CHENNAI: Stray dogs are a common sight in every city. While the ones at home are taken care of by their parents, what about the ones on the streets, who takes care of them? Here is where superheroes without capes step in. Our city has several compassionate souls who work tirelessly to help the dogs on the streets, without seeking recognition. They consider strays as their own and make sure they are treated with equal respect.
To honour these animal welfare activists, the third edition of the Kindness Awards was conducted at Savera Hotel on Saturday. The award was presented to three individuals, one trust and a shelter home. A special cash award was given to Jai Surya, an 18-year-old, who runs a charitable organisation under the name ‘Animal Says’. The co-founder of the Blue Cross of India, Chinny Krishna was bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions.
One in the memory
The former managing director of Savera Hotel, the late A Vijaykumar Reddy was fond of dogs and always believed in being kind towards them. This edition of Kindness Awards was conducted in his remembrance on his birth anniversary on August 5. The awardees were chosen by Change a Life Trust, founded by Nina Reddy, joint managing director of Savera Hotel.
Bucchaa Arun, one of the award winners, requested people to come forward and help not only dogs but also all cattle. “It is more of a joint effort. We live as a community, it is important that one supports the other,” he said. The other awardees were Deepaloshini, Shaira Banu, Debbie and Steieve (Trust), and Sampradaya (a shelter home run by Girija Ramanathan). These people work with dogs, cats, and cows, providing them with their basic needs — food, water, and shelter.
Shaira Banu, who lives in a small space of 300 sqft, feeds 40 cats and other animals every day from 11 pm to 2 am. Similarly, Debbie and Steieve, who started their trust just months ago feed 300 animals every day. Each story presented at the ceremony was heart-touching and inspiring.
Voice for the voiceless
All the celebrated individuals got emotional on stage as they were awarded Rs 10,000 each. “The money received is used for the animal adoption drive that will be happening in the city,” added Jai Surya, who founded the charitable trust in memory of his deceased pet when he was just 14 years old.
With a list of awards under his name, Chinny Krishna was decorated with a Lifetime Achievement award for his work in animal welfare. He shared, “Every dog deserves a home. If (you are) not able to provide shelter then it is (our) moral responsibility to help them in the ways that are possible.” He invited everybody to visit Blue Cross shelter homes that take care of 2,000 dogs at any given point of time along with other animals.
In her address, Nina Reddy stressed on one main point. “Collaborate and work together. Rescuing, rehabilitation or feeding cannot be the responsibility of one individual but the society as a whole should step up,” she said. At the end of the event, most of the attendees left the hall with a silent pledge to come forward with whatever help they could offer the strays. Kindness towards animals is not something that is recognised all the time, but a small initiative from our house will definitely help save a life.