monkey man is SO GOOD!!

This documentary about animal rescue is ‘a labour of love for the voiceless’

Featuring actors Shraddha Kapoor and Jim Sarbh, ‘The Tails of Boo Boo & Cuddly Poo’ is a passion-driven, quirky documentary that spreads the message of acceptance, rescue and care for India’s community cats and dogs

The Tails of Boo-Boo & Cuddly Poo, a documentary on stray cats and dogs, is laced with humour, style, colour and loads of ‘aww’ factor.

Shot by filmmaker Salil Jason Fernandez — who has worked on Khauff (2015) and The Mole (2008) — and Vandana Sethhi, founder of Water Communications and Earth Films, the film features actors Shraddha Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Amrita Puri and Samir Kochhar, VJ Maria Goretti, musician Anushka Manchanda, musician-actor Shibani Dandekar, comedians Cyrus Broacha and Atul Khatri, hairstylist Sapna Bhavnani, author Shaheen Bhatt, and influencer Scherezade Shroff.

All these animal lovers come together to give the world a message — ‘adopt, not shop’. Through the film the makers want to show the plight of community animals with a focus on cruelty, abandonment, rescue and love. A two-minute trailer was launched recently.

Salil Jason says it is a documentary that deals with animal cruelty. He explains, “We have made sure to make it appealing, I wanted to make a documentary that is stylish without losing the real essence for which the movie was conceptualised.”

Salil Jason Fernandez

Society in mind

Shot entirely during the lockdown, the documentary involved 30 organisations including World For All (WFA), In Defense of Animals (IDA), Youth Organisation in Defense of Animals (YODA), Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD), Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) and Thane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TSPCA) making this a milestone with animal welfare units coming together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHjDS1BQ3

The documentary, with all its endearing elements, focusses on education and the message of healthy co-existence as well.

Actor Jim Sarbh says, “My life changed when Mimi walked into it; she’s been my reason for sanity during the lockdown. I think everyone should adopt an animal, give them love and a home, for the love you get back is manifold.”

Having worked for many years with rescue organisations Salil says he wanted a different narrative for his documentary “We would like to think that we have a first-of-its-kind documentary narrative with a unique approach that blends the non-fiction talking heads with various fiction elements. The universal message of the documentary is about embracing these dogs and cats. If we are able to educate and inspire the audience in this regard then we have struck gold.”

Vandana Sethi

A collaborative message

The different narrative, he adds, hopes to make young people more aware and concerned about community cats and dogs. Vandana Sethhi says, “our aim is to raise awareness and convey a message about the poor situation of stray animals. This is a joint effort that features several organisations and individuals coming together and the entire project is pro bono ie, everyone collaborating in front of and behind the camera has waived their fee. It is truly a passion-driven film and a labour of love for the voiceless.”

The documentary is currently travelling the international film festival circuit and is sure to appeal to millennials. The duo reasons, “Millennials are different. Their thought process is influenced in a positive way with a lot of good content they get to see on social media. It is not always about taking a stray animal home. If that is not possible, feed them, educate the society about tolerance and sterilisation.” Vandana also calls the documentary a mega movement for the cause of animal welfare which is sure to raise the standards of documentary films on animals.

“Enlightenment”

Here I am, sitting at the same desk I have been for 9 years. Here I am, using the same phone, talking about the same thing over and over and over again. Here I am, saying “See you tomorrow!” to the same front desk lady, who’s still knitting that blanket she started in 2015.

This is my life.

I never knew it would come to this. I never knew that I would be meandering out of a blank grey building at 4:57 p.m. just to try to beat traffic by 5:07.  I never knew I would be one of those people who goes to bed promptly at 9 p.m. because she knows she has to be functional by 7:00 a.m. How would I have known? No one ever told me life was so monotonous. If life were a sound, it would sound like that one guy, who does the Clear Eyes commercials, Ben Something.

People always say, “There’s always retirement!” as if it’s actually a comforting thought, as if they actually think they’ll get there. People don’t seem to retire these days. Retirement really means death. Why would I want to look forward to nothingness? What’s the point in living if all we have to focus on is retiring? No one seems to be able to answer these questions.

