OBJECTIVES
1. To promote and propagate ethical values in human lives.
2. To promote kindness and compassion towards all animals.
3. To promote Vegetarianism and Veganism amongst people.
4. To work for animal welfare and support Animal welfare organizations to prevent animal abuse and cruelty by way of education, campaign, participation and assist them in pet adoption programs and fund raising .
5. To bring about an awareness about conservation of environment and natural resources.
6. To propagate the message of simple lifestyle and stress-free living
Why we started this blog
Today our lives are on the fast lane. We are spending most of our time and energy in pursuit of higher education, a lucrative career and a luxurious life style. However, with our fast-track consumerist life style are we turning a blind eye towards the sufferings of others? Do we spare some thought as to how our thoughts and actions are impacting the life of others? Are we becoming indifferent and insensitive to what is happening around us? Are we that busy as to have no time to take care of our old parents? Do our families mean only our spouses and children? Can’t we give some time for our neighbors, the poor and the needy? Do we care for the animals that share this planet with us? Do we bother if they die of hunger, disease or accident? Do we really need to drive so fast, even it means risking the life of others and the poor animals on the street? Are we here just to live, enjoy and have a lavish life style?
Let us reflect a bit. Time does not wait. We get old. Our joints begin to ache… Our sight becomes blurred, our ears fail. Our health deteriorates. Our friends move away. Our children may dump us.. We feel helpless. We feel guilty of our past life. We feel we could have lived better, helped a few…but it is all too late by now. Life has come a full circle..
There is this conscience in all of us. In our heart we want to do good but we are lost in a world of our own. As children we are born with lots of compassion. We want to pick up that little puppy on the road and take it home as a pet. We want to help our grand Pa. We want to give food to that poor little boy… But all these qualities are lost over a period of time as we gradually get ‘conditioned’ by the society around us.
Through this blog we wish to remind ourselves that we are born as good human beings to lead a life on the righteous path. It means that we live in harmony with our fellow beings causing minimal harm. It implies leading an ethical life full of compassion, love, honesty, tolerance, patience, chastity and simplicity. We want to remind ourselves that the core values of all religions are the same-compassion being the very foundation of humane living. We wish to see the elegance of simplicity. We wish to feel the joy of giving and sharing. We wish to see the world around that is free of corruption, injustice and cruelty.
This forum is open to all castes and creeds, and to all those who believe in ethical values and humane living. This is a forum for discussion on ethical values that form the core of all religions.
Animal Welfare
Through this blog we wish to propagate the message of compassion to all animals. We wish to spread the message of non-violence and propagate the philosophy of happy and peaceful coexistence with all animals. We believe in animal rights and strive for their well being. We wish to convey that they are no ‘stray’ animals. Animals are very much like us –they have a mind of their own and experience hunger, pain and emotions just like we humans do. They are our best friends and highly trust worthy. They are not meant for our consumption.
There are a number of animal welfare organizations who are striving hard for the cause of animal welfare. The most noteworthy of these organization is PETA (People for ethical treatment of Animals) – http://www.peta.org . PETA has a global reach and its work in the field of animal welfare has been outstanding. PETA’s campaign against cruelty to and abuse of animals is reflected in the following statements:
• Animals Are Not Ours to Eat
• Animals Are Not Ours to Wear
• Animals Are Not Ours to Experiment On
• Animals Are Not Ours to Use for Entertainment
• Animals Are Not Ours to Abuse in Any Way
Please do visit these links to learn more.
In India too there have been several animal welfare organizations. A list of these organizations is available at:
http://www.weforanimals.com/animal%20welfare%20organizations/animal-welfare-organizations-2.htm
In Bangalore too there are several animal welfare organizations. Notable of them are CUPA (compassion unlimited plus action) -http://www.cupabangalore.org and Karuna Animal Welfare association of Karnataka http://www.karunaanimalwelfare.org
CUPA operates a regular 16-hour ambulance facility for picking up sick, injured and abandoned stray animals from within and around the city for treatment at the KVAFSU-CUPA Animal Shelter at the Veterinary College Campus at Hebbal.
For requesting the ambulance service, the nos. are 22947300/301.
Karuna Animal Welfare Association of Karnataka
Office : 2860205 / 3511329
Animal Shelter : 23411181.
When you find a sick or injured animal such as a street dog, please do call any of the above organizations. They will pick up the animal and give it the necessary treatment. It is just as simple as that.
