Delhi Volunteers spread awareness that milk is not vegetarian

An animal rights volunteers group organized an awareness campaign at Deer Park, Hauz Khas, Delhi, this past Sunday. They made the people around aware of the exploitation of buffaloes and cows in conventional dairy farms. Their activity was organized under the theme "Milk is Not Vegetarian."

People were invited to taste plant milks and to rethink their habits of drinking cow milk daily in an entirely different manner.

This protest was organized by Animal, Climate and Health Save India, a group of volunteers who met in over fifty towns. Ten to fifteen of them were standing inside the park wearing black Tshirts as you can see from the screenshot at the end of this blog. The Tshirts were designed with the campaign slogan written on them. Placard carried by each of them with the picture of a cow or calf and with it, statements about the sufferings of these animals behind the glass of milk we drink.

The organisers had to make it clear to the general public by explaining that they did not attend with the intent to shout or obstruct roads, they went in with the intent to provide facts and matters of concern as vegetarians. Volunteer Shilpa Bharadwaj told those who were around that Cows are not exactly milked non violently.

What really happens is that the cow gets pregnant, the calf is removed and the mother's milk is extracted by machine or hand. And at the time her production of the milk decreases, she is then sent to slaughter. Their intent is to make people hear this first, because once they know, they might just make a different decision.

To some extent, the visitors in the park reacted accordingly. Of course some of them continued walking not caring about it since perspectives and opinions are totally different.

Sunil Pathak, who is someone that grew up on a small farm, said, if farmers do not sell milk, then how will they be able to afford seed and school fees? This is a viable and good question that challenged the opinion of the volunteers.

But the volunteers replied saying that soy, almond, oat or coconut milk are already stocked on the shelves at supermarkets and that villages might even cultivate the crops used in those beverages eventually, but they just had to state the obvious and agree to reality, this change is more difficult where every rupee depends on cattle.

Narhari Gupta, the group's national coordinator, stated that the intention is not to start a heated debate or provocation. They said they do not counter anyone. They would only want people to hear facts and make decisions with more prudence. The group has decided to interact with people on Sundays in Delhi and other city centers.

Milk holds strong cultural and religious significance in India. It is regarded by many as a clean and essential component of a vegetarian diet. So this campaign in a direct way, now challenges that perception by trying to expose the secret damage milk production inflicts on the planet and animals.

The reality is that majority of people will hear this and probably dismiss the case, but at least this initiative shows the vegan revolution in India is growing stronger beyond social media videos and now, onto streets and on the ground conversations.

Screenshot from this news source