I just want to find something to live for. I’m not sure how much longer I can do this.

I’m finally home in my dreary apartment. Naturally, I go through my usual routine.

Take the too-tight bra off.

Feed my cat, Peanut.

Make a tuna sandwich.

Wash off my cheap make-up.

Climb into the shower so I can sing into the hairbrush.

Lay my clothes out for the next day.

Climb into bed and get lost in the social media posts for the day.

Oh, look. Suzy got engaged and Sloane is having another baby.

That one couple is still fighting, I guess.

That was a cute dog photo.

Did he really just say that?

It’s comforting to scroll through absent mindedness. It makes me feel like I’m not alone in the vast emptiness that is life. Of course, the thumping from the music across the hall proves I’m not alone. That’s right! It’s Wednesday. Every Wednesday, this group of eclectic people show up laughing loudly, carrying beer and smelling like marijuana. How do I get invited into that group? Don’t they work tomorrow? What are they doing that’s so different? I don’t come home laughing like a hyena. What are they so happy about? They must be happy about how comfortable those clothes are. Where do you even get clothes like that? India? Thank you, people in room 444, for giving me the melodic thumping of electronic music to fall asleep to. At least I know I can dance in my dreams. Maybe tomorrow will be different. Maybe when I wake up tomorrow, I’ll fly to India. Ha! What a life that would be.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Oh shut up alarm clock, I’m getting up. I lean forward, stretching my arms in the air while letting out a huge yawn. I open up my purple curtain to see gray skies. “Looks like a storm is brewing, Peanut.”. I get up to go pour a cup of coffee, but I see it never brewed. In fact, my stove clock is blinking zeroes. Great. The power went out last night. I’ll call the landlord later, I have to get ready for work.

I shower in the dark, but at least the water is warm. I brush my hair and teeth while I’m parading around, trying to feed the cat and gather my things. I really wish I had coffee. I grab my makeup bag so i can get ready in the gym at my work. As I’m feeding the cat, I hear a loud thud against my door. I figure it’s those party animals finally leaving. To live a life without a care, how nice that must be.

I gather my things, dropping pens as I sloppily carry everything in one hand, unlocking my door. I go down the dirty, dungy four flights of stairs only to find my car with two flat tires. Instantly, my heart sinks. Oh no. What am I going to do? I have to be at work in thirty minutes! I have to make it by bus. I call my boss to let her know the circumstances and that I’ll be late.She spouts off some remarks of calling sooner, and I can tell she’s rushed to go to a meeting. Luckily, that was a short call.  

I run to the bus stop, trying to catch my breath due to my anxiety. There are about 10 people waiting. I ask about the schedule, and the lady with the baby says it should be coming around in about 20 minutes. Well, there’s nothing I can do, so I just sit and wait and watch the happenings of 10th and Broadson.

It’s really starting to rain now, and I left my umbrella on the counter, of course. I’m not going to have any time getting ready at work. I’m going to look like a soggy dog. Hopefully that cute guy at work won’t be there.  I’m watching the business open up across the street. I love that the baker gives the stray dog it’s leftovers from the day prior. You can tell he’s done it before. The dog has been sitting there for 12 minutes. Lucky dog.

It’s really starting to pour now. Those of us without umbrellas try to huddle closely together under the small glass box. Finally the bus comes around the corner and the bodies waiting move eagerly towards the sidewalk.

As I step up into the bus, I notice there is only one seat that isn’t being used. I go sit in the window seat, and watch as people hurriedly try to make it to the bus.

I recognize one girl skipping her way to the bus line. She showed up at the door, soaking wet, bruised, and covered in glitter She had the biggest smile on her face. She loads up, and stares me straight in the eyes, as if she’s peering into my soul. She comes right over to me, sits down and says, “Hi, I’m Anastasia. We are going to be friends, now.”

I keep eye contact, just stunned at her forwardness. She blinks a few times and says,

“Well, aren’t you going to tell me your name, New Friend?” smacking her bubble gum.

