No Caged Feelings

The latest ad by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India features internationally acclaimed sitarist Anoushka Shankar. The ad has Anoushka peering soulfully through iron bars next to the words – ‘Exotic Animals Belong in the Wild,Not in Zoos’. Through the ad,Shankar sends out the message that animals who are locked up in zoos suffer and their true nature can’t possibly be appreciated when in captivity. “I choose to entertain people for a living,but animals in zoos are locked in barren enclosures and put on display against their will. They can’t choose,but we can: please,boycott zoos,” says the two time Grammy awards nominee. An avid supporter of animal rights,Shankar has earlier appeared in a 30-second public service announcement with her father Pandit Ravi Shankar to encourage the government to increase the penalty for cruelty to animals. She has also performed exclusively for PETA to raise awareness about the plight of animals in zoos.