It's been an adventure rescuing animals. Here's my journey so far!
I grew up with my grandfather teaching me to be kind. I followed him everywhere for the social duties he did for the welfare of society. This somehow helped me develop a heart for animals and I felt their suffering as my own. I would love feeding the cows and birds with my grandfather. After my grandfather passed away, I continued doing what he taught me. I would feed the birds and the cows who my grandfather would feed daily. I studied at St Mira's School in Pune, a school that helped me strengthen my compassion and the importance of kindness that my grandfather had already taught me. My school arranged for programs for feeding the poor, helping the blind, feeding dogs at Jeevraksha shelter and many more social services for the children.
STARTING YOUNG...
At 16, I saw one of my local community dogs die of an unfortunate accident; she had left her puppies behind and my heart cried. I picked up the puppies and decided to take care of them. After that, I started fostering motherless animals and nursing them to health. I nursed kittens and puppies barely a few days old. I also decided to join organisations and help more animals. I started volunteering with a lot of organisations in Pune and with the help of other volunteers, started rescuing animals on the streets.
Motherless Puppies that I Fostered
I would pick up puppies and kittens, put them in a bag and drive 20 km on my two-wheeler to get them treated at RESQ. I have run into police stations and waited outside for hours, made rounds of hospitals and been to different societies to solve issues related to feeders and residents. I have also taken part in programs of placing 500 water bowls for stray animals and attended to emergency cases at 2 am.
I did my bit from rescuing cats and dogs to rescuing birds sometimes, but it certainly wasn't easy. My family wasn't very happy as my grades started falling because animal rescue was becoming a full-time job. My father locked me in a room for two days, and I decided not to eat until he let me do what I was so passionate about. Finally, I was back to doing my usual rescues, but at the same time, I worked on my studies as well. I knew I didn't want to do anything else but be with animals. I not only rescued animals from injuries but also closely started working with the animal welfare officer against cruelty. Soon I gained a huge network with feeders, volunteers, police as well as the corporators and worked for Animal Birth Control in the city.
Neha (Founder of RESQ Charitable Trust) recognised my dedication to work for animals and helped me use my potential in the best way. Today, I work at the RESQ Rehoming Centre, full-time, to help more animals while trying to balance college. I will always be grateful to Neha for pushing me to my best always and letting me do something I always wanted to do. In the end, I will continue to do what my grandfather taught me to do, and I hope to teach more people to become compassionate.
HELping Animals AT resq has been a dream come true
If you're an animal lover who wants to do more for their community and the animals that live there, there is always a way if you have the will. My experiences in life have taught me that, and I hope that with reading my post, you'll find your calling too!