Maharashtra group ties Rakhis to street animals, vows to protect them

On the occasion of Rakshabandhan, a group of children and adults from PAL group tied Rakhis to street animals in their neighbourhood with the pledge to protect them from harm.

About 30 children and 40 adults from the Pure Animal Lovers (PAL) group of Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, and Navi Mumbai tied Rakhis to street animals promising to care for them throughout the year. The PAL group was created in September 2020 by Sudhir Kudalkar, the assistant commissioner of police with the anti-corruption bureau at Worli to take care of street animals during the pandemic.

The animal lovers group says animals need a greater protection ring around them since they can’t speak about their problems. (HT Photo/Representative)

The young members of PAL group recently made and circulated videos with their views on animal cruelty and appeals to stop it. On the occasion of Rakshabandhan, they not only spread this video message but also tied Rakhis to street animals in their neighbourhood with the pledge to protect them from harm.

Kudalkar said, “Raksha Bandhan means a bond of protection. Our voiceless animals are our best companions, protectors, who share an unbreakable bond of love with us. This time, we all celebrated the sacred relation with our strays by taking a pledge to protect them and care for them with all our hearts. So, many group members including the younger ones tied Rakhi to street animals on Sunday with the pledge to take care of them.”

Six year old Diya Wadkar said Covid-19 was also tough on animals and the strays needed to be treated as part of the society. “This Rakshabandhan, I pledge love and respect to the street animals. I have seen elders asking watchmen to beat and remove street animals from our housing society, which is wrong... I promise to take care of cats or other animals from our area and to never harm them,” Wadkar said.

27-year old Mansi Rege from Mulund rescued 14 street dogs during this year’s flood. Now, everyone from her family has tied a Rakhi to these dogs, promising to take care of them.

“We should not limit ourselves to sharing sweets and gifts on this Rakshabandhan, we should do something for others. Animals cannot speak about their problems and hence need greater care. On this Raksha Bandhan, I took a pledge to take care of them.”