Continue feeding street animals, they do not transmit Coronavirus to Humans – Mrs. Maneka Gandhi

Senior BJP Leader and Member of Parliament, Maneka Gandhi on Saturday said that “The coronavirus is not transmitted through live animals.” Please scroll below to watch a news clipping, on this subject.

She has also issued a letter on her letterhead earlier today on 23rd March 2020, which is shared below-

All Animal care takers and Feeders can keep this letter by Mrs. Maneka Gandhi, Honourable Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha, Government of India) handy in case they are stopped by authorities while feeding community animals.

Share this letter with your RWA’s and nearest Police Station.

Please take a print out of this letter, if possible or save it on your phone, and keep it handy when you are stepping out for an animal rescue or to feed them.

A humble request to all, be kind towards animals:

Please make two extra Chapatis/Rotis daily in your home for street dogs/Cows and other stray animals who will have no means of feeding themselves since all the Restaurants/Dhabas/Food Carts are closed now due to coronavirus lockdown.

Most of the stray animals survive on leftover food provided by Hotel/Dhaba staff. These animals will starve to death in case of a prolonged lockdown. You can handover these breads to your society/ Apartment staff to be kept outside for animals. Spread the message to all the people in your circle.

Let’s all give it a try, and share this message so more and more people can do the good deed of feeding streer animals in these trying times.

Mrs. Maneka Gandhi addresses the Media to bust myths.

While addressing the press, Maneka Gandhi said, “It has brought in the notice that the government department and several insurance agencies are creating a false panic in the coronavirus through issuing false advisories.”

She said, “These agencies are taking out the advisories on the Coronavirus, which are not confirmed by the health department by saying that nobody should go to live animals.”

“This is completely false and misleading… As the health department of India has said that the animal does not have coronavirus and cannot transmit the virus,” she said.

Adding to the statement, Maneka said, “I would advise the Ministry of Electronics, Insurance companies, and the ministry of railways not to run fake ads on this.”

Water is every body’s need

Water is crucial to every living being’s survival on this Planet, be it plants, animals, birds, insects, fishes….every ‘living’ being needs it.

The Animal Water Bowl Project is thus worth including In Your ‘Yearly’ Resolution List.

You can pledge or encourage your kids to pledge that, “Everyday I will provide safe drinking water to all the animals at my place”.

Not only will it inculcate a feeling of responsibility and compassion, but also give great satisfaction when you/your kids actually see thirsty birds, animals and insects quenching their thirst, thanks to the clean water you put out for them daily.

These voiceless innocent beings need safe drinking water too, just like Humans. And, as we humans are responsible for destroying the habitats and rivers, that they relied on, all in the name of development, it is now our responsibility to save their lives by providing the things which are possible rather than ignoring them.

AWBP India_Animal Water Bowl Project
Art by Carolina Mamani (artwork made as per the idea was given by the founder of AWBP INDIA). Artist gave complete rights on this artwork to AWBP INDIA and we at JAAGRUTI give complete credit to AWBP and the Artist for this beautiful piece of Art and the lovely message, that prompted us to share it on our platform to reach and sensitize more people.

This New Year, be KIND

Love has no colour, race or species and Kindness to Animals, birds and all lesser beings will only make this world a compassionate and a better place to live in…

Think over this for a moment

CBSE advisory to Schools on encouraging the use of NON-leather shoes in School Uniforms

CBSE advisory to Schools on encouraging the use of NON-leather shoes in School Uniforms

Years that we spend in school are amongst those times when our minds are most ‘impressionable’ i.e. receptive to new facts, new learnings every day. These are also the times when we are much more innocent at heart and can be sensitized into becoming a truly compassionate and kind-hearted individual who thinks beyond himself/herself.

In the Year 2014, CBSE i.e. Central Board of Secondary Education (India) had sent an advisory to all its 18,000 affiliated schools across India strongly urging them to implement a policy that bans students and staff members from wearing leather shoes in favour of animal- and Earth-friendly canvas shoes. CBSE proposed this as an “ethical” and “compassionate” way to protect the environment and animals from harm.