I couldn’t stop staring at all the glitter on her face. Her eyes were bright, and full of life. Her lips were shiny, like she put on that gloss from high school. Her shirt was torn, and full of neon paint. Her hair may as well have been dreaded, it was so messy. Her pants were dirty, dusty, Princess Jasmine pants.

“I’m Lydia.” I stammer.

Now I remember where I’ve seen her. She’s one of the hippies that goes to the Wednesday parties across the hall. I should ask her where she got those pants.

“Nice to meet you, Lydia. Are you doing okay? You look really worried.”

“I’m alright, thanks. I’m just late for work. Ugh.”

“I hate it when that happens.” she replies, bewitchingly smiling.

No she doesn’t. She doesn’t know what being late to a job you hate feels like.

“What do you do for work?” I asked her.

“I dog sit.” she replies, as her eyes watch a fly buzzing around.

Dog sitter?

“Oh, that must be interesting.”

How does she make a living? That can’t be her only job. I realize I look bewildered. I hope she didn’t see that. I look down at my watch and I realize it’s been 30 minutes already. Shit. I’m late for work. I bet they are just stacking reports on my desk like they don’t even care if I’m there or not.

“Are you going to work, now? To dog sit?”

“No, I’m on my way to Enlightenment.”

Doesn’t that sound entertaining.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a music festival.”

Of course it is. I nod like I know what she’s talking about. I can just imagine it. Hippies everywhere, talking about love and light, and flowers and sunshine. Music beating, people dancing. I wonder how many hugs are given. I bet it’s colorful there. I wonder if they have lasers. I can just see the fields of rainbows and butterflies, now.

“Well, this is my stop. You comin’?” she says.

I sit there staring up at her, as she gets ready to leave. Blips and blurs run across my mind of Kathleen knitting her stupid blanket. I can smell the musty walls of that dreadful building. I can hear the guy on the other side of the wall chewing his donuts. I can feel the hair standing on the back of my neck listening to my coworkers shrill voices. I can hear the phone ring, as if it’s right in front me. It won’t stop ringing. It just won’t stop.

Next thing I know, I’m standing outside on the wet cement next to Anastasia. The smell of the bus fumes snaps me back into reality. The reality that I actually am playing hooky from work. I can feel the coolness of the rain, and just how refreshing it is. Is this what relief feels like? I don’t know whether I’ve lost my mind, but it feels good. It feels really good.

I follow Anastasia through this old abandoned depot. The paint is peeling. The corners are full of cobwebs and old stains. We walk to the back where the old tracks are.

“Come on, follow me.” Anastasia explains.

We walk for about a mile down these old tracks. The plants growing through the cracks of the broken cement stand tall next to the nails popping up through the old rotting lumber. What a beautiful combination of decomposition and renewal the world has to offer us. We walk along this beautifully wild hedge, until we come up to a random opening. It was like walking through a portal into another world. The sun was rising over the distant hilltops, and the pinkness of the sky was slowly fading away. The winds changed, even. My shoulders feel relaxed for once. I notice the beating in my heart matches the rhythmically soothing beats of the faraway music. As we approach, a group of strangers are full of smiles and hearty laughter. I was walking as if I was a ghost using someone else’s body. I didn’t know what I was doing, but these beautiful strangers hugged me and brought me in. I was showered in flowers and glitter.

I feel like I had just been initiated into some really cool club. I can’t wait to really explore this festival. It sure beats the hell out of going to work. I still can’t believe I’m here. Where the hell is “here” anyway?

I did it. I flew to India.

There are huge stages, and beautiful pathways leading in every direction. There are interactive murals of live neon painting going on. Trapeze artists are flying in the distance. I follow Anastasia through multiple camps, and every single person has been unbelievably friendly. I’ve received 54 hugs in the last four hours. The stages are huge, and people have been dancing since 8 a.m. They genuinely seem happy.

