Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Inside:
Shells
Bones
Masculinity
Veggie pride
Food marking
Bully Kutta
Dog fights in Punjab
Beauty Without Cruelty - India
4 Prince of Wales Drive, Wanowrie, Pune 411 040 Editorial
Tel: +91 20 2686 1166 Fax: +91 20 2686 1420
E-mail: admin@bwcindia.org Website: www.bwcindia.org What a piece of work
is man!
In this Issue
T
his issue features
items about cock-
Editorial……………………………………………………This page fighting,dog-fighting
Shell-shock ………………………………………………………… 2 and dog-racing, though
Bully Kutta… ……………………………………………………… 5 there are numerous other
Fact, not fancy… ………………………………………………… 6 “sports” which involve
Around the world… ……………………………………………… 8 animals around this world.
FYI……………………………………………………………………… 9 These include camel-
BWC news and views………………………………………… 10 wrestling and bullfighting.
A compassionate world……………………………………… 12 It may be important to note
Vegan recipe… …………………………… Inside back cover that such activities are
connected to masculinity
R.I.P. Mr. Noshir N. Bhesania concepts.
who managed the Shooting birds with air-
Beauty Without Cruelty
accounts for 12 years,
guns may be a rite of
passed away suddenly on passage for 10-year-olds.
22 January 2013. Ten-year-old boys, that
He was not only dedicated is. The novel, “To Kill a
to his work but also to Mockingbird,” was set in the
our cause, influencing his mid-1930s, in the fictitious
daughter Anahita to become
a vegetarian like him.
small town of Maycomb,
Anahita is a BWC member Alabama, during the
and staunch supporter. Depression years of laws
ensuring racial segregation
and discrimination against
Publisher Diana Ratnagar,
Beauty Without Cruelty Chairperson, BWC - India African-Americans. Its title
is a way of life which causes Editor Ashoke Dasgupta relates to the instruction
no creature of land, sea or air Design Dinesh Dabholkar given by attorney Atticus
terror, torture or death Printing at Mudra, Finch that, while his
383 Narayan Peth, Pune 411 030 children can shoot any
Compassionate Friend
is printed on paper © Compassionate Friend number of bluejays with
free of animal substances is the copyright of their air rifles (this is
and published every
spring (February),
Beauty Without Cruelty - India. the gun-toting South),
summer (May), Unauthorised reproduction in any they must never shoot a
monsoon (August) manner, without written permission mockingbird, since they
and winter (November) from the publisher, is prohibited. “don’t do one thing but sing
Cover: Bully Kutta. Photo courtesy: Action Wolves their hearts out for us.”
Beauty Without Cruelty
In November 2011, U.S. like removing antlers among males, so one must
Staff Sergeant Calvin from a deer. We see here consider the concept of
Gibbs, 26, of Billings, another illustration of the masculinity. If being a man
Montana, was found guilty use of animals in “sport” is purely a matter of social
of three counts of murder, developing a “masculine” construction (that is, we
of conspiring to commit personality. create and make up gender
murder and several In June 2012, French roles) than being a man in
other charges, including police were hunting a group X simply involves
assaulting a fellow-soldier Canadian porn actor meeting the standards of
and taking fingers and a wanted for the murder being a man in group X.
tooth from the dead. He and dismemberment of If that involves owning
was sentenced to life in his lover. Luka Rocco guns, killing animals,
prison but may be eligible Magnotta, 29, was thought and swilling beer while
for parole in less than 10 to have flown from watching porn and sports,
years. Montreal to Paris, said then one must do those
French police officials. to be a man. If it involves
Soldiers repeatedly
Media reports linked sipping lattes, talking about
described Gibbs as
Mr. Magnotta to a video Proust and scrumptious
devising “scenarios” in
posted online in 2010 that steaks, then one must do
which his unit, in Iraq
showed two kittens being that. So, to be a man, one
or Afghanistan, would
placed in a plastic bag and must pick a group, sort
fake combat situations by
suffocated, and another out its standards and then
detonating grenades or
of a kitten being fed to a meet them as best one
planting weapons near
snake. These proved him, can.
their victims.
already, to be a man among In many ways, this is
They said he even supplied comparable to being good:
“drop weapons” and men who went on to enter
the porn business and kill if being good is merely a
grenades to make the social construct, then to
victims appear armed. a woman. What could be
more masculine? be good you must meet
Some soldiers took pictures the moral standards of the
posing with the dead Apparently animals are
group in question. This is,
and took body parts as here to make men out of
of course, classic relativism
trophies. Gibbs is accused us. Their suffering and
(and an approach endorsed
of snipping fingers from deaths are the height of
by leading sophists).
victims and later using impertinence, though
Shakespeare wrote, But being a man is more
them to intimidate another than just meeting the
soldier. And the poor beetle,
that we tread upon, socially- constr ucted
He also pulled a tooth from In corporal sufferance gender standards of a group
one man, saying in court finds a pang as great one wishes to belong to.
that he had “disassociated” As when a giant dies.