For not many kids and adults, or even self-proclaimed ‘vegetarians or vegans’ alike, understand, even in today’s time that leather is nothing but skin of a terrified animal, that was cruelly, painfully inhumanely slaughtered in front of their kin (often dismembered/de-skinned when it is still conscious and breathing) , and they are subjected to this brutality for their meat that you eat and/or the shoes or belts that you are wearing or the bag or wallet you are carrying or showing off!

[B]uying leather directly contributes to encouraging the growth of factory farms and slaughterhouses …“, says the CBSE advisory. “Leather … shares responsibility for all the environmental destruction caused by the meat industry as well as the pollution cause by the toxins in tanning.”

Alternative to Leather Shoes in case you are wondering: CANVAS SHOES

The link to the Advisory on CBSE website can be accessed by clicking here, and the screenshots of the Advisory can be read by clicking on Images below (it’s a 2 page circular)

We understand as per information available on the Web that the Indian States of “Himachal Pradesh and Punjab have already moved to ban leather shoes in schools and in Goa, most schools already use canvas shoes”.

Take Action: If your school is amongst one of them that still forces you to wear Leather Shoes, then we request you to take a print out of this advisory and discuss this with the Head of your Schools, for Sir Paul McCartney once rightly said, “”If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian”. Watch the Movie by clicking here.

P.S: If you have an inspiring story or anecdote of yours to share with others to spread the wave of kindness around and more sensitivity and understanding on the need to voluntarily oppose the use of Leather goods, then please type it down in the comments section below.

Let’s spread ‘JAAGRUTI’. Let us all Inform.Share.Inspire

How stray dogs are foiling infiltration bids along the Indian LoC

How stray dogs are foiling infiltration bids along the Indian LoC

We at JAAGRUTI had shared in our earlier posts, how police stations across Naxal infested regions of India have befriended street dogs in their near vicinity to help alert them to naxal attacks and impending danger, and now, we would like to share how these stray dogs are helping Indian army soldiers posted along the LoC (Line of Control) on the country’s high security border posts, foil infiltration bids and giving our soldiers much needed companionship in a hard terrain doing a hard job of protecting us all and our nation. This story was published on the Front page of The Hindustan Times dated 11th October 2015 and reading it made our day and gave vindication to what we have been saying all along, that these sturdy Indian stray dogs if looked after well, treated with compassion, sterilized and vaccinated by local community caretakers, can not only act as wonderful guard dogs but also help spread the spirit of compassion around in this increasing self and selfie-obsessed world; for love is all we and they need actually!

All photos and text are courtesy Journalist Rahul Singh of The Hindustan Times.

Original Link to the story as published in the newspaper can be accessed by clicking on: “Yes, we can-ine: How strays are foiling infiltration bids along LoC

We thank HT and Rahul for reporting this heart-warming story, so beautifully.

A dog with a sentry at a post near LoC in Poonch_by Rahul Singh_HT_11102015

A dog with a sentry at a post near LoC in Poonch_by Rahul Singh_HT_11102015

They are neither pedigreed dogs nor schooled in specialised tasks, but are finding themselves increasingly in demand along the troubled Line of Control where Indian soldiers have embraced the ubiquitous mutt.

It isn’t a patch on well-trained army dogs used extensively in Jammu and Kashmir for sniffing out explosives, tracking and patrolling — and even bestowed with gallantry awards for their exploits, yet the mutt has arrived.

Commanders at the LoC are being encouraged to ‘adopt’ strays at their posts as the canines have proved to be tremendously effective in providing early warning about the movement of Pakistani infiltrators, says Lieutenant General RR Nimbhorkar, commander of the Nagrota-based 16 corps. It is responsible for guarding a 224-km stretch of the LoC south of the Pir Panjal range.

“They are the best sensors and have helped foil infiltration bids,” he says. Forget the hierarchies in the canine kingdom, the presence of mutts at forward posts provides a break from monotony and dulls the effects of isolation on soldiers to a degree.

A dog with a sentry at a post near LoC in Poonch sector_by Rahul Singh_HT_11102015

A dog with a sentry at a post near LoC in Poonch sector_by Rahul Singh_HT_11102015

A brilliant innovation helped Indian soldiers neutralise the threat of Pakistani army dogs along the LoC some time ago. A senior officer reveals how leopard urine sourced from a zoo was sprinkled along vulnerable points to keep the hostile canines at bay.