Lets live together is yet another such animal welfare organization. They pick up abandoned puppies from the street and conduct adoption camps and awareness programs and put up stalls at public gatherings, events, etc. Please visit their website:
http://letslivetogether.wordpress.com/
Vegetarianism
Through this blog we wish to promote Vegetarianism and Veganism. We would like to remind here that killing animals for food is an extremely barbaric act and causes unimaginable pain and sufferings to the poor, innocent and hapless animals. This is not only unethical but also causes tremendous damage to the environment and one’s own health.
To understand the environmental impact just consider these statements found in
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_effects_of_meat_production
“The data we had indicated that a beef animal consumed 100 kg of hay and 4 kg of grain per 1 kg of beef produced. Using the basic rule that it takes about 1,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of hay and grain, thus about 100,000 liters were required to produce the 1 kg of beef.”
“Significant negative effects of riparian ecosystems are also associated with meat production in the United States; in fact, 80% of stream and riparian habitats in the western US have been negatively impacted by livestock grazing”
“At a global scale, a 29 November 2006 United Nations report called the Livestock's Long Shadow - Environmental Issues and Options assesses the meat and livestock industry to contribute to about 9% of total anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions, including 37% of methane and 65% of nitrous oxide emissions.”
Also, the following statement is found in
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism
“According to a 2006 United Nations initiative, the livestock industry is one of the largest contributors to environmental degradation worldwide, and modern practices of raising animals for food contributes on a "massive scale" to air and water pollution, land degradation, climate change, and loss of biodiversity. The initiative concluded that "the livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.”
It is now well established that Green house gases such as Methane are responsible for the alarming phenomenon of global warming.
A vegetarian diet usually includes cow milk and all milk-derived products. Such a diet is called lacto-vegetarianism. Sometimes eggs are also included in which case it is called ovo-lacto-vegetarianism.
Veganism
When it comes to compassion to animals a vegetarian diet (at least in today’s context) still falls short of meeting the ideal. Herein comes the vegan diet which is the most compassionate diet and is totally cruelty-free. A vegan diet goes far beyond the vegetarian diet and avoids all kinds of animal products. A vegan does not consume any animal based product or products that are tested on animals. A Vegan lifestyle completely avoids meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, honey, fur, leather, wool, and silk. Common animal products also include gelatin, lanolin, rennet, whey, casein, beeswax, isinglass, and shellac.
The inclusion of dairy products (cow’s milk and all its derived products such as curds, butter milk, butter, ghee, paneer, cheese etc) in this list may surprise many as traditionally drinking milk has been considered ethical and healthy. In olden days, cows used to be reared in houses for milk with kindness and care. But today's dairy industry is nothing but torture and brutality to the cows-all for the sake of milk. The cows are treated very badly, artificially inseminated, milked recklessly with machines, calves are abandoned, and all through their lives they suffer from constant pregnancy. Their life span gets shortened 3 to 4 times and the moment they become unproductive, they are sent to slaughter houses. This is the story of the holy cow that we revere and worship. It is the same in India too. For a full story of the Indian dairy industry take a look at PETA’s report:
http://www.petaindia.com/pdf/PTA_DairyReport_0212081.pdf
And we thought milk was good for our health? There is overwhelming scientific evidence that it is not so. Dr. Benjamin Spock, M.D., "Child Care”, 7th Edition, writes:
"Cow's milk has become a point of controversy among doctors and nutritionists. There was a time when it was considered very desirable, but research has forced us to rethink this recommendation... dairy products contribute to a surprising number of health problems..."
Also click the link here to see how hazardous cow’s milk can be:
http://www.notmilk.com/kradjian.html
Similar is the story with leather. It is a case of extreme brutality to animals. Moreover, Leather tanning is an extremely hazardous industry. We can easily avoid leather as there are so many alternatives to leather.
A vegan life style is most compassionate, environmentally friendly and healthy. Although veganism is still not well known in India, it is quite popular in several countries like UK and USA.
For more information on veganism you may visit:
http://www.indianvegan.com/
http://www.arfindia.org/
http://www.sharan-india.org/
Conservation of environment and natural resources
The need of the hour is to conserve our natural resources such as air, water, land, forests, seas, rivers, flora and fauna etc. Global warming is posing a real threat to mankind. Through this forum we wish to create awareness about these aspects. We will be posting articles about these topics at regular intervals.
Stress-free and simple life style
In today’s fast-paced, competitive world, stress has taken control of our everyday lives. It appears that these days stress is everywhere … whether we’re at office, home, school or on the road. Being able to recognize and manage stress is fast becoming an essential life skill.
In fact, being unable to mange stress has been shown to lead to a innumerable physical and mental problems, including cancer, heart disease, migraines, gastrointestinal problems, arthritis, insomnia, anxiety and depression just to name a few.
