“It was a usual day, about 12 years back, that I came across a dog lying on the street. The dog was sick and unable to move. My friend and I found out that a two wheeler had run over the dog’s spine and he had been lying helpless since the previous night. None of the people around tried to help the dog, so we decided do something. We called BlueCross, but our calls went unanswered. We couldn’t think of a way to take him to a vet without causing further pain, so we started visiting homes of people who had dogs, in the hope that they would guide us or send a vet. At one such house, we were first greeted by 15 dogs and then an old man. When we told him about the dog, he called someone from BlueCross he knew personally. He told us that the local Animal ambulance would arrive in a few hours to attend to this dog. About an hour later, when we went to check on the dog, we saw the same old man feed the dog with his hands. He wanted to comfort the dog until help arrived. This sight shook me. The number of people who can relate to the pain of animals and help them is very little. Since then, I began to rescue community dogs as much as I could and also formed a team of volunteers from across the city.

We have stopped looking at street animals as part of the community. As homosapiens, or the wise species, we have the responsibility to be kind towards these stray animals. Animals, especially dogs, can hear about 10 times more than us. Everytime there’s fireworks, these poor animals run from one lane to another, often losing their lives in the process. Even birds take a huge toll when ‘rockets’ are aimed towards trees. Some birds die instantly due to loud sounds. How can we call Diwali a festival of good over evil while causing trauma to animals? Most of us lack understanding and awareness towards this because we’ve been encouraged to burst crackers since our childhood. But to learn and rethink our choices, is to grow. This Diwali let’s seek light, in the form of true understanding and win over evil, by being more responsible towards the Environment and Animals. After all, Indian festivals are all about learning the right values!”

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