The whole of PETA India is on a roll, ya'll! I'd barely even finished writing my blog entry about the array of successful demos that the grown folk at PETA India have put on throughout the month of September, when their younger counterparts at petaDishoom squeezed in a grand finale!

To commemorate Gandhi's birthday and World Vegetarian Day, PETA India's youth wing, petaDishoom, teamed up with local groups and a just a few hundred activists for a veggie rally followed by the first-ever "Animal March" to the city of Pune. Donning animal masks and picket signs, these peaceful marchers chose the perfect way to honor the Mahatma's memory and carry on his legacy of compassion and nonviolence.

Here are some fun pics from the event:

You know, it's always the right time to cross over to the vegetarian side, so if you've been dying to kick it with the cool kids (like the ones pictured here) but you just need a little kick-start, you can get yourself a copy of our "Vegetarian Starter Kit" here.

On a side note, I've just learned that dishoom (which is now my new favorite word) translates roughly into one of my other favorite sayings, "to bring the raucous." Judging from the huge success of this march and PETA India's nonstop celebrity features and kick-butt campaigns, I'd say PETA India sure dishoomed it this month … eh?

Silliness aside, congratulations, PETA India and petaDishoom, for one very successful month!

Posted by Missy Lane

Covering a variety of pressing issues, the fantastic PETA India team took to the streets with some great demos this month! And since it's just so dang encouraging to be reminded of how many of us cruelty-free folk are working around the world to lend a loud voice to the voiceless, we figured we'd give you a sampling of PETA India's latest rabble-rousing. Here's a look at our comrades in action:

Gaurav Jain and his bunny friend call for a Cosmetic Testing Ban in front of Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi during a press conference on tobacco products.

A powerful anti-leather demo in Bhubaneswar exposes the horror of Indian leather.

Coffins positioned in front of Kanpur Zoological Park, where six black bucks recently died in 'mysterious conditions,' alert passersby of a deadly trend occurring in Indian zoos.

With the spotlight that September 11 casts on terrorism every year, activists in Banglore took the opportunity to focus attention on the terror Kentucky Fried Cruelty unleashes on millions of chickens every day.

Woot! Woot! Seeing activists bring the raucous to cruelty's front door gets me amped! Great work everyone!

Posted by Missy Lane

Animal rights is not just an American or European issue. All the way across the world, our colleagues in PETA India are doing their part as well. Each month, The PETA Files will bring you an update on PETA India's accomplishments.

On August 13, in Hyderabad, PETA India protesters held signs reading, "Broken Wings and Legs," while a giant crippled "chicken" crossed the road in front of a KFC to protest the company's abusive treatment of chickens and urge people not to eat at KFC until the company improves their animal welfare standards.

In Delhi, on August 22, PETA India members stood outside the Livestock and Dairy Expo to protest against the cruelty inflicted on animals raised for milk and to point out that those who drink milk share responsibility for the suffering of cows and calves outside the dairy industry. They also wanted to inform the public that dairy products are linked to heart disease and certain types of cancer in human beings.

On August 27, a PETA India activist in Lucknow led a protest against the cruel and bloody leather industry, hoping to raise awareness about the horrible suffering that animals endure before they are killed and their skin is made into leather shoes, bags, and other products.

Keep up the good work, PETA India!

Posted by Carrie Ann Harris

Snake charmers, fairies, and leprechauns…if you thought all three only existed in the pages of fairytales, here's a surprise. Snake charmers have been and still are entrancing villagers into believing the myth that the sounds from their instrument can hypnotize a snake, who will "dance"—for money, of course.

Sound a little slippery? That's because it is. There is no magic involved, only cruelty. Here's how:

Snakes are trapped and taken from their natural habitats. Their teeth are yanked out without any painkillers, their mouths are often sewn shut (leaving a little gap to pour water or milk down), and their venom ducts are often pierced with a hot needle, causing the glands to burst and incapacitating this animals' most effective defense mechanism. None of the snakes lives very long, and death comes slowly and painfully.

The "dance" these snakes perform is actually a terrified reactive sway to the snake charmer's movements—as a means of self-defense from "attack" by the pipe. Snake charming is so violent, in fact, that the Indian Wildlife Act of 1972 actually banned it. But snake charmers show their disregard for the law and these animals by continuing their cruel ways.

With the upcoming holiday of Naga Panchami, which is held in honor of the Serpent God, PETA India decided to do a little charming of their own by releasing a brand-new ad urging people to boycott snake shows. The ad tells the story of a snake and a snake charmer, played by supermodel Jesse Randhawa and Hollywood/Bollywood dance instructor Sandip Soparrkar, and features the tagline "Snakes Are Not Natural Performers—We Are."

Jesse Randhawa and Sandip Soparrkar say, "Snakes Are Not Natural Performers—We Are," in a new PETA India ad.

The ad sends out a great message to people in India. It points out that a country that has worshipped snakes throughout its history can't "honor" the reptiles with acts of cruelty. Check out PETA India's new mesmerizing ad here!

I wonder who in today's day and age thought that bullock carts were still a good idea.

After teaming up with Bollywood celebrities to protest this inhumane use of bullocks, PETA India has now turned to a creative street-demo approach! In Mumbai—a traffic-congested, bustling rich city—the local kerosene companies (which are not poor by any stretch of the imagination) use bullocks to pull rickety carts heavily laden with kerosene barrels. Between shipments, the bullocks are also forced to stand for hours without any shade in the sweltering sun and are not given sufficient food or anywhere near the amount of water they need. PETA India has discovered that sick and injured bullocks are being forced to pull the extremely heavy oil carts through the city and that they do not receive any veterinary care.

Join PETA India—and the Bollywood humane set—and sign the petition asking Mumbai's controller of rationing to end this cruelty to bullocks. Also, check out these great photos from the PETA India demo

Beachgoers at Puri Beach in Orissa, India, were greeted by a little more than just sun and surf yesterday. PETA India recognized World Environmental Day with a giant sand sculpture of a polar bear crushed beneath a larger-than-life shoe and a sign that read, "Your carbon footprints have leather shoes." You can catch the full story here.

The 10-foot-tall sand sculpture coincided with PETA India's new environmental campaign, highlighting the harmful effects that the leather industry has on the environment. And given that India is one of the top producers of leather, the sculpture is perfectly fitting, I'd say.

Leather products full of chemicals, dyes, oils, and finishes cause irreversible devastation not only to the world's waterways and ecosystems but also to human health. And the cruelty involved with the leather industry isn't any better—since leather is the most important byproduct of the meat industry, leather production directly contributes to factory farms and slaughterhouses. And according to a 2006 United Nations report, raising animals for food creates more greenhouse gasses than all trucks, cars, planes, and ships in the world combined. The damage caused by India's leather industry makes the country a major contributor to global warming and the further endangerment of polar bears and their natural habitat.

I think PETA India's N.G. Jayasimha puts it best when he says, "Consumers can save polar bears and cows at the same time by giving leather products the boot." And well, we tend to agree.

--Jen

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky, Membership Correspondence Coordinator

To celebrate the occasion, PETA India held a giant birthday bash in Mumbai, hosted by Ingrid Newkirk and some of India’s biggest stars. Happy Birthday, guys! Here are some of the pics that have been circulating the web (just in case you’re not keeping tabs on the Indian celebrity blogosphere already).