So what can we do to simplify our life, reduce harmful stress and protect our health? We will be posting articles about these topics at regular intervals.
A Wild Frog Rescue
ReplyDeleteToday morning as I was driving from home to office I slowed down my car due to traffic. This road is not actually a busy road, but sometimes there is traffic slow down as the road is narrow. There are houses on one side of the road and the other side there is a railway line. There are plenty of bushes between the road and the railway line.
As I slowed down, I noticed a small white plastic bag by the side of a bush with something moving inside. I pulled my car to a side, parked it and got down to see what was happening.
I found that there was some animal inside the white plastic bag which was trying to come out of the bag which was tied at the top. As I dint know what was inside, I tried to poke it with my car key. In the process the animal inside tried to bite my finger, so I had to be more careful.
So I covered my hand with a polythene bag and tried to widen the hole that I had created earlier with my car key. I peeked through the hole and the animal inside appeared to be frog.
Just then a person carrying his infant daughter on his shoulders came out of a nearby house and inquired what was happening. I told him what was happening and requested him to get me a scissor. He was willing to help and immediately got a scissor to cut open the plastic bag. I started cutting the plastic bag very carefully so as not to hurt the animal inside. After some tricky moments, the bag was cut open, and the animal jumped out.
It was a beautiful wild frog with a variety of pigments from red to green, with a large underbelly and wide eyes. There was a sigh of relief as it slowly hopped into the thick bushes.
I ponder about human cruelty. Human cruelty is indeed boundless. It does not spare even a harmless, small animal like a frog.
-KVR
A little help saves a life
ReplyDeleteThere is a female dog which keeps wandering in our neighborhood. Generally, it does not come close to people or allow people to go near it. It just hides itself in a gutter or a similar place but does not enter houses. It is fed by some of us. A kind-hearted lady next to my house looks after such dogs and feeds them regularly. She has a pet dog at home but has made a shelter for all these free-roaming dogs in the portico of her house. She looks after them very well.
About two months back this female dog met with an accident. The accident was near fatal. A two wheeler hit the dog and the poor animal was dragged for several meters as it fell. The left side of the dog was shaved off leaving a large, deep and wide wound. I was not aware of this. After looking around for the dog for a few days and not finding it around, I enquired with the lady and she narrated me about the accident. She remarked that that the dog was wounded so badly that it may not survive. It had not come out or eaten food for the last several days, she remarked.
This was one dog I had really admired. Although it kept itself a little away from people, it never barked at or bit any one. It never chased other dogs, animals or people. When being fed, it would patiently wait for its turn at some distance, eat its food and slowly walk away. I always thought it was very gentle. So I was greatly disturbed when I heard that the dog was not doing well.
However, I spotted the dog a week later and was horrified to see a large wound on its left side. It had become very weak and almost unable to walk. We wanted to handover the dog to CUPA for treatment (and also ABC) but the lady said it might bite if someone tries to go near and try to capture it. We first thought of giving some sedative and try to chain it and then hand it over to CUPA but that did not work out. The only option left was to give it antibiotics prescribed by a Vet. We have a Vet hospital on my way to office. I got some antibiotics prescribed by the doctor and handed over the tablets to that lady who mixed it with milk and gave it the dog.
The dog had been trying to cure the wound by licking it and it had managed to keep the wound under control. Now aided by the antibiotic, the strong immune system of the dog worked wonders. It’s wound healed very fast. Right now only a coin sized, shallow wound is still present. It is eating well and has returned to a healthy state.
A small, timely help saved its life.
-KVR
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIT IS CRUELTY EVERYWHERE.
ReplyDeleteIt is cruelty everywhere. In every nook and corner. Animals are constantly tortured, abused, experimented upon, and mercilessly butchered for food, hide etc. Every day crores of animals die just to fill the human belly. It all happens routinely without questioning. Even religions (excepting some) do not bar it. So, it goes on and on. After all it is some one else’s life. Why bother?-so the argument goes.
However, we human beings understand pain and suffering very well. We are all born with lots of compassion. As children we always thought of animals as friends and liked to play with them. Even at that age we knew animals are not ‘things’ but ‘persons’. We are born with a Conscience that clearly knows how to discriminate between the good and bad, pleasure and pain. But this conscience is totally suppressed by our elders and we are advised to blindly follow them. The spirit of questioning is killed. Don’t we know that animals are very much like us in every possible way? Even their anatomy is so similar ours. They have emotions like us. Even at the genetic code level there is very little difference between humans and other mammals. The only difference may be in the intelligence (in the context of how WE understand ‘intelligence’) but animals have extraordinary abilities of their own. For example dogs’ sense of smell is amazing and for this reason they are used in crime detection. Like us, animals are also social beings and live in groups. They too have families and. parents take care of the offsprings until they are able to stand on their own legs. Birds build beautiful artistic nests. Dolphins are known to very intelligent. Ants are extremely disciplined and hard-working. Animals have all of the emotions that we have. They deserve to be loved and cared for. When it comes to intelligence don’t we have millions if mentally retarded children? Do we treat these children the same way we treat those animals?