A smiley man notices me staring out at the dancers, and walks up to me. He stares at me with wide eyes, and a smirk. We don’t release eye contact until seconds later, when he exclaims, “Open your mouth.” I glance over at Anastasia, and she already has an assured look on her face. For some godforsaken reason, I seemed to have built quite a bit of trust in that gaze because I opened my mouth without hesitation. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a vile. He dropped what tasted like sugar-water under my tongue. He stared again, and put his hands on my shoulders, leaned in and whispered, “Let Life take you.” He hugged me, and wandered off, leaving a trail of smiles.

I wander over to one of the stages. I’m so entranced with how freely everyone is dancing. I wander around as swirls of paisleys begin to dance around me. I feel the music pulling and tugging at the curves of my body. I’ve never moved this way before. I’ve never felt this way before. I’m lost in the colors playing in my eyelids. I open my eyes to the beautiful blue skies, and clouds start dancing to the beat. I close my eyes and it feels like I take myself out of my body and look around. I look at myself as if I’m one of those free folks I saw in social media posts. I was just watching myself, as if it were all in a dream.

There she was. The Wild in all her glory, tossing her hands around, shaking her hips, and stomping her feet. She was ready for a sweet free fall. I could just see her splashing back into her own soul. She didn’t find comfort in the vapidness of LCD screens, anymore. She gets her of Wild from the sun rays, and her magic from dancing with the breeze and swaying with the leaves.

That’s when I realized I had found my favorite drug. Her. Me. I was living a truth I never knew existed. I danced. I watched as people swooned over me. I saw the majesty of freedom kicking dirt up, as if to purposely dance with the laser beams flying through the air. There it was. The journey to enlightenment had just begun. Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

