Remembering Farmed Animals This Independence Day

Every Independence Day, India celebrates the freedom that shaped our nation—the freedom to determine our own future, live with dignity, and build a more just society. But as we celebrate our freedom, it is worth asking a difficult question: What does freedom mean for those who have no choice at all?

Across India, millions of animals are raised and killed for food. Cows and buffaloes are used for dairy, chickens are confined for eggs and meat, pigs are raised for pork, goats and sheep are bred for meat, and fish are farmed or caught for consumption. Their lives are largely determined by human choices—from where they are born and how they are confined to when they are transported, separated, and ultimately killed.

Freedom from cages and confinement

Chickens are kept in overcrowded sheds or restrictive cages, often with little opportunity to perform natural behaviours such as exploring, foraging, dust-bathing, or simply moving freely. Dairy animals face repeated cycles of breeding, pregnancy and separation from their calves. Animals raised for meat endure crowded conditions, stressful transport and brutal handling before slaughter.

These animals are not machines producing meat, milk or eggs. They are sentient beings capable of experiencing emotions like pain, fear, stress and comfort. They have individual personalities, preferences and social relationships.

Freedom from being treated as commodities

Independence Day reminds us that every individual deserves to be treated as more than a means to someone else’s ends. Extending that principle to animals challenges us to reconsider the way we view them.

When we call a hen an “egg-laying unit,” a cow a “milk-producing animal,” or a chicken a “broiler,” language can make an individual disappear behind a product.

A chicken does not exist to produce eggs. A cow does not exist to produce milk. A goat does not exist to become meat. These are sentient beings whose lives have value beyond what humans can extract from their bodies.

True compassion asks us to see the individual behind the food on our plates.

Independence also means choosing differently

The good news is that our choices can help create a more compassionate food system.

Plant-based eating offers a practical way to reduce our reliance on industries that breed, confine and kill animals for food. India already has a rich culinary tradition that makes compassionate eating accessible and delicious.

Choosing plant-based foods is not about rejecting tradition. It is about evolving our traditions in ways that reflect compassion and our growing understanding of animals.

This Independence Day, let’s make compassion part of our freedom—and choose a future where animals are valued as individuals.