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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.

Silent Moves

R. Praggnanandhaa’s stunning victory at the Norway Chess tournament is more than just another glittering addition to India’s growing collection of chess triumphs. It is a reminder that excellence in Indian sport often flourishes far from cricketing floodlights.


By becoming the first Indian ever to win the prestigious Norway Chess tournament, the 20-year-old grandmaster achieved something that had eluded even the great Viswanathan Anand. He did so in emphatic fashion after recovering from a poor start, winning four classical games in succession, defeating some of the world’s finest players and twice overcoming Magnus Carlsen, the Norwegian titan, on his home turf. Few victories in Indian sport this year can match its difficulty or significance.


Contrast this with a cricketer struck a match-winning six in a key IPL playoff. Television studios would have erupted and advertising campaigns would have flowed while social media would have convulsed into celebration. Praggnanandhaa’s conquest of one of the strongest chess tournaments in the world has received wholesome admiration, but has little of the national frenzy reserved for cricket’s carnival.


This is not an argument against the IPL. The league is a remarkable commercial success that has transformed cricketing economics. The problem is that India’s sporting imagination has become dangerously parochial. In a nation of 1.4 billion people, too much attention, money and airtime is still lavished on a single game.


Chess offers a revealing contrast. India today is experiencing a golden age that would have seemed fanciful a generation ago. Anand opened the door and a remarkable cohort has marched through it. D. Gukesh became the youngest world champion. Arjun Erigaisi has entered the game’s elite ranks and now, Praggnanandhaa continues to challenge the very best. Among women, Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh have kept India among the world’s strongest chess nations.


And yet these champions, while certainly lauded, remain curiously under-celebrated as opposed to cricket stars. The same phenomenon, to a lesser or greater degree, can be observed in athletics, shooting and table tennis. Athletes often labour for years with modest sponsorship, uncertain funding and limited public recognition. They become household names only during Olympic cycles, before slipping once more into relative obscurity. Their success is celebrated episodically.


Chess rewards patience over spectacle and intellect over celebrity. Its heroes spend countless hours studying openings, analysing positions and enduring lonely defeats. The game’s virtues are not television-friendly. Chess players do not command billion-dollar broadcasting deals but rely on sheer talent and an extraordinary capacity for concentration.


India’s recent chess renaissance reflects something encouraging about modern India. It demonstrates that world-class achievement can emerge from coaching networks, digital learning and institutional persistence rather than from lavish leagues alone.


Praggnanandhaa’s victory in Oslo is far more than a personal milestone. It is evidence that India can dominate global arenas beyond cricket. The country need not love cricket less. But it ought to learn to celebrate other forms of greatness more.

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