-Alexandra de Anda

"Sarkar agar humare liye kuchh nahi bhi karega, toh Sonu Sood toh humara madad karega (Even if the government does not help us, Sonu Sood will),” said 24-year-old Sahidul Barbhuiya, who was at the time stranded in Mumbai as the train he was supposed to board for his home in Assam was cancelled due to Cyclone Nisarga on Wednesday. Barbhuiya lost his job when the canteen he worked for in Pune shut down during the Covid-19 lockdown. His small savings soon ran out and he had to surrender his accommodation. The only refuge he could think of was “home”. He managed to reach Mumbai on a bus but could not go any further as the train got cancelled. Taking refuge under a bridge at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Kurla, he and his co-passengers reached out to Sood for help, and they were not disappointed. Sood and his team arranged accommodation for them at a school nearby and have assured that they would be home soon. Barbhuiya said they were well taken care of and he and the other 150 people with him had “bharosa” (faith) that Sood would deliver on his promise. Sood, who was known as an actor in 21st century BC (Before Covid-19), has emerged as the most unlikely superhero during the pandemic. For thousands of migrants, he is the man who helped them at a time when they were gripped with fear and were walking an uncertain path with no support or even an assurance that all would be well. For the more privileged people, who felt helpless at the plight of the men, women and children walking across the country with little food in their belly and dwindling hope in their heart, Sood was doing what they could not. “I had no formula on how to help them, but there was this intention that I will not let these migrants walk home. We started by sending some hundreds home but now I am determined not to stop until the last mi-grant on the road has reached home,” Sood told ET Magazine in between calls from migrants asking for help. 76242142Sood has been involved in charitable work through his trust, Professor Saroj Sood Trust, named after his mother. He grew up in Punjab watching his mother tutor underprivileged children for free and his father offer langar from his cloth shop in Moga. “They drilled into me that you are truly successful only if you help others.”Sood opened the doors of his hotel in Juhu to healthcare workers of nearby hospitals who were treating Covid-19 patients.He, along with his friend Neeti Goel, a Mumbai-based restaurateur, and their team has so far sent around 20,000 people home by buses, trains and even flights. They have sent people on two Shramik trains so far. They now have a list of 70,000 people who they are trying to send home over the next two weeks through trains. They are talking to the government to allow four more Shramik trains as the number is too big to be transported by buses. Actor Boman Irani, who has worked with Sood in the past, says he is not surprised that Sood rose to the occasion during the crisis. “He is the sort of guy who slams his big fist on his chest and says ‘don’t worry I am with you’. Many people have the intention to do things but he has acted on it. Just being jazbaati (emotional) is not enough. He is an intelligent man who is capable of planning and is resourceful enough to execute it.”Irani said that while the film industry has always helped in times of crisis, this often goes unnoticed or gets criticised. “Sonu’s work will motivate film and even non-film people to do more. Everyone has to do whatever one can do best, in one’s capacity.” Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide lockdown in March, thousands of migrant workers lost their livelihoods. With no source of income, fear of starvation, panic about Covid-19 and suspension of trains and buses, these people decided to walk hundreds of kilometres in the scorching heat to reach their villages, the only safe haven where they felt they belonged.Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a stimulus package for around 80 million migrants. Critics said it was too little, too late and estimated the number of migrants to be significantly higher.Many non-government organisations and individuals like Sood and Goel have been feeding these people since the beginning of the lockdown. Sood and Goel started small but soon they were providing 45,000 meals a day on their own and in association with an NGO, Khaana Chahiye Organization, apart from feeding 1,000 stray cats and dogs, and supplying ration kits. They provided 25,000 iftar kits a day during Ramzan.On a routine food distribution trip on May 3, they realised this was not enough. “We sensed a huge change in the behaviour of migrants. They had lost hope, they were dejected, there was desperation to go back home and there was a lot of aggression. We were talking to one group walking back home and they said — humein bas ghar jaana hai, humein aapka khana bhi nahi chahiye (We don’t need your food, we want to go home). That’s when we decided to send them home,” Goel said. In the next few days, they booked 10 buses and sent people home. Soon, Sood and Goel’s numbers were circulating among migrants and pictures and videos of buses went viral on social media. They were flooded with requests for help. They set up a toll-free number that crashed after it was flooded with calls. “Sonu sir help kar raha hai ye toh viral ho gaya tha, unko Odisha se log ne bola humare bare mein. Sonu sir sara kharcha kiya aur pura madad kiya humko ghar pahuchane mein (Sonu’s work has gone viral and some people from Odisha asked him to help us. He bore all our expenses and ensured we reached home),” said Prasanta Kumar Pradhan. Pradhan, who was working in Kerala as a plumber, along with 147 women and 20 other men, was flown back home to Odisha by Sood.Sood and Goel financed the initiative themselves initially, but soon help started to pour in from friends who wanted to be part of it. A crowdfunding initiative, named Ghar Bhejo, raised over Rs 52 lakh, which included donations of Rs 10 and above. Many others donated directly to Lala Bhagwandas Trust, a 35-year-old trust set up by Goel’s family, towards the cause. Friends, family, people from the film industry, cricketers and businessmen were among the donors, giving anywhere between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 30 lakh, Goel said. 76237974Cricketer Harbhajan Singh took to social media to promote the campaign and is believed to have roped in other cricketers too.The more challenging part was getting approval from different states, managing all the paper-work for everyone, even for those who didn’ have relevant documents, and working out the logistics of transport.Sood roped in his chartered accountant Pankaj Jalisatgi and his colleague Harsh Sikariya to manage the paperwork. Around 40 volunteers are dedicated to feeding people, while a group of 18-20 people is managing travel-related work.Sood’s experience of working in the movies in Hyderabad and Chennai came in handy as friends, and associates there helped him get clearances for the movement of the migrants. “The government has done its bit. But when it realised that the migrants are not going to stop, that they are walking on highways, it should have acted soon by allowing buses at least within the state. They could have taken multiple buses to get home and that would have reduced their pain and even the accidents. Immediate action would have helped because they were an unstoppable force,” Sood said. While sending these people home, Sood and Goel ensured the buses are packed with meals, crates of fruit, dry snacks and enough water to ensure people have nourishment. “I have done long journeys in buses and trains, sometimes even unreserved. I know how tough it can get,” Sood said.Sonu and Goel have received photos from almost every migrant after reaching home and reuniting with their family. Goel was overwhelmed sharing stories of the pictures she has received. “There have been days we have spent 18-20 hours on this, but it has been worth it. I now know that real happiness comes from uplifting others, not from splurging on designer shoes and bags,” Goel said. Sood even heard from a migrant who told him that she has named her son Sonu Sood Srivastav. “I told her your son can be Sonu Srivastav but she insisted that the name would be Sonu Sood Srivastav!” 76238125The team now feels they have a streamlined system in place and can handle the transport of people better. They are now moving people on new circuits like Jammu to Ranchi. But Sood is also aware of the fact that this is not the end of challenges for these people. “They have gone home due to strong emotions but they need to do something to survive. As a country, we have to generate work for them, whether it is in construction or something else, to ensure they have a source of income,” said Sood.Sood said he has tried to keep his initiative away from politics. He also dismissed rumours that he may join a political party soon, adding that he has never planned his life decisions. But he is sure that helping people will become more integral to his life, going ahead. Sood said, “When someone gets a role that they are good at, they excel. That’s what has happened to me. This is the role of my lifetime. It feels like I came to Mumbai for this and everything I did has led to this. The mission of making every person on the road reach home will be my biggest blockbuster.”76168859 from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3eRTp5w