At a forward infantry mortar position after nightfall, a two-man HT team is greeted by a pack of sturdy mutts — with dominant features of the Bakharwal breed — growling and baring their teeth, signalling us to stay away.

“They recognise our scents and consider you to be intruders. That’s how they alert us,” says a sentry, standing guard against the backdrop of the LoC fence illuminated by bright LED lights. The lights cast a glow that can be seen from the distant Krishna Ghati heights across Mendhar town, once a hotbed of terrorist activity.

The canines have come to be known as ‘langar dogs’ as they are fed by the army kitchen.

15 reasons to adopt an older dog

This post is kind courtesy of  Luigi Aero‘s Facebook Page

"Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog."- Sydney Jeanne Seward

One of the saddest things is an old dog left in a shelter by an uncaring human family. Common excuses people use are that they don’t have enough time for the dogs or that they are moving (although I have never heard of any state in the U.S. where dogs are illegal). In this disposable society we live in, some people actually dump their family dog in a shelter and walk out with a new puppy.  Imagine the fear, sadness and confusion that an old shelter dog faces.Even worse, their time in the shelter is spent watching people walk past their cages, barely seeing them, instead rushing to the cute puppies.

 

Why would anyone consider sharing their home with an older dog, when there are so many younger ones available?

By adopting an older dog, you can make a statement about compassion and the value of all life at all ages, as well as register a protest against the indiscriminate and inhumane breeding of dogs, whether it is for profit or to “teach the children about birth.” And, of course, just as a puppy has his whole life ahead of him, so does an older dog have the rest of his life in front of him. You can give that older dog the best years of his life while at the same time bringing a wonderful addition into your family.

 

 

1. What You See Is What You Get

 

Older dogs are open books—from the start, you’ll know important things like their full-grown size, personality and grooming requirements. All this information makes it easier to pick the right dog and forge that instant love connection that will last a lifetime. If you’re not so into surprises, an older dog is for you!

 

2. Easy to Train

 

Think you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Hogwash! Older dogs are great at focusing on you—and on the task at hand—because they’re calmer than youngsters. Plus, all those years of experience reading humans can help them quickly figure out how to do what you’re asking.

 

3. Seniors are Super-Loving

 

these dogs give you—and those of you who adopted dogs already in their golden years told us how devoted and grateful they are. It’s an instant bond that cannot be topped!

 

4. They’re Not a 24-7 Job

 

Grownup dogs don’t require the constant monitoring puppies do, leaving you with more freedom to do your own thing. If you have young children, or just value your “me time,” this is definitely a bonus.

 

5. They Settle in Quickly

 

Older dogs have been around the block and already learned what it takes to get along with others and become part of a pack.They’ll be part of the family in no time!

 

6. Fewer Messes

 

Your floors, shoes and furniture will thank you for adopting a senior pooch! Older dogs are likely to already be housetrained—and even if they’re not, they have the physical and mental abilities to pick it up really fast (unlike puppies). With their teething years far behind them, seniors also are much less likely to be destructive chewers.

 

7. You Won’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

 

There are those who yearn for a doggie friend of their own, but hold back because they worry what might happen in their lives in the years to come. And they are wise to do so—a puppy or young dog can be anywhere from an 8- to 20-year responsibility, which is not appropriate for the very elderly or those with certain long-term future plans. Providing a loving home for a dog in her golden years is not a less serious commitment, but it can be a shorter one.

 

8. They Enjoy Easy Livin’

 

Couch potato, know thyself! Please consider a canine retiree rather than a high-energy young dog who will run you ragged. Not that older dogs don’t require any exercise—they do—but they’re not going to need, or want, to run a marathon every day.

 

9. A good night’s sleep

 

Older dogs let you get a good night’s sleep because they’re accustomed to human schedules and don’t generally need nighttime feedings, comforting, or bathroom breaks.

 

10. Time for yourself –

 

Older dogs leave you time for yourself, because they don’t make the kinds of demands on your time and attention that puppies and young dogs do.

