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By:

Minal Sancheti

2 May 2026 at 12:26:53 pm

Funeral for animals

Mumbai: On the occasion of National Animal Rights Day, a funeral was held for all the voiceless creatures that humans have killed for selfish reasons. The act was a campaign and was a brainchild of Animal Climate and Health in collaboration with Our Planet Theirs Too. The purpose was to spread awareness about animal cruelty. The campaign took place at Carter Road Amphitheatre and so a crowd of both young and old supported the cause. Speaking about animal cruelty, recently the internet was...

Funeral for animals

Mumbai: On the occasion of National Animal Rights Day, a funeral was held for all the voiceless creatures that humans have killed for selfish reasons. The act was a campaign and was a brainchild of Animal Climate and Health in collaboration with Our Planet Theirs Too. The purpose was to spread awareness about animal cruelty. The campaign took place at Carter Road Amphitheatre and so a crowd of both young and old supported the cause. Speaking about animal cruelty, recently the internet was flooded with a viral video of a group of men at Mira Road taking a piglet to a locality where goats were brought for religious sacrifice. Aparjita Ashish, the founder and director of Animal Climate and Health said, “It is an act of cruelty to kill animals for religious sacrifice but to protest against this they were harassing a baby pig. The poor pig was screaming for his life. So how’s that right? If you want to protest, protest peacefully.” Ashish also comments on the Apex Judiciary’s decision of euthanising terminally ill dogs, “If the dog has a serious illness like rabies and is in a lot of pain, with a doctor’s permission and in a peaceful manner, they should be euthanised. The apex court also spoke about the ABC or animal birth control which if done with correct procedures, can help bring down issues related to the stray dogs. Many times the process is wrong so the animals become subject to cruelty.” She even added that the strays should not be displaced as that will leave them confused. This is also an act of ill treatment. The occasion saw a large number of gatherers. According to the campaigners, being vegan is not just for protecting animals but also for the climate. Ashish explained, “If you see the name of our NGO, it is Animal Climate and Health. So we also talk about the impact of consuming animal products on the environment.” She gives an example of how methane gas is produced because of the dairy animals and how the food and resources to breed animals are so much that it affects the environment. The supporters who participated in the campaign said they also noticed many health benefits of going vegan. Anil Nagpal, a senior citizen and volunteer with the organisation said, “For many years I was going through ill health. I tried every treatment but nothing really helped much. But then someone convinced me to go vegan and since that time my health has improved drastically. After this many people in my circles who used to eat animal products have given up.” When asked what his protein sources are, he said, “I eat lentils and legumes. Vegetables also contain protein.” Ashish claimed that humans have an ego that makes them think they are above animals.

Protest to save 45000 mangroves

Mumbai: On Saturday, a group of people gathered to raise their voice against the destruction of 45,000 mangroves for the construction of the Mumbai Coastal Road. The peaceful protest saw hundreds of people of all ages and backgrounds participating on Carter Road in Bandra West.


The protest was initially planned to form a human chain, but ended up becoming a musical event to spread awareness about the importance of mangroves. The co-founder of Save Mumbai Mangroves, Ketaki Yelgaonkar, said, “Our movement is never loud. We always have artists like poets, singers, or street plays to spread awareness about the cause. Today we had intended to have a human chain, but it ended up becoming a beautiful musical performance.”


Mumbaikars, especially the senior citizens, feel emotional about the destruction of the city’s nature that they have been seeing since their childhood. An environmentalist and a senior citizen who was also born and brought up in the city, L V Keshav said, “ I have seen a good part of Mumbai. I want to help by taking part in protests wherever I can. Our voice has become so weak. You concretise everything just for a few people. Look at Marine Drive, what it was before, and what it has become now. Coastal roads and other infrastructures have come in. How many really benefit out of it, and how many trees have you destroyed for that? In the whole bargain, it doesn’t work out. The balance sheet doesn’t match at all. Feels like crying when you see such trees disappear for the sake of money.”


When another senior citizen, Anil Jain’s daughter, told him about the cause and the protest, he decided to become a part of it, even if it meant travelling from Rajasthan to Mumbai. He said, “I am very fond of the environment and nature. In Rajasthan, I have planted more than 50 trees, and they are all flourishing well. Humans are deeply connected with the trees. We are a part of nature. So it is extremely important that, at any cost, we take care of the environment. So when my daughter told me about the protest for saving the environment, I immediately decided to travel to Mumbai to support the cause.”


Vande Mataram

The national song, ‘Vande Mataram’, of India mentions the nature and environment in our country. Young protestor Asif Sheik strongly believes we should support the cause and protect the environment. He said, “In the song Vande Mataram, there is a stanza that says Sujalam Sufalam Malayaja Sheetalam. The sentence basically talks about the beauty of our country’s natural environment. And now the system is cutting down the mangroves, which are the heart of Mumbai and the heart of our waterbodies.”


Supporting the cause was a school teacher who emphasized that it is important to teach our children why we need mangroves. Fatima Menezes is a geography teacher who believes it’s her moral obligation to spread awareness about mangroves and talk about what is happening in the city to the younger generation. She says, “I teach my own students in schools regarding taking care of the environment. The whole world is very much anxious about saving the environment. So it is also our responsibility as a part of our teaching faculty to talk about the environment. It is my bounden duty to take care of the environment.”


Saviour Mangroves

She adds, “Mangroves are a part of our sea coast, and they are our saviours, and therefore preserving them is a must. Pope Francis has given us Laudato si, which is a document that talks about taking care of the environment. He was inspired by St Francis of Assisi, who is the patron saint of ecology. So, we who are part of nature, it is our duty to take care of Mother Earth.


Yelgaonkar explained how the government can choose ways that can reduce the destruction as well as help the city develop. She adds, “Although the local government is not helping, the central government has responded to their message that they had sent to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change of India.”

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