The free ranging dog issue of Kerala

One of the most prominent issues in my hometown Kerala is the free-ranging dogs issue.As the number of incidents of dogs attacking people grew higher and higher with the sudden increase in the dog population all led upto the 2016 attack which shook the state with fear as feral dogs attacked and killed a woman in pulluvila village of Kerala and in October, 2016, a 90-year-old man was killed in Varkala by a pack of street dogs.The old man was sleeping on the veranda of his house when a group attacked and killed him. The angry people killed more than 90 dogs in the locality on the following this.A report submitted in the Supreme Court of India states that more than a hundred thousand people were attacked by stray dogs in the year of 2015-16. The stray dog population of Kerala is estimated to be about two hundred and fifty thousand.5,948 people were bitten by street dogs in Thiruvananthapuram district last year and 4,916 people were affected in Palakkad district. The statistics are similar in the other 12 districts of Kerala.

The people responded strongly by protesting with the dead bodies of murdered dogs hung upside down on ropes carried during marches,animal rights activists tried their best to resolve the situation without violence against dogs increasing, to no avail. As an activist for People For Animals (PFA) the largest animal welfare organisation in India started by Maneka Gandhi,a national organisation formed to look after and rehabilitate animals which are injured,wounded or sick. During my time with them I rescued and fostered puppies,kittens,dogs,cats a barn owl,an eaglet, a baby elephant and a kite. I had also been part of many adoption drives and helped assist the animals in whichever ways I could. When the issue of the free ranging dogs was at it's peak, I was disturbed by the amount of hatred the people had towards animals and thus represented PFA in NDTV, Asianet, Janam TV etc in live debates to speak for the poor creatures and even faced verbal abuse in the process of trying to educate people.

On a deeper analysis of the issue, it came to light that the unethical and unhygienic practice of waste dumping, especially chicken wastes from restaurants and meat factories had made the dogs in those localities overpopulate as well as become feral dogs. These dogs were larger, with a more violent nature and extremely dangerous, needing to be put down for the safety of the humans in the localities.The attitude of the people had changed severely as well, abuse against dogs increased significantly and people like the notorious Jose Maveli were arrested for killing large number of dogs who was allegedly sponsored by Kochouseph Chittilappilly who is the chairman of the Stray Dog Free movement. The organization's stance is that the government is failing to address the issue and value the stray dogs over human lives, he also actively encouraged people (during my debate with him on live television and using other social media platforms) to kill the dogs themselves despite the meagre 50 rupee fine which exists for the crime.

50 rupees had a significantly larger value in the old days, which shows the need for the amendment of such outdated laws to protect the animals of the country. Chittilappilly was also arrested under statutes  that prevent cruelty to animals after he tied four stray dogs in front of a police station to promote his cause.

I strongly believe in the collective responsibility of a community towards it's environment and thus wanted to start by changing the situation in my neighborhood atleast. Communities feeding the dogs with rice, biscuits etc has been happening all over India for many years, but my idea was to make the community responsible for the dogs.

