Friday, June 10, 2011

Anthony Marr's open letter to the Prime Minister of India

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Dear Prime Minister of India:

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." - Mahatma Gandhi.

The man and his great words should be India's pride, and what India should honor by action and reality, that is, if India wants to be the great nation that the great man envisioned her to be.

In this light, the act of extreme cruelty which occurred in Uttarakhand in March this year would render India less than great, much less. I, who have been to India three times, who love India only next to my own land, cannot help but be saddened by this India's great fall from grace.

I am referring to the incident in Uttarakhand in March this year, now world famous, world-infamous, rather, where 300-400 villages burnt a caged-leopard with kerosine - unto death - while the local authorities - supposedly 30-40 wildlife officials and 3-4 policemen - stood idly by, doing nothing to intervene, and subsequently arrested open two persons (that we know of), each given 2 weeks in jail - what many consider a secondary act of cowardice and/or corruption. And the matter is considered closed - in India.

Pardon my belated self-introduction. My name is Anthony Marr, with various achievements. Relevant here is that I was honored with the prestigious [Henry Spira Grassroots Activist Award] at the 2010 Animal Rights National Conference (~1000 attendees) in Washington DC. I mention this for no other reason than that I speak for thousands for animal advocates in dozens of countries around the world, and am also closely in touch with the sentiments especially in the West. Of course, I am also expressing my own personal opinion.

This matter has finally "gone viral". It has raised quite a global uproar, and smells to the high heavens, with the name of India plastered all over it. I have received dozens of emails complaining about your country in the most unflattering of terms, to the point where I had to chastise some of the most virulent of them for being racist. This of course is their fault, but what caused them to err is yours.

If I may be so bold to suggest, India can restore its hitherto good reputation by doing two things:

1. Issue a statement to the world that such an atrocity cannot and will be tolerated, and back this up by

2. bringing the perpetrators (at least the core 30) of that extreme act of cruelty to justice with the full weight of the law; we will be watching the news.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Anthony Marr, Founder and President
Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE)
Global Anti-Hunting Coalition (GAHC)
Anthony-Marr@HOPE-CARE.org
www.HOPE-CARE.org
www.facebook.com/Anthony.Marr.001
www.facebook.com/Global_Anti-Hunting_Coalition
www.myspace.com/AnthonyMarr
www.youtube.com/AnthonyMarr
www.HomoSapiensSaveYourEarth.blogspot.com
www.DearHomoSapiens.blogspot.com (AM's 3rd-book-in-the-making)
www.myspace.com/Anti-Hunting_Coalition
www.ARConference.org
206-259-9679

10 comments:

Neesan said...

Can you post the email / address of the Indian prime minisrer please .

Anthony Marr said...

Hi Neesan,

Please send your letter to just 2 destinations: 1. the Indian embassy in your country and 2. the Indian consulate in your city. They are duty-bound to pass your letter up to the Indian Central government.

Thank you for caring!

Anthony

Jeff said...

thank you brother..for everything you do for all those that can't help themselves..

gloria said...

I HAVE GOOGLEd INDIAN EMBASSY UK AND INDIAN CONSULATE UK. IT BRINGS ME TO THE HIGH COMMISSION OF INDIA...DO I SEND IT TO THE HIGH COMMISSIONER HIMSELF?? WOULD HE PASS IT ON TO THE RELEVANT PARTY/IES?

gloria said...

I HAVE GOOGLEd INDIAN EMBASSY UK AND INDIAN CONSULATE UK. IT BRINGS ME TO THE HIGH COMMISSION OF INDIA...DO I SEND IT TO THE HIGH COMMISSIONER HIMSELF?? WOULD HE PASS IT ON TO THE RELEVANT PARTY/IES?

Carol Lynn said...

Dear Prime Minister of India:

I am very hurt & appauled at what went on in India, The Burning of a leopard. I have never watched such Barbaric Torture cast on to a Poor Animal. This is so wrong, This has to be Stopped, brpought to the fullest attention in India.

Who would want to come to your homeland after seeing this.

Sincerely, Carol Strempler

Ishleen said...

Instead of neutering/spaying dogs one needs to take care of the human population in India!
The only reason there are so many leopards and other wild animals entering humans grounds is that there's hardly enough space left for them!
What can they do? Humans are the ones invading their grounds bit by bit...
And there's not a single politician that can be trusted around here!
It's just devastating to read about such instances so often around here.. If I could, I'd wipe out the concrete where it's not needed and give the poor animals their land back, and may be throw in a few humans who willingly kill for fun!

david llewellyn foster said...

Anthony,this ghastly image is the quintessential icon of our times: it symbolises everything that is most venomously unfeeling, debased and sacrilegious. All life and in particular wild animal life is sacred, but this animal has always been held in the greatest awe and mystical wonder, it simply beggars belief that such an atrocity can be just accepted as only another sad day in the catalogue of abysmal horror. This image should be placed in the greatest cathedrals and temples of the world, in the museums and public places, displayed everywhere as an index of the horrendous capacity of human beings for depravity and mindless wickedness. David Llewellyn Foster, N. Devon UK davidlfos@gmail.com

lisaloewen7 said...

Meu Deus que horror, que ato cruel, nefasto, nojento, maldoso, brutal, estúpido, é crueldade demais, repudio totalmente a essa atrocidade, repudio totalmente a qualquer crueldade contra seres vivos seja qual for e em que país seja, chega dessa crueldade, TODOS os animais merecem respeito e dignidade, TODOS, isso é criatura psicopata, maldosa, doente que faz e que assiste, isso é inaceitável, ÍNDIA faça alguma coisa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lisa Loewen Brazil.

lisaloewen7 said...

Pelo Amor de Deus, esse ato é um completo absurdo, cruel, nojento, nefasto, desumano, maldoso, insano, hediondo...repudio totalmente essa crueldade, repudio qualquer ato que maltrate ou infliga dor e sofrimento a qualquer animal, seja em que país for...BASTA de crueldade, todos os animais tem direito a dignidade e respeito, a uma vida sem dor!!!!!!!!!! Faça alguma coisa ÍNDIA!!!!!!!!!!!! Isso foi muito horrível!!!!!!!!!!! Lisa Loewen Brazil.