E-Mail: editorCF@bwcindia.org
the bodies from being – (3.1.85) Measure for Measure
human, that taking the However, cruelty is
fingers and tooth was synonymous with strength
Spring 2013
Beauty Without Cruelty
Shell-shock
by Ashoke Dasgupta
T
here are shells,
shells, and shells,
but we focus here
on the shocking cruelty
to bearers of marine and
freshwater shells, such
as those of land snails
and tortoises. Marine
and freshwater shells are
different from those of He sells sea-shells by the sea shore. Photo courtesy: shunya.net
land snails and tortoises.
attractive, covering or is easy to gather living
We also consider others
shell is very much a part marine creatures, kill
like crabs.
of its body. How, then, them and clean their shells
A shell is the rigid, do beachcombers find for commercial gain. One
outermost body-part of “empty” sea shells? First finds heaps of shells for
a marine creature. Sea of all, few of these are sale at tourist spots along
shells, freshwater shells, empty, being inhabited India’s long coastline, e.g.
snail shells, mollusc by tiny lives. This was at Kanyakumari.
shells, gastropod shells observed by BWC before
Wouldn’t this revelation
and turtle shells are a few a bagful of shells gathered
be good enough a reason
of the many species. on a beach were rinsed
not to collect so-called
Shells are developed or cleaned by boiling in
“empty” sea shells as
by living molluscs, water to kill the creatures
mementoes of trips to
crustaceans, turtles, inside. Other lives take
beaches?
tortoises, armadillos refuge in the “empty”
and many other living shells (skeletons) after the Oysters
organisms. They are original inhabitants die. The most common
essential for survival It is common for marine sea shells are bivalves
and serve in movement, creatures to use the shells (mussels, clams, scallops,
feeding, protection and of the dead. For example, oysters and such edible
defence. octopuses use clam shells shellfish) found in marine
Not “empty” for shelter, and hermit as well as fresh waters.
crabs use empty marine They die as soon as their
A living marine creature’s gastropod shells for shells are pried open.
protectively hard, protection.
and often colourfully Oysters are usually
It is not uncommon for consumed “fresh” or
shells to be cruelly emptied eaten raw by opening
– for profit – because it the shell with a shucking
Spring 2013
Beauty Without Cruelty
of French gastronomy
imported into India.
The snails are said to be
“hygienically grown,”
being fed on a special diet
of ground cereal, then
cleaned, gutted and made
ready for cooking in garlic
butter with parsley and
wine or cognac.
The Central Inland
Capture Fisheries
Slaughtering an oyster. Photo courtesy: latimes.com Research Institute sees
knife, adding a lime juice Escargot (pronounced es- nothing wrong in breeding
or vinegar dressing, and ka-go) French for snails, Giant African Snails so
scooping out the flesh. is one of the highlights that they can be converted
Few like to kill and eat into “gastronomic
raw oysters thus, so they delights.”
are cooked: the heat opens Nagas consume river
the shells and kills them. snails which are cooked
Pearls, natural and man- with dal and sucked.
made, are the result of They are purchased by
long-term pain for pearl the kilogram from the
oysters (living mollusc Dimapur Bazaar.
shells). Searching for and Manipuri cuisine also
removing the pearl inside includes river (freshwater)
involves splitting the snails. Their faces are
oysters open by inserting individually scooped out
a knife between the two and discarded. This is
valves and twisting it to followed by cutting off
cut the adductor muscle the tapering ends on their
holding the shell closed, third ridges so their meat
thereby killing the can be sucked out easily.
creature. They are then submerged
in a potful of salted water.
