VMAAF

The VMAAF National Animal Awards

The Venu Menon National Animal Awards are India's premier private awards that commemorate excellence in animal welfare. Started in 1999, the awards were instituted in memory of Shri Venu Menon, an animal lover who died young. He is survived by his wife and seven year old daughter, Venika.

Throughout his short life, spanning only 33 years, caring for animals was important for Venu. This stemmed from a genuine respect for life in all forms, and outrage at the conditions animals are subjected to. The awards were set up by the Venu Menon Animal Allies Foundation (VMAAF), which seeks to commemorate his beliefs and keep his concerns alive.

A true communications professional, Venu Menon spent a decade of his working life with some of India's leading corporate houses. He started his career with the Indian Express group, one of the largest conglomerates in the country, and moved on to IPAN, a top brand communication consultancy worldwide. His last assignment was with Corporate Voice Weber Shandwick as head of the northern operations where he developed a seamless team of individuals from diverse disciplines to deliver communication solutions to clients. Other than his chosen profession, which he loved, Venu was also passionate about sports, in which he won numerous awards. Animal care also came to him naturally from an early age. He led the neighbourhood children in treating injured and sick animals and reporting cases of cruelty, especially towards tonga horses and bullocks, to the SPCA. Venu had a deep respect in all life forms, and this is also the motto of the Venu Menon National Animal Awards.

The Awards are a way of recognizing and rewarding people who have made caring for animals a way of life for themselves. A pat on the back, a little encouragement, can go a long way in enthusing people to care for animals and work to alleviate their sufferings. The Venu Menon National Awards are a small step in that direction.

The National Animal Awards are conceptualized as a ceremony that bestows honour and recognition at a national level. In the past five years, the awards have been presented by two former Heads of State, one former Prime Minister and one serving Vice President. In its inaugural year, there were five awards on offer, which over the years has grown in number to nine. Besides the main awards, merit certificates are also presented.

Categories for the awards are:

Venu Menon Lifetime Achievement Award
The most prestigious award, the Venu Menon Lifetime Achievement Award, is given for a lifetime of compassion and care in the service of animals. The award is open to people who have worked for any animal, be it domestic or wild, and is based on the magnitude of work, its national impact and the length of service. The award carries a specially designed statuette by eminent artist Bulbul Sharma and a citation.

Venu Menon Animal Allies Award
The Venu Menon Animal Allies Award is the premier award for individuals in the animal welfare category, and goes to a person who has done exceptional work in caring for animals in distress and promoting the concept of animal welfare. The award carries a cash prize, a certificate and a statuette.

Venu Menon Young Achiever Award
The Venu Menon Young Achievers Award is meant to recognize efforts of children and youth and is open to individuals below 21 years of age. It carries a cash award, a certificate and a statuette. At times, this award has been withheld when nominations have been found to fall short on the criterion of national impact, but all entries in this category receive an appreciatory letter, certificate or memento.

Special Organisation Award
The Special Organisation Award is meant for organizations that have done outstanding work in the field of animal welfare. This award is not open to individuals and it carries a cash prize, a certificate and a statuette.

David Shepherd Wildlife Award
Instituted in 2000, the David Shepherd Wildlife Award is for overall excellence in wildlife conservation, for saving endangered species or habitats. It bears the name of the famous British wildlife artist and conservationist, David Shepherd, whose wildlife foundation sponsors the award, which carries a cash prize, a certificate and a statuette.

WTI Vanrakshak Award
The WTI (Wildlife Trust of India) Van Rakshak Award is one of two WTI awards that were instituted in the year 2000. This award is to commemorate the selfless work of the man in the field: the forest guards, foresters and range officers who protect Indian wildlife. The award carries a cash component, a certificate and a statuette.

WTI Endangered Species Award
The WTI Endangered Species Award is given to an individual or a group of individuals who have contributed to the conservation of a single species of wildlife. It carries a cash award, a certificate and a statuette.

Leadership in Conservation Award
Instituted in 2003, the Leadership in Conservation Award is given to a prominent citizen of India from the world of politics or business, the executive or the judiciary, who has been a patron of conservation and led from the front. It carries a certificate and a statuette.

Jury’s Special Award and Merit Certificates
Occasionally, the jury may decide to give a special award for either a single instance of exceptional merit, the unusual quality of service rendered, or for work done in spite of the difficult economic circumstances of the nominee. This c arries a cash award normally contributed by the jury, a certificate and a statuette. The jury may also decide to award merit certificates that would serve as encouragement to an individual or organization which has been doing consistently good work.

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