I started out with going door to door and talking to my neighbors and people in the streets around my house,asking if they could offer to help make their community a safer, happier one to be in. Surprisingly many people recieved the idea well and agreed to feed the dogs on an occasional but regular basis, the extra rice from lunch, some of the chappathi, a few biscuits and some love.

The changes in the community were apprent within a month, with the dogs all being more friendly approachable, the community had reached out to PFA to ensure that all the animals would vaccinated and some of them sterilised.

Dogs were always considered to be a man's best friend, in the era of gender fluidity I must say they are every human's best friend regardless of gender.

Within approximately three months,humans had once again rebonded with the animals around them, in their own small ways, the people began to care. I continued to spread awareness at the association programmes and temple festival gatherings along with other PFA volunteers who worked for the cause and took it up to do the same in their communities.

When the car turns into my street, I see a large number of dogs sitting under the sun on the street corners, and nobody tried to throw stones at them, abuse them and they remain wagging their tails in happiness and for the most part leaving us alone.

It is entirely possible for man to coexist with nature without taming it and destroying it so pointlessly.

After I came to Bangalore I noticed that this practice already seems to exist here, in the lanes of chikkalakshmaihah Iayout and saddugunte palya the people and dogs are exist in harmony with no attacks or any such incidents though the waste dumping has become a major concern in these areas. Even in Himachal Pradesh the people treat the animals with kindness and love, caring for them and co exsiting with them in a beautiful way.

A couple in Bangalore are the saviours of the dogs of Whitefield, thanks to Bismi Anil and Anil Prasad, a couple who had moved from Kerala to Bangalore to pursue their IT careers. They now take care of, feed and vaccinate over 150 dogs around the area everyday and currently plan to work on rehoming abandoned dogs and also conduct awareness sessions with communities to help people understand how to handle street dogs and coexist with them peacefully. The idea of communities actively participating to make their environment a better place is the only true solution for  true harmony between man and nature. I believe that the implementation of this programme and others like it will definitely bring about a huge change in the attitude of people towards the plants, trees, animals and birds around them who are considered to be nothing but a nuisance in the middle of busy city life. On reconnecting with nature and actively encouraging people to take part in such activities, the people will become more environmentally conscious, more aware of the problems around them and feel happy and confident in being able to contribute in whatever way possible to the development of nature. For there is no amount of technology that can reproduce a puppy dog's friendly love, and how they follow you around after being given just half a biscuit.The loyal and loving nature of these animals has astonished me and the experiences have made me find myself the happiest in forests and jungles away from the noise and pollution of "development".I intend to try my best to go door to door in any locality I live in to raise environmental consciousness and involve more people in practices to save their localities.

Even in the ocean, every drop counts.

By Anandhikrishna.G.K

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6 PEP

Today I woke up and did some yoga stretches, and started an hour meditation. I thought I had all the time in the world but after 30 minutes Ajay walked into my room, wearing the same clothes he’s been wearing since I met him. He sat down beside me and said sorry sir I’m late. I opened my eyes slowly and smiled and said no you’re not. I guess he was calling me and calling the wrong number so he came over. i got ready and we went down the three flights of stairs and met the family on the ground floor. They offered to make breakfast but they don’t eat until 10 a.m. it was before 8 still so we continued on. We stopped for chai along the alley and sat next to two guys reading the newspaper cross-legged, shirts and nice slacks, barefoot, red dot between their eyes, moustaches of course.

Then we got breakfast, which I’m sure is making me fat. Its potatoes, cauliflower in a soupy dish with deep-fried bread puffs and then jalebi and some sort of cream.  I felt awful after that and we had a long day ahead.  I can’t even remember how many tuk-tuks we took. At one point we were in a larger than normal one, and I was one of 14 people. At least I had a seat, there was the men from the family in the back, the three ladies in the middle with me and their two children and groceries and in the front was Ajay and the driver and two other guys. People pile in to save money if they’re all going the same direction.  Before that we have to walk about a kilometre out of the alleys into the area where cars and rickshaws can fit.