Snails After some time they are
Shells are also found as rinsed, and considered
protective layers on soft, clean enough for cooking.
delicatefreshwatercreatures
like mussels and snails Amputation of river snails to cook
Manipuri tharoi thongba. Photo courtesy:
– and even on land snails. openchallenge.tumblr.com
Spring 2013
Beauty Without Cruelty
Spring 2013
Beauty Without Cruelty
A
nimal- and bird- dog is made to chase and
fights are banned in kill a live chicken, and its
India, Afghanistan training includes being
and Pakistan, but held made to swim in ice-cold
clandestinely. Animals water.
like dogs are specially bred The dogs always suffer
to fight. Illegal dog-fights and die. They are either
involving betting were killed by their opponents
increasing in Haryana and or by their angry owners
Punjab and spreading to – losing dogs are clubbed
Delhi by 2012. with hockey sticks,
A year earlier, while poisoned with naphthalene,
inquiring about greyhound electrocuted or drowned.
racing in Punjab, Beauty Those who win suffer too
Without Cruelty discovered with gouged eyes, ripped
the existence of so-called ears, bitten-off tongues,
pit bulls at Moga, Surewala ruptured windpipes, and
and Kotkapura. even ghastlier injuries.
Such “dangerous” dogs Suffering is an integral
that fight each other to part of the fights – dogs
the death are called Bully suffer both physically
Kutta, and are similar and emotionally, whereas
to the vicious pit bulls humans suffer due to the
which were specially bred bets they place and lose.
to fight but have been Fazilka District’s dogs of war enhance
their owners masculinity by their The Police need to crack
banned in many parts sufferings. Photos courtesy: Tehelka down on all such dog-fights
of the world due to their
Dogs are also brazenly at Gurgaon, Bathinda,
presumably murderous
brought in by travellers Fazilka, Fatehabad and
instincts and actions. The
on Lahore-Amritsar buses other parts of Punjab,
mastiffs are common in
with the help of requisite before they reach an
Pakistan (like the “Kohatie
certificates. Kept as so- uncontrollable phase.
Gul Terr”), from where
they are smuggled into called guard dogs in farm- Khurshid Bhathena
India via some border houses, they are bred, sold, is a BWC trustee and
its honorary secretary.
districts of Haryana and trained and made to fight
Punjab, particularly the each other.
Fatehabad and Hisar Investigations by Tehelka
districts of Haryana. have revealed that a Bully
Spring 2013
Beauty Without Cruelty
Around the
world
First International
Veggie Pride
A
international city of Geneva, n Israeli law banning supposed to go into effect
which hosts the headquarters animal testing for in 1998, but was repeatedly
of the United Nations cosmetics, personal care and delayed. In 2009, all animal
(UN) and World Health household products became testing for cosmetics was
Organization (WHO). effective at midnight on 31 banned in the EU and
The program includes: December 2012. supported by campaigns
• Conferences in a unique “Animal testing in the from organizations including
setting Cosmetics Industry the Humane Society
inflicts horrific suffering International, the British
• The famous Veggie Pride Union for the Abolition
march on the streets of on animals. Each product
of Vivisection, and the
Geneva requires between 2,000-
European Coalition to End
3,000 tests, and animals die
• Letters to the WHO and Animal Experiments.
in agony,” said M K Eitan
the UN The 2009 ban was
Cabel, who called the move
• Delicious vegan food a “true revolution in animal accompanied by a marketing
• Concerts by talented welfare.” ban on products tested
artists and a Veggie Party outside the EU. However,
Animal testing for cosmetics the deadline was delayed
• Meetings and discussions and other products was for three types of tests in an
The event will take place banned in Israel in 2007, but effort to buy time to develop
in a pleasant atmosphere, this new ban is focused on alternatives. As of the March
encouraging people to products that are imported deadline, if it’s not delayed
feel comfortable in the from other countries and again, no cosmetic products
interesting meetings and will mean an end to the with ingredients that have
discussions. marketing of products that been tested on animals will
have been tested on animals, be sold in the EU, whether
even if the testing was done or not there is an alternative
outside the country. test available.
