Pradeep Kumar Nath (vegan): Compassionate Protector of All Animals

As a child, Pradeep Kumar Nath of India loved stray animals and would often bring them home. This compassionate tendency stayed with him as he passed through adolescence and later went to college. Even while he was earning his bachelor’s degree in law at Andhra University in his native city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh state, he pondered dedicating his life to animal rescue work. But in the mid-1990s, Visakhapatnam adopted a policy of putting down stray dogs and pigs. This was something Mr. Nath could not tolerate, and so he formed a nonprofit organization in 1996 that became Visakha Society for Protection and Care of Animals (VSPCA). With his background in law, he filed a complaint in 1997 with the Animal Welfare Board about the city’s killing of pigs. In 1998, he petitioned the Andhra Pradesh High Court to stop the killing of stray dogs. The court sided with Mr. Nath and authorized VSPCA to coordinate an Animal Birth Control program in Visakhapatnam. Since then, more than 100,000 dogs have been neutered and vaccinated, and an ongoing information campaign has raised public awareness of the efficacy of this approach to reducing the street dog population. Mr. Nath’s dedication to animal welfare began to attract the encouragement and support of generous individuals and foundations. He founded a sanctuary called The Eden of Love and Compassion that is home to hundreds of large and small rescued animals. The shelter has evolved to include specialized areas for birds, cats, cows, dogs, mongooses, monkeys, and star tortoises. In 2000, VSPCA started working with the Forest Department to inform people and maintain the environment so that the birds can arrive safely and enjoy a peaceful stay. Since then, poaching has diminished, and the size of the flocks has increased. Mr. Philip Wollen’s Winsome Constance Kindness Trust in Australia has been sponsoring VSPCA’s Kindness Mobile Restaurant since its inception in 2010. The idea is to prepare vegan food three days a week for some of the most indigent people in Visakhapatnam who care for a dog. Supreme Master Ching Hai: “Joyfully present the Shining World Compassion Award to Pradeep Kumar Nath, with a humble contribution of US$10,000 to support the Visakha Society for Protection and Care of Animals, with love, praises and best wishes. May God always bless you and all involved abundantly.”