 

11. Companionship.

 

Senior dogs whose lives have been disrupted in their later years have so much love to give and like nothing better than giving it. They tend to rely heavily on their owner for companionship and therefore bond very quickly. The desire to reciprocate the companionship given to them is very strong.

 

12. Seniors for seniors.

 

An attractive concept used by many animal rescue/humane organizations, an older dog can be successfully matched up with a senior citizen. Lifestyle requirements of an older person often mix well with the lifestyle of an older dog. It’s a win/win situation, resulting in quality retirement companionship for both.

 

13. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

 

You sure can. While it may take an older dog a bit longer to adjust to new situations, they can; they will; they do. Their only requirement is to be given the opportunity. Generally, older dogs are calmer and therefore will focus much easier on what you are trying to teach them.

 

14. Save a Life, Be a Hero

 

At shelters, older dogs are often the last to be adopted and the first to be euthanized. Saving an animal’s life offers an unparalleled emotional return on your investment, and you’ll feel the rewards every day you spend together.

 

15. They’re CUTE!

 

Need I say more?

 

Please consider adopting a senior dog , you won’t be sorry. Your decision to adopt a senior pet will be rewarded with unconditional love and devotion..

 

Monkey. Thirst. 2 Blind men

Image Courtesy: Prajavani/Kishore Kumar Bolar

Two blind persons wanted to drink water at the RagiGudda temple, Bangalore .

When they were unable to operate the tap, this mother monkey opened the tap for them, allowed them to drink water, drank some water herself and then closed the tap before leaving the scene.

P.S. :  Do share this pic with your friends . It is proof that humanity does exist – even if we humans have forgotten it ourselves…

The Joy of Unconditional giving

“Happiness is not so much in having as sharing. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

– Norman MacEwan

On a non-descript street called Bharat Ram Road, located next to the local police station in Old Delhi’s Darya Ganj area, live Birender and Sunil, two men who would be counted as being ‘poor’ by most that pass by them, but thereare life’s lessons to be learnt by seeing the way they live, which is by giving more than they get!

 

Birender is a night guard and car cleaner for cars on this street whereas Sunil is a 50 year old handicapped and dwarfed man who came to Delhi from Muzaffarnagar area in Bihar 30 years back. Sunil runs a stationary stall on this street, and he makes his living by selling chips and chewing gums, tobacco pouches and cigarettes, alongside running a recently set up phone booth.

Birender with one of the street dog he feeds

For the past 15 years, Birender who himself earns a paltry sum of Indian Rupees 2500-3000 per month (US dollars 50-60), has been spending a part of his earnings in feeding over 20-25 street dogs that inhabit this street and area adjoining his rented one room quarter in Ferozeshah Kotla where his teenage son stays. Not only does Birender feed all these dogs religiously every night but he along with Sunil also spends on their medicines and ointments should anyone of them fall sick or get injured by any of the cars that hit them. Over these years, both of them have healed many a broken bones, swollen limbs of these street dogs to recovery.

Who would understand the pain of these handicapped dogs better than Sunil who is inflicted with polio too and thus, can’t stand on his legs and walks using his deformed hands. For Birender tending to his canine mates is his moral responsibility towards keeping his faithful companions fit and fine as they are the ones who bark and scare away many a robbers and drug addicts who try stealing and damaging the cars that he guards for at night.

Birender came over from Nepal to Delhi in 1991 with his family which included his wife and a son. For four years thereafter he worked as a security guard with various shopping streets in Darya Ganj before making Bharat Ram Road his chosen workplace. From then on, he has been guarding this street like his very own and earns his living by the amounts that get paid to him by people inhabiting the street in lieu cleaning their cars by daytime and guarding them at night.” “And from then on, these street dogs have been my companions”, said Birender.

In the interim period, Birender lost his wife and the responsibility of raising his young son, Binod also fell on his shoulders. “These dogs helped me overcome my loneliness and depression, they give me unconditional love, respect, don’t ask me questions, neither do they ridicule or mock at me, thus, they are my friends and I am theirs”, said Birender when asked about his special bond with his canine cohorts.