Spring 2013
Beauty Without Cruelty
F
a quantity, should be
ew realise that bones,
declared in order of
hooves and horns
decreasing quantity on
from slaughterhouses
labels, using its scientific
name. wind up as ingredients in
• The same law that requires consumer products. Bone china. Photo courtesy: Renee V.
food producers to declare Bones are no longer used
bone ash (burnt bones),
their products vegetarian for decolourising cane
whereas porcelain is
or non-vegetarian sugar. Modern sugar-
through the use of the made of kaolin (clay).
making technology has
green and red symbols/ Earthenware, stoneware
lessened the use of bone
logos should cover all and ceramics are free of
char (calcinated animal
(herbal, Ayurvedic, and animal substances except
bones) but, if beet sugar
so on) cosmetics and when shellac-coated to
manufacturing is carried
toilet preparations as shine.
out in a continuous
well. The scientific names Gelatine is another
process which bypasses
of the ingredients may derivative of animal bones
be meaningless to the the raw sugar stage, it
involves the use of bone and other body-parts. It
consumer, who is only is almost synonymous
concerned that it should char.
with jelly, although jelly
not be of a non-vegetarian Animal bones are burnt
crystals made of vegetable
nature. at high temperatures
• A line declaring
gums are available. In
to obtain not only bone
“Batch-tested on animals” addition to being an
char, but also bone black,
or “Not batch-tested ingredient in many foods
ivory black and animal
on animals” should be (E 441), gelatine capsules
charcoal, used mainly for
added on the package. are widely used by the
filtering water (removing
Since it is optional for pharmaceutical industry.
fluoride), refining crude
manufacturers to batch- Gelatine is also used by the
oil in petroleum jelly
test cosmetics, hair dyes cosmetic, photographic,
and other beauty and
(“Vaseline”) production,
paper and glue industries,
toilet preparations on and as a black pigment (in
to lesser extents. Whether
animals, the numerous paint, printing ink, and so
edible or not, gelatine is
consumers who consider on).
always of animal origin.
it unethical to use animals Fine china, bone china Alternatives are agar-
for this purpose consider and ordinary china agar, carageenan, pectin,
it their right to at least contain about 50 percent konjac and cellulose.
be told if the product
they intend to buy or use
has been so tested by the
manufacturer.
Spring 2013
Beauty Without Cruelty
Kozhi kettu
BWC disreputable
news & views
Greyhound racing hits
C ock-fighting or kozhi
kettu is an illegal blood
sport held at temples in
speed breaker Kerala’s Kasaragod District.
Yet the Kerala Tourism
A s a result of our
continuous
requests to
personal
numerous
website flagrantly declares,
“The significance and
splendour of cock-fight is
politicians, bureaucrats best reflected in almost all
and others, who in turn put the folk songs of Malabar.
pressure on the Chairman It is one of the major rural
of the Animal Welfare attractions of Kasaragod
Board of India, support district and has a legendary Cocks confiscated by police at
was received in December origin. Earlier these cock- Kasaragod. Photo courtesy: The Hindu
A compassionate world
T he
Society
Theosophical
hosts
week-long International
a
Convention at its
Chennai Headquarters
every December. BWC´s
Chennai centre has put
up a poster exhibition to
showcase animal rights
and compassionate living
to the delegates since the
early nineties. Cruelty-
free products like non-
leather wallets are also
sold to encourage mindful Stall set up and ready for the crowd. Photo courtesy: Geetha Jaikumar
consumption.
The Chennai centre was set
up with the active support
A l-Ameen Public School,
Edappally, Ernakulam,
is a reputed CBSE school
the programme. They said it
was informative.
The event was covered by
and encouragement with about 2,000 students. Malayala Manorama and
of Ms. Radha Burnier, BWC held a photo exhibition Mathrubhumi, both the
International President of at Al-Ameen on 30 October Malayalam leading dailies
the Theosophical Society. 2012. It was inaugurated of the area, The Hindu, and
She believes passionately by the school’s Principal, AIR’s Kochi Station.
in the doctrine of ahinsa Ms. Saroja Sahadevan. P. Krishnan is
and the sacredness of all Teachers and students BWC’s Kochi executive.
life – big and small. expressed appreciation for
Delegates attending the
Convention from India and
elsewhere have espoused
the cause enthusiastically
by becoming BWC
members and carrying
the animal rights message
back to their respective
homelands.
Geetha Jaikumar is
BWC‘s Chennai Executive.
Our exhibition promotes the better world we dream of. Photo courtesy: P. Krishnan
12 Spring 2013
Vegan recipe
Purslane
Do visit
www.bwcindia.org/Web/Recipes/VeganFood.html
for an assortment of Beauty Without Cruelty’s
tested and tasted, healthy and delicious vegan recipes.
Courtesy: vegans-in.blogspot.de