Youth Incorporated Magazine

For her whole-hearted support towards vegan eating and for keeping animal skins out of her handbag line for Rheson, as well as taking many other actions for animals, actor Sonam Kapoor has been named People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India’s Person of the Year for 2018.

“Whether she’s enjoying vibrant vegan meals or rallying her fans to do their part to stop animal suffering, Sonam Kapoor never hesitates to help animals any way she can,” says PETA India Associate Director Sachin Bangera. “PETA India encourages everyone to take a page out of her book and live with compassion and respect for all beings.”

Kapoor was named PETA India’s Hottest Vegetarian Celebrity in 2016 and earned a Compassionate Business Award from the group year later for her cruelty-free handbag line, Rheson. Her past animal advocacy efforts include urging the Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change not to revoke the ban on classroom dissection for university life science and zoology students; calling for a Maharashtra state-wide ban on glass-coated manja that can entangle and kill birds; and donating “kind kites” to children to help prevent injuries from manja. In addition, she frequently speaks out for animals on social media, from supporting PETA India’s “Adopt – Don’t Shop” initiative to encouraging people always to be on the lookout for animals in distress.

Past recipients of PETA India’s Person of the Year Award include Anushka Sharma, Sunny Leone, Dr Shashi Tharoor, former Supreme Court Justice KS Panicker Radhakrishnan, and actors Kapil Sharma, Hema Malini, R Madhavan, and Jacqueline Fernandez.

PETA India’s motto is “Animals are not ours to experiment on, eat, wear, use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”. For more information, visit PETAIndia.com