Satyagraha 2.0: Bengaluru Vegans March for a More Compassionate World

Gandhi Jayanthi march urges citizens to rethink everyday choices and extend ahimsa to all sentient beings

Bengaluru: On Gandhi Jayanthi, the streets of Bengaluru witnessed a different kind of Satyagraha as animal rights activists took to the streets with a message of compassion, non-violence and respect for all living beings.

Observed as “Satyagraha 2.0”, the peaceful march through AECS Layout was organised for the fifth consecutive year by the Bengaluru Brigade for Animal Liberation (BBAL) in association with the Vegan India Movement (VIM). The campaign sought to draw attention to the exploitation of animals for meat, eggs, dairy, clothing, entertainment, experimentation and other human uses.

The activists described the initiative as an attempt to revive the deeper meaning of ahimsa and encourage people to look beyond everyday products and recognise the lives and suffering often hidden behind them.

A peaceful protest with a powerful question

Several participants observed a fast lasting more than 12 hours and interacted with hundreds of passersby. Carrying placards with messages such as “If eating animals is a choice, then why do we choose to be cruel?”, the protesters urged citizens to question practices they said had become normalised over generations.

Nitin, president of the Vegan India Movement, said society had commodified animals to such an extent that the violence associated with milk, meat and eggs was often overlooked. He pointed to practices in the egg industry, animal experimentation, circuses, zoos and the use of animal skins in fashion, arguing that ahimsa should extend to all sentient beings.

Questioning what has become “normal”

Shashank, a Bengaluru resident who participated in the fast, focused on dairy consumption. He urged people to ask where milk comes from, who produces it and who it is naturally meant for, noting that cows and buffaloes produce milk for their calves after giving birth.

For mother-daughter participants Divya and Saadhana, the campaign also highlighted speciesism, or the tendency to treat some animals as companions while viewing others as food. They stressed that animals such as cows, goats, pigs, fish and chickens are capable of experiencing pain and joy.

Activist Darshana Bhattacharya called on people to investigate the realities behind animal-based products and make informed choices. She said recognising animals as living beings rather than commodities could be the beginning of a more compassionate society.

For the participants, Satyagraha 2.0 was not merely a march but an invitation to rethink ahimsa in everyday life. Their message was simple yet challenging: meaningful change can begin with a question, a conscious choice and the willingness to extend compassion beyond human boundaries.