Every evening at round 6 pm, you could see Birender kneading the dough and next to him, you would find his Kerosene oil–based cooking stove. Every day Birender knead roughly 1 kg of wheat flour into dough, this cost him about Rs.18 per kg. He makes rotis (Indian breads) for his son and his dogs on the same stove with parity. “Thick and Thin, I end up cooking about 100 rotis per day and that gives all of us i.e. me, my son Binod and the dogs a minimum of 2-3 rotis to fill our stomachs with easily”, he said. “When I get lucky with a tip or two from one of my customers, then that day, I feed the dogs with some milk as well along with the rotis, else I serve them dry”, added Birender.

A black street dog sitting next to Birender’s kerosene-based cooking stove

By this time, Birender’s teenage son Binod also dropped by to pick up his rotis for the day from his father and also hand him over the cooked vegetables and pulses. Binod stays in the rented room that cost them Rs.500 a month while Birender stays next to Sunil’s stall while going to the rented room off and on. ‘That’s for my son to do his studies in peace”, explained Birender.

Binod – Birender’s teenage son

Though not educated himself, Birender is spending on his son’s university education, both via a university degree studies through correspondence and by getting him technically trained by admitting him in  the state run Technical Institute for a 2 year Diploma Course which costs him Rs.1200 for a 6 month semester.

“I admire my father for the way he looks after so many animals. He is a great father who has toiled extremely hard to bring me up and educate me. He never forced me to into child slavery, instead got me educated”, exclaimed Binod proudly when asked about his father.

As we spoke, one by one, Birender’s canine buddies assembled for their meals. When asked off their names, Birender answered that, they had none! “They just come when I call them, I need no names, and they understand my language”. That’s what is referred to as the language of love that needs no words…I also noticed that most of these street dogs were sterilized and vaccinated against rabies as identified by the notch on their ears, perhaps done so under the city municipality’s Animal Birth control or ‘ABC’ Programme.

Three legged brown dog

A brown colored three legged dog was amongst the first ones to come over for his meal. When asked about him, Birender explained, “He was hit by a speeding car that drove over one of his legs. We helped dry the wound. Slowly the flesh and bones rotted away and one day this leg got amputated on its own. He is doing fine now as you can see”.

Then I met another disabled black dog who had a hump on his back. How did that happen? To which Sunil answered that, “a neighbourhood guard hit him on his back with a bamboo stick. He could not walk for days, perhaps paralyzed in his spine. We rubbed Voveron ointment every day and gave him pain relievers. We are happy that at least he can walk on his feet now, despite the limp and the hump”.

Sunil is a person who values his self-respect; despite being handicapped he has never begged for mercy or sought favours. “Everyone treats me with respect, even the local policemen who drop by at my shop, never pay me a dime less than what I ask. Gupta ji, a retailer living nearby helps bring stuff from my shop as I can’t travel around and I pay him for that”.

Sunil on his cushioned couch, next to his street shop

“This chair was gifted to me by Rajat bhai (a neighbourhood resident he refers to as a brother). I feel like a king sitting on it, it is very comfortable”, said a smiling Sunil pointing his hands towards the cushioned chair he sits on.

Despite their hardships, all these men live contended lives. They have large hearts with abundant love and genuine smiles!

Meeting benevolent souls like Birender and Sunil reaffirms the wise old saying that, “one doesn’t get rich by what we have; we get rich and happy by what we give and share!”.

As I make my journey home, I observe an unknown lady dressed like a labourer walks across Darya Ganj’s Mother Dairy (Milk Booth) and buys packets of milk, opening one each in crates outside the Dairy outlet, two cats come to feed from the crate on the top of the pile whereas two street dogs sip milk from the crate on the floor. As I try to stop the lady and check in on who she is, she disappears into oblivion and darkness of the night. The Milk Booth officer tells me, that she comes and does this every evening. I am humbled.

The cats and dogs feeding in milk crates next to Milk Booth

Giving joy, care or love to someone doesn’t require a reason.

Experience the joy of unconditional giving by sharing what you have, for it is the joy that we give to others that ultimately comes back to us.

Text and Images: Vasudha Mehta (C) JAAGRUTI

 

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