PETA Award for Ravi Shankar

The maestro was made honorary patron of PETA India this March.

Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar will be the second Indian after actor John Abraham to receive the Humanitarian of the Year Award from People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for his contribution in promoting animal rights.

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The maestro, who was made honorary patron of PETA India this March, will be presented with the award for 2005 at a glittering function in California on Sep 10.

The function, to be hosted by actress Pamela Anderson and comedian Fred Willard, will be attended by Paul McCartney, Alec Baldwin and a host of other celebrities.

Besides John Abraham, other recipients of the award are musician Prince, fashion designer Stella McCartney and actors Charlize Theron and Joaquin Phoenix.

"This is a long-awaited honour for one of our oldest and loudest supporters. We and the animals have been indebted to Panditji, who has always drawn attention to where everyone else prefers to turn a blind eye," says Anuradha Sawhney, chief functionary of PETA India.

The renowned sitarist and his daughter Anoushka have appealed to the Indian government to amend the laws for prevention of cruelty to animals.

In 2004, he supported PETA India's initiative to file a case in the Supreme Court against the central government, each state government and the Animal Welfare Board of India for allegedly failing to alleviate the suffering of animals in the leather and meat industries.