We checked out an area that has gardens and trees and walking paths. It all sounds nice but right outside all these peaceful zones is constant honking and exhaust and dust. As we passed the guys playing badminton I noticed a big green field that looked like maybe a grass tennis court. I was about to ask why no one was using it when I saw it was a pond.  After I took a rest to try and digest more of the deep-fried batter that was breakfast.  Over the last couple days we’ve visited a number of temples. I heard somewhere there are 23,000 here in Varanasi. We made full use of the monkey temple, did a couple of the rituals like buying prasad and walking around it five times clockwise. I got red dots of my head from the Shiva temple and a beige dot from another temple and orange from the Hanuman temple. Today we went to the dog temple. Outside people feed the strays and some of them even wear garlands.

After a long rickshaw ride we got on a local bus. The ride was about an hour out of town towards Chunar City in Mizapur. We got off the bus and into another rickshaw and then walked for about 20 minutes. At this point breakfast is not sitting well and I get my first shot at a roadside toilet, complete with a hole, a bucket and a tap. That’s really all you need. We walked up a steep hill and found the Chunar Fort. Built in 1029 by King Sahadeo with improvements by Sher Khan in 1532. The place was a prison, complete with a palace next door and a brick wall that goes all the way around. All looking over the Ganges. After a brief tour we were off walking back down the hill, and all the way around the wall through the small village of Chunar.

The town seemed to have just about all a person would need. And after leaving the outskirts we walked along the river. Already being exhausted and a little sun burnt my mood plateaued. And then looking out off the road at a dusty field at some horses and donkeys, I suddenly became overwhelmed with disgust. Not only are the cows eating garbage. One donkey I could see had a rope tying its front legs together less than 12 inches apart, connecting its hind legs as well so it wouldn’t run away or barely move.  Everywhere we walked just about everybody stopped and looked at us, I may have been the first white person some of them have seen. Lots of staring and then sometimes someone will ask ‘which country?’ And I’ll say Canada and they’ll look confused and maybe say America? Or Australia? Canada? But you’re not fat. Someone actually said that!

I met one guy who speaks great english down by the water last night, he said that people here say America anytime anyone goes anywhere far away.  That man was one of the most interesting people I’ve met so far, he said he learned english on his own, as a lot of people here have tried. And mostly just to welcome people and be able to make tourist feel happy. He said it in a much more charming way, by saying I learned it so I could talk to you. He is only 24 and has a black belt in taekwondo and won first place for his age in mixed martial arts in all of India. We talked politics and religion and geography and myths. We talked briefly about what the Universe really is. I suggested it was a computer game, a program that is run by nature. He said its more like a stage.

I could go on about the people Ajay has introduced me to. Or have met on my own. A few of them are very curious and even though there is no common language there is always laughs and respect and namaste. One of them invited me over to his place while we were walking towards the water. I said what the hell and saw his place. He shares it with his dad I think. One of them spoke very well and was there making jewelry. The dad was sitting on a bed with an open view of the river. He’s the man in the pink room on my Flickr. They gave me food and tea and even spoke some french. Later that night Ajay translated for me as one older man asked questions. I sat patiently as the mosquitoes dined on my bare feet. There are elders and young guys and a guy who they say isn’t right in the head, a little slow. Sometimes people will give him money to go buy everyone chai. He comes back eventually with a bag of tea and some clay cups. The tea is always hot and delicious no matter where you get it. On the first day there I bought a round and there was barely enough for everyone. When his was poured he walked over to the river and tossed it in…

After a very long day of bumpy dusty roads and horrible traffic I came home to see my bathroom was unavailable due to repairs. This building is probably the oldest building I’ve ever been in. So after a nap and feeding some monkeys through the window I sit with the mother of the house and three very, very old ladies who only speak hindi. We have a chai and try a few of the words we know. Then I use their washroom to shave and have a cold shower…If I didn’t say this before, Indian style showers are sometimes buckets, sometimes, like this one, just a shower head beside the toilet, which is all you need! And I had to borrow a mirror to shave.

Namaste in bed Today I woke up and did some yoga stretches, and started an hour meditation. I thought I had all the time in the world but after 30 minutes Ajay walked into my room, wearing the same clothes he's been wearing since I met him.