When we talk to people who have pets, most of them say their pet is like a member of their family. They really love them. They know what it means to have a pet. Look into a dogs eyes. You instantly know it has a personality of its own. Give it a little love and it becomes your fiend for life. It likes to play with you. It likes to be fondled and cared for. It is not a ‘dumb’ thing. It is similar to us, in each and every way.
IT IS CRUELTY EVERYWHERE-PART2
ReplyDelete(Continued from part 1)
Don’t we know this? Have I said anything new? Absolutely nothing. Yet we IGNORE these facts and go about our business as usual. We are so profoundly brainwashed that we call all this ‘sentiment’ but when it comes to our own life we are so sentimental! In everyway we have double standards.
A zillion intriguing questions fly by in my mind
1. Does it require an Einstein’s brain to see the cry and sufferings of animals that are slaughtered for food, skin etc?
2. Where is the need to eat animal flesh when nature has innumerable varieties of plant food of every possible kind?
3. How can our own fellow human beings who are so polite and well mannered be so ruthless and insensitive inside when it comes to animals?
4. Why is there NO emphasis on compassion to animals in our religious teachings (barring a few)?
5. Why religious heads shun from speaking about non-violence (barring a few)?
6. Why mankind is so divided-some so brutal and kill anyone and everyone and some so noble that they give their own life for the well being of others and even animals………
……. the questions are endless
and there are NO answers. I know that for sure. Yet I brood over again and again only to get dejected and depressed. With so much of cruelty around life has lost its meaning or charm. Our heavenly earth has been turned in to a huge slaughter house, a graveyard with mounds of flesh with rivers of blood and mountains of skull and bone.
However, I am determined to do my best. I will strive my best to help these voiceless animals by giving them my time, energy and resources. I will stand by them. I will speak for them. I will campaign for them…..until I am gone. I know I can do very little but that would not stop me.
Today, a trickle of compassion has started in the world. Millions across the world are giving up non vegetarian food and are turning vegetarians and vegans. They have realized the truth. They are aware that vegetarianism and ethical living can reverse climate change and save the earth from environmental disaster. There are lakhs of people and thousands of organizations advocating for animal welfare. Will this trickle of compassion swell and become a mass movememt? Hope good sense will prevail.
MARRIAGE EXTRAVAGANZA- A COLOSSAL NATIONAL WASTE
ReplyDeleteI recently attended a marriage function of a relative and was overwhelmed and shocked to see so much money and precious natural resources being wasted in a jiffy.
It is indeed a criminal waste of money and our natural resources. Whom are we trying to appease? The same money could have been used to feed thousands of hungry people or to provide education to several under-privileged children or to provide medical treatment to the ailing…. The list is endless.
Year after year marriage extravaganzas are increasing by leaps and bounds. It appears that no one wants to be left behind. Every one wants to outsmart the other by spending more and more money to put up a bigger show of pomp, showmanship and glitter.
The marriage houses charge exorbitant rental amounts of several tens of thousands of rupees to several lakhs of rupees per day. The floral decorations, banner, interior arrangements -all cost several thousands to lakhs of rupees. Food is served lavishly and one can see tons of wasted food on the plates of guests. Dogs and beggars clamor for eating the wasted food that is thrown in to the nearby dustbin with abandon. What a shame!
In a typical marriage celebration, thousands for liters of water are wasted in a matter of minutes. Hundreds of thousands of units of electricity are wasted in a day. Heaps of non biodegradable plastic materials such as cups, plates and covers are used and thrown into the environment. What about the fuel wasted in hundreds of cars and other vehicles that are used by people to come to the venue of the marriage and go back?
Unfortunately, celebrating marriage in style has become a status symbol. The rich consider it as a display of their generosity and social standing. The poor and middle class people think that they too have to celebrate the marriage in style for otherwise their friends and relatives would mock at them. What logic! What thinking!! Can we find anything more absurd than this?
While the rich have money to indulge in such extravaganzas, the poor and middle class people suffer a great deal by spending all their hard earned money. They sell their hard-earned assets to conduct the marriage. The lives of many families get ruined by this.
And, is there any guarantee that a marriage conducted in this way with all pomp and show will not breakdown?
