To celebrate her actions to help spare the lives of animals killed for fashion and her strong advocacy for dogs and cats in need, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has named beloved Bollywood star Sonakshi Sinha its 2022 Person of the Year.
This year, Sinha appeared in an eye-popping campaign against leather for PETA India, in which she brandished a bag dripping with “blood” to raise awareness of the more than 1.4 billion cows, sheep, goats, dogs, cats, and other animals who are killed in horrific ways each year to be turned into leather accessories no one needs. She actively encourages shoppers to embrace animal- and Earth-friendly vegan leather, such as that made from pineapple leaves, cork, fruit waste, and mushrooms, and her history of speaking up for animals includes calling for stronger animal protection legislation, starring in a pro-adoption campaign to push for Desi dogs’ rights on International Homeless Animals Day, and penning a letter calling for the rescue of an elephant abused for rides near Jaipur.
“Exploited animals have a hero in Sonakshi Sinha,” says PETA India Vice President of Celebrity and Public Relations Sachin Bangera. “Whether she is inspiring vegan fashion, encouraging dog adoption from shelters, or helping to fight crimes against animals, PETA India recognises Sonakshi for being an animal rights powerhouse.”
Past recipients of PETA India’s Person of the Year Award include former Supreme Court Justice KS Panicker Radhakrishnan, cricketer Virat Kohli, comedian Kapil Sharma; and actors Alia Bhatt, John Abraham, Anushka Sharma, Sunny Leone, R Madhavan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Hema Malini, and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja.
PETA India – whose motto reads, “Animals are not ours to experiment on, eat, wear, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
