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On this day in vegan history · December 17, 1972

A Bollywood Star Is Born a Vegetarian Bodybuilder

The Bollywood action star who built his physique without meat later used that fame to lobby a government minister to get animals out of India's circus rings.

The facts

Born
December 17, 1972, in Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra
Known for
Hindi film actor and producer, vegetarian bodybuilder
2013 campaign
Wrote to India's Minister for Environment and Forests on behalf of PETA, asking for animal-free circuses

John Abraham was born in Bombay, now Mumbai, on December 17, 1972, the son of a Malayali Syrian Christian father and an Irani Zoroastrian mother. He grew into one of Hindi cinema's leading action stars, built around a physique he trained as a vegetarian bodybuilder rather than the usual high-protein, meat-heavy routine. He turned that public profile toward animal welfare too: in April 2013, writing on behalf of PETA, he sent a letter to India's Minister for Environment and Forests, Jayanthi Natarajan, asking her to make the country's circuses animal-free.

In their words

The day in the words of the people who were there. Every quote is verbatim, and every source links out so you can check it.

  1. He is also a vegetarian bodybuilder and is an advocate for animal rights.

    Wikipedia, "John Abraham" article

    Source: Wikipedia

  2. In April 2013, on behalf of PETA, Abraham wrote a letter to the Minister for Environment and Forests, Jayanthi Natarajan, asking that she make all circuses in India animal-free.

    Wikipedia, "John Abraham" article

    Source: Wikipedia

Why it still matters

A mainstream action star training his body without meat, then spending his celebrity to press a sitting minister on animal welfare, put both ideas in front of an audience no pamphlet ever reaches.

Sources

This history is still being written.

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