farms along with how positive marketing have socially conditioned us to pick our food choices. Following this, people who took part in this activity were offered delicious plant-based milk and its products like cold coffee, vegan curd etc. from Goodmylk, a Bangalore based brand that sells non-dairy milk.

The main motive behind these activities was to expand the definition of milk and discern the truth about the animal industry in the eyes of the visitors. Abhay Ranjan, Co-founder of Goodmylk, a brand focusing on make veganism more affordable said “This National milk day all of us came together to encourage people to try plant-based milk. Easy to make, affordable and readily available, plant-based milk is healthy and cruelty-free. Plant-based milk and its products don’t cause any harm to the animals.”

The event was organized in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO). A FIAPO spokesperson stated, “It is delightful to see the animal rights movement growing in our nation. We believe collaboration is the key to further expand this movement and such events should be organized regularly. Now that we have alternatives to milk and meat readily available in the market, it will be easier to spread this awareness.”

Gopalan Mall spokesperson Girish Kumar states, “Gopalan malls are not just a one-stop destination for shopping but it also caters to the welfare of the society and gives a platform to all shoppers to showcase their talent and voice their opinion for the right cause. Being part of World Meatless day and World Milk day in association with FIAPO & Goodmylk is a great opportunity to witness and spread Veganism.”

In 2014, all the dairy majors of the country, along with the Indian Dairy Association, resolved to observe 26th November as National Milk Day to mark the birthday of Verghese Kurien, Co-Founder of Amul. While the dairy majors consider this day as a sign of celebration, animal activists believe this day to be an opportunity to spread awareness about the hidden realities of this industry.

In modern dairies, cows are routinely fed and injected with antibiotics which stay in their system and in their milk which later we drink. This can make us resistant to antibiotics and therefore less able to fight disease. India is home to more than 300 million such cattle. This massive number of animals not only are abused for milk but also creates a problem for the Earth’s atmosphere and contributes to global warming.

Similar to this, complete confinement of hen, denies them of their natural behaviors such as pecking, roasting and dust bathing. Further, increased confinement means an overdose of food additives and drugs. Research shows the slew of antibiotics added to chicken feed is making us antibiotic resistant.

Cheers to the animal rights community of Bangalore for spreading the message of these harsh realities!