Events & Convenings

The NGO showcases at the India Animal Welfare Forum organized on the 31st of January, 2026 in Mumbai served as a powerful intersection of passion and pragmatism. It was a space where the raw, on-the-ground realities of grassroots work met the structured, metric-driven world of fund mobilization. Reflecting on the event reveals a complex dynamic of pressure, critical systemic awareness, and strategic orchestration. The Crucible of the Pitch: Pressure and Precision The showcase

Artificial Intelligence has quietly become a part of our everyday lives. We interact with it when we search online, navigate through cities, write emails, edit photographs, or ask questions to virtual assistants. Yet, despite how deeply AI has entered mainstream life, one question continues to emerge within the world of social impact and animal welfare: How do we meaningfully use AI for compassion-driven work? As a philanthropic organization working within animal welfare, thi

At the Upadhyaya Foundation’s ‘AI for Animal Welfare: From Compassion to Action’ Demo Day, held on 7th March 2026 in Mumbai, developers, nonprofits, funders, and ecosystem stakeholders came together to explore how emerging technologies can be applied to animal welfare in practical, real-world ways. Organised in partnership with Electric Sheep and Open Paws, the event brought together a select cohort of AI teams working on solutions across wildlife protection, community animal

On January 31, 2026, the India Animal Welfare Forum came to life in a room filled with over 200 philanthropists, CSR heads, NGO leaders, media professionals and field experts. But long before people entered that room, the event already existed in their minds. Communication had already shaped what they expected to see, who they expected to meet, and what they believed the Forum represented. By the time participants walked in, perception had already begun forming. The core lear

As we set out to build the India Animal Welfare Forum (IAWF), one insight became increasingly clear: India’s animal welfare ecosystem is not lacking in commitment, it is often lacking in connection . Across the country, organisations and individuals are working tirelessly across different areas — from community animal care and wildlife conservation to policy, veterinary science to farmed animal advocacy, community mobilisation to innovation. Yet much of this work happens in s

All Creatures Great and Small , written by Brinda Upadhyaya, Co-Founder, Upadhyaya Foundation is a quiet but powerful expression of the values that underpin the India Animal Welfare Forum. Rooted in the idea of jeevdaya —compassion for all living beings—the poem reflects a worldview where humans are not separate from nature, but deeply interconnected with it. Moving across water, sky, and land, the verses remind us that every creature plays a role in shaping the world we inha

Across India, thousands of individuals and organisations work every day to rescue injured animals, rehabilitate wildlife, manage community animal populations, and protect habitats. Yet despite the scale and urgency of these challenges, animal welfare remains one of the most underfunded sectors in Indian philanthropy . This reality became even more visible during the India Animal Welfare Forum , where over 200 leaders from across the country and internationally came together t