Pankaj Advani Urges Fans to Clear the Meat From Their Tables
For Immediate Release:
March 18, 2011
Contact:
Ashley Gonzalez 202-483-7382
Norfolk, Va. — When Pankaj Advani steps up to the billiard table, you can hear a pin drop. But one thing that the world billiards champion and longtime vegetarian refuses to remain silent about is the suffering and ecological damage caused by the meat industry. That's why Advani is starring in a new pro-vegetarian ad for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India. In the ad, Advani leans on a billiard table next to the words "Take the Cue: Go Vegetarian." The "billiard balls" are colorful peppers and tomatoes.
Advani says, "If health is wealth, then enrich your body, mind and soul with a vegetarian diet. Try it ... you have nothing to lose!"
Vegetarians are, on average, significantly leaner than meat-eaters are. Also, the consumption of meat and other animal-derived products has been conclusively linked to heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancer, and, of course, obesity. The meat industry is responsible for the daily suffering and terrifying deaths of billions of animals and is also a leading source of the greenhouse-gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
Advani recently won India's first gold medal in the 2010 Asian Games in men's billiards singles. After winning the International Billiards & Snooker Federation's World Billiards Championship in 2005, Advani became only the second cueist after Malta's Paul Mifsud to have won both the billiards and snooker world titles. He also won the 2005-2006 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award for excellence in sports and the Karnataka government's prestigious Ekalavya award in recognition of his achievements.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.