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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.

The Quarrelling Siblings

Updated: Nov 12, 2024

Amol and Ashish

Saoner in Nagpur is seeing a face-off between two brothers. Amol and Ashish, both doctors, are contesting against each, one as an Independent and the other as a BJP candidate. The move is likely to confuse the voters who will have two candidates by the same surname and from the same family.


The two are the sons of former senior Congress leader from Nagpur, Ranjeet Arvindbabu Deshmukh who held the position as state unit president of the party on two occasions and has been the president of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC). He was first elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 1985. During his early days in the Congress, he was known for his good relations with Sanjay Gandhi. In the 1990s, Deshmukh led a campaign demanding statehood for Vidarbha, a demand that occasionally erupts even today.


During his tenure, Deshmukh has held several portfolios such as rural development, education, health, agriculture and textiles. He is known to have pioneered village cleanliness drives and held portfolios in the Congress-led governments in the state for almost two decades.


Both his sons are in politics; his older son Dr Ashish Deshmukh contested from Katol in 2014 on a BJP ticket. He lost the elections from Ramtek in 2019 though. He was later suspended from the Congress for a period of six years for making statements criticising Rahul Gandhi. He has been involved with various social organisations such as Youth for India, no tobacco drives and the Vidarbha Progressive Farmers Association. Ranjeet’s younger son Dr Amol Deshmukh had contested as a member of the NCP. A medical doctor by education, he holds a Masters degree in Management from the UK and had earlier served in government-run health projects in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Nepal.


Now in 2024, the two brothers will contest from Saoner. While Ashish is a nominee of the BJP, Amol is contesting as an Independent after the Congress denied him a ticket. While there is no known rift between the brothers, the decision to contest against each other ensures that at least one member of the family goes to the legislative assembly.

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