AChristmasparty of a different kind

CHENNAI: How many of us really think about the kind of torture that chickens go through in a slaughter house when we feast on the kebabs and tikkas? From being cramped into small cages for rapid growth to being “de-feathered” in high temperature owens, the birds go through a lot of pain to end up on our tables as delicious dishes. This was exactly the message that activists of PETA wanted to convey on Wednesday, when they organised a special Christmas celebrations for the birds to encourage people to have a meat-less festival.  Niranjan, one of the organisers, said that the chickens were rescued when they fell off a truck that was transporting them to a slaughter house. This, when the idea of holding a Christmas celebration dawned upon the members of the organisation. “Not many people know the kind of treatment that are meted out to the birds. If they do come to know, they wouldn’t even think of having them for food,” he said, pointing to the chickens now happily playing with a Santa in their small ring. RJ Suchitra and actor Karthik Kumar, who lent their support for the cause by their presence at the party, said that people failed to recognise the negative energy that surrounded the killing of the birds. “A day like Christmas is a such a positive thing. However, as there is very little awareness about the kind of torture that the birds go through in the slaughter houses, people fail to recognise the negative energy that is there on their plates,’ said Karthik, adding that laws relating to animal torture are rarely enforced in the country.Suchitra said though they were not asking every one to turn vegetarian overnight, it was important to know where the meat came from and how it was produced. “Whether it is big slaughter houses or small meat shops, there are no regulations on how these poor birds are treated. Once we understand how the meat is produced, many of us will understand the need to turn vegan,” she said. A DVD on the torture meted out to the chickens, titled “Glass Walls,” was also distributed during the event.