Extravagant marriages and dowry system are big banes of our Indian society. Every year thousands of crores of rupees are wasted in these marriages. Many precious lives are lost.
Marriage is a union of two individuals to start a family life. Why should one spend so much of money just to perform this? Marriages can be conducted in temples or in houses.(That was the practice in olden days). Even the rich have no justification in wasting money like this, because colossal amounts of precious natural resources are wasted in a matter of hours. If this meaningless practice continues, our future generations will not even have water to drink, leave alone fuel or electricity.
Only the youths of today have a solution to this gigantic problem. They should simply insist upon a simple marriage and avoid all frills and unnecessary expenditure. The government had a law to curb such lavish marriages but it appears to have become defunct as the politicians themselves do not want to follow it.
EGOISM-THE WORST ENEMY WITHIN
ReplyDeleteCome to think of it, egoism is really our worst enemy. A man who is egoistic thinks he is someone very special, and feels that he is far superior to others. He underestimates or trivializes the achievements of others.
The ego in him constantly works. This often makes him arrogant and his high-headedness manifests in every action of his. He is often insensitive to the feelings of others and his words and actions may not only hurt others but also cause serious damage.
Egoism stunts mental and spiritual development. The egoistic person thinks he is always right, so his sense of judgment is totally impaired. Ultimately he becomes a victim of his own egoism and suffers endlessly. He fails to recognize this and constantly blames others for his sufferings.
Egoism is very bad when it comes to relationships. Others do not feel free to mix with an egotist. Eventually he suffers isolation. His only recourse to seek solace is his false pride.
Egoism wrecks havoc in marriage relationships. The spouse (and needless to say, all his/her relations) are considered “cheap” by the egoist and this may eventually end up in a divorce. In most cases the root cause of divorces may be traced to this “ego problem”. In India, there is a general kind of “ego problem”. This is the concept of “male superiority”. The evil dowry system is founded on this treacherous concept. Needless to say, this is one of the worst cancers affecting our society. Every year hundreds of dowry deaths are reported in India.
Egoism could be bad for the health too. Ego induces stress and stress can result in various types of diseases as research has proven. Often egoism introduces anger and anger increases blood pressure. The person looses his cool and stress builds up. If egoism grows out of proportion then that person may be perceived as a maniac.
Egoism is immoral because an egotist not only constantly glorifies himself but also hurts others. His decisions will be biased that can result in unfair and harmful actions.
Egoists constantly glorify themselves and ridicule others but hardly achieve anything higher in life, although there are exceptions to this. They are thus isolated from ground realities and dwell in an imaginary world where they consider themselves as “super achievers”.
Egoism is a destructive quality. It is an evil. It is counter-productive. Egoism when combined with ignorance can indeed be very lethal.
Egoism may arise due to the personal perception that he/she is superior to others, but other forms of egoisms pervade the human populace. An individual may become egoistic about his race, nationality, religion, caste, tribe, family, profession, language and so on. When such egos operate as a collective force, it can simply be devastating and may threaten the very existence of human race.
As individuals, we must recognize that becoming too egoistic about our caste, religion. language etc can indeed be very harmful. For example, we can certainly be proud of our language and heritage, but thinking that other languages are not “as good” is a sign of unfounded egoism.
As human beings we should shed this evil-“Egoism”. It simply kills. When we realize that we are insignificantly small in this universe, there will be no place for egoism. On the other hand compassion and respect for all forms of life can make this earth a true paradise.
CELEBRATE GANESHA FESTIVAL THE ECO- FRIENDLY WAY
ReplyDeleteThe Ganesha festival is round the corner. Lakhs of people celebrate it, wherein idols of Lord Ganesha are purchased, worshipped and then immersed in a water body such
as a river, pond, lake or even a well. It is a boom time for the artisans who make the idols.
Most of these idols come in bright colours and generally the paint used is an oil paint. Apart from several chemicals, it also contains lead which is a potentially harmful ingredient.
When the idols are immersed in water, lead and other harmful elements get released into water. Thus the water gets severely polluted and poisoned which endangers the lives of fishes and other aquatic animals that live there. Further, these chemicals and lead percolate into ground water and makes it toxic and dangerous. With virtually lakhs of people doing the Ganesha pooja in this way, the pollution has reached Himalayan proportions
Thus it makes great sense to buy unpainted idols and use them. The idols made of clay are equally elegant and eco- friendly. Also, when the idols are to be immersed in water, flowers and other materials adorning the deity must be removed and only the idol must be immersed.
In spite of repeated reports in the media about this serious issue, most people still go about purchasing the painted idols. It is high time they realized that this is a grave danger.