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This Kashmiri Pandit has dedicated her life to saving animals
Emblems of Empowerment: Namrata Hakhoo, a good Samaritan, lives in Jammu with 331 rescued animals on whom she spends ₹14,000 daily; she chose not to marry so that she can devote her time to take care of animals
A 10-year-old girl, who had to flee the Valley with her parents and younger brother back in the 1989, is in her 40s today, who chose not to marry so that she can devote her time to take care of her 331 ‘children’.
Meet Namrata Hakhoo, a Kashmiri Pandit migrant, who has dedicated her life to look after abandoned and injured street animals as “she can feel their pain and suffering”.
“I am a single woman living with my elderly parents in Jammu since 1989 when we had to flee our home in Kashmir to escape radicals and terrorists. I am the founder of Hakhoo Street Animals Foundation Trust (registered) and we are taking care of street animals since 1993,” she says.
Namrata runs the shelter inside her home on three and a half kanals in Hakkal village near Chatha on the outskirts of Jammu city. “Right now, we are living with 331 street animals on whom we spend ₹14,000 daily,” she says.
Being a Kashmiri Pandit migrant, her father gets a cash relief of ₹9,750 every month, which is not enough for the family. “We have sold everything, including gold ornaments of my mother. We don’t have any source of income. We want to do more for animals on the streets, but financial crisis is giving us a tough time,” she adds.
Future plans
“We want to build a 100-kennel rehabilitation shelter for street animals. But without the support of the society, the goal can’t be achieved. We want that more and more street animals get timely treatment, surgeries, shelter and food,” she says.
Available 24x7 for rescue and rehabilitation of street animals for the past 28 years, Namrata’s trust currently has 331 animals, including oxen, cows, pigs, monkeys, eagles, pigeons, cats, dogs, owl, parrots, horses, and calves.
Notably, all the animals have been vaccinated. “We are also very particular about deworming procedure of animals and follow every suggestion of veterinary doctor,” she says.
Namrata, who had to shut her computer institute in a bid to house animals, tries to provide proper diet to the animals but has lately cut her meals to twice a day.
“We are in debt of ₹6 lakh as we had to buy food, medicines and other things needed for the rescued animals,” she says. “We are facing severe financial crunch, but to treat an injured voiceless animal and bring him home gives us immense satisfaction. I am doing it for myself and not for others,” she adds.
She recalls how ‘Hakhoo Ghar’, which started with two pet dogs, has become a big family of 331 animals.
“We, in the meantime, also feed 1,000 animals on the street,” she says. The ever-swelling number of animals has compelled Namrata to sleep on a mattress in her kitchen while her parents sleep in a small room.
“We have dedicated our lives to animal welfare and have given up on luxuries,” she says.
Namrata passed her Class 12 from Kendriya Vidyalaya before getting an NCSC degree in networking essentials.
She has so far received no help either from the government or any NGO.
“Since 1993 till 2019, we were doing it on our own but now we are seeking support from the people. I approached J&K L-G Manoj Sinha on his grievances cell, wrote to the PM on his official account and contacted actor Sonu Sood in Mumbai, but am yet receive any response,” she says.
