Bollywood
actress
and
fashion
icon
Sonam
Kapoor
has
been
named
as
India's
Person
of
The
Year
by
animal
rights
organization
PETA
(People
for
the
Ethical
Treatment
of
Animals).
Sonam
has
been
given
this
honour
as
she
has
been
a
vocal
activist
for
animal
welfare
on
social
media,
and
has
encouraged
people
to
take
to
veganism.
Talking
about
the
animal
activist
in
Sonam,
PETA
India
Associate
Director
Sachin
Bangera
said
in
a
statement,
"Whether
she's
enjoying
vibrant
vegan
meals
or
rallying
her
fans
to
do
their
part
to
stop
animal
suffering,
Sonam
Kapoor
never
hesitates
to
help
animals
any
way
she
can."
He
added,
"We
encourage
everyone
to
take
a
page
out
of
her
book
and
live
with
compassion
and
respect
for
all
beings."
Sonam
turned
vegan
when
she
learnt
that
she
was
lactose
intolerant.
She
had
told
DNA
in
an
interview,
"I
stopped
eating
meat
four
or
five
years
ago.
What
has
happened
now
is
that
I've
stopped
consuming
milk
and
milk
products."
In
2016,
PETA
had
names
Sonam
India's
Hottest
Vegetarian
Celebrity.
Sonam
also
makes
conscious
fashion
choices
with
regard
to
her
brand
which
she
co-owns
with
her
sister
Rhea
Kapoor.
She
strictly
doesn't
use
animal
products
for
her
handbag
line
of
her
fashion
brand,
Rheson.
Sonam
received
a
Compassionate
Business
Award
from
PETA
in
2017
for
her
animal
cruelty
free
handbag
line.
Sonam
Kapoor
has
also,
in
the
past,
urged
the
Minister
of
Environment,
Forests
and
Climate
Change
to
not
revoke
a
ban
on
classroom
dissection
of
animals
for
university
going
life
science
and
zoology
students.
In
another
animal
welfare
issue,
she
had
called
for
a
state
wide
ban
in
Maharashtra
on
glass-coated
manja
(kite
strings)
that
can
kill
birds.
To
avoid
such
accidents,
she
donated
'kind
kites'
that
are
safer
to
use,
to
children.
Bollywood
has
many
stars
who
have
ditched
the
animal
diet
and
have
decided
to
go
either
vegetarian
or
vegan.
Alia
Bhatt,
Shahid
Kapoor,
Sonakshi
Sinha,
John
Abraham,
Aamir
Khan
and
his
wife
Kiran
Rao
are
among
them.
Anushka
Sharma,
Sunny
Leone
and
Jacqueline
Fernandez
are
other
Bollywood
stars
who
have
received
PETA
Person
of
the
Year
awards
in
the
past.