VIRUDHUNAGAR: What is the purpose of your life’ is rather an intense question to be raised, especially to someone in their 20s. While the socially accepted and expected answers would be around career, money or family, a 25-year-old from Virudhunagar says making the world a better place for her furry friends would make her life complete. H Vinothini’s life took a u-turn after adopting Chokki, a three-year-old dog, a few years ago.
From changing her daily routine to choosing a career, Chokki influenced her life’s trajectory. “To be honest, I adopted Chokki, an indie, during my college days just for the sake of having a pet. As I started to take care of him, we developed an emotional bond which made me look into the lives of stray dogs. Through Chokki’s eyes, I saw their world and their daily struggles,” says Vinothini, of Srivilliputhur.
She started off by feeding a few stray dogs in her locality. “As days passed, I noticed the malnourished dogs slowly gaining health,” gushes Vinothini who made this a part of her daily routine. Going forward and observing the life of stray dogs, Vinothini understood there were no proper rescue services in her area to treat injured dogs. With the help and guidance from Chokki’s regular veterinarian, she began providing treatment and medicines to dogs in the locality. Vinothini also started rescuing stray puppies and putting them up for adoption.
“With the pocket money from my parents being my only source of revenue, I faced financial constraints many a time as feeding and treating dogs are quite expensive. Eventually, I found a balance, thanks to the support of a few like-minded individuals who came to know about my activities,” she adds.
The story does not end here. Vinothini began educating people about cruelty against animals and even filed complaints when such incidents occured. “One such incident was brought to the attention of People for Animals (PFA). This created a significant impact in my area as people realised that hitting animals will also land them in legal trouble,” she says.
Fighting a battle, that too for these voiceless creatures, wasn’t an easy task for Vinothini. She had received threats in her initial days but nothing could put this brave-heart down. For the last few months, Vinothini has been working as a cruelty response coordinator for Humane Anilmal Society in Coimbatore. She expresses her gratitude towards Austlin, founder and managing trustee of The Planatic Foundation, where she worked as a volunteer and gained knowledge in handling and taking care of dogs.
“I moved to Coimbatore a year ago for my studies. My love for stray dogs made me take up the role of a volunteer of several NGOs,” she shares. She keeps travelling to and from Coimbatore and Srivilliputhur to take care of her dogs. In her absence, her mohr steps in.
Vinothini’s dream is to set up a shelter for stray animals in her society. “The path I have been travelling made me discover my purpose in life – to ensure strays lead a peaceful life in the world, just like us, or better than us. They deserve the best and nothing else,” she says.
(Edited by Anagha R Manoj)