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Jaya Bhattacharya turns good Samaritan amid Covid-19 crisis: If you can’t care about animals, do you think you can take care of humans?
The actor says she is chronicling the work on social media for everyone to know that their contribution is reaching the right people
Life is always what you make out of it. Jaya Bhattacharya had decided her course of life almost two decades ago when she was working on Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. The actor has been taking care of stray animals, especially dogs, all these years. And during the Covid-19 crisis she is doing her best to support both humans and stray animals in need.
Bhattacharya has also been sharing about her initiative on social media. She says, “Earlier, I would hardly put too much about myself, but now I think this might motivate some more hearts to help others.”
Many of her friends and some of her social media followers have extended support, and she has her reasons for posting regularly about those she is providing for. She explains, “I’m an actor and have lived a dignified life all these years. I know it won’t take much time for someone to point fingers at me. So I want the truth to be out in the open. Apart from keeping a note of the helps received, I’m also chronicling the work being done for everyone to know that their help is reaching to the right ones. It’s also makes them feel better,” she explains.
Bhattacharya recalls how people would call her “paagal” when she started off, and feels that while things are changing for the better now, recently a friend’s husband was harassed for feeding dogs around their house. “If you can’t care about animals, do you think you can take care of human beings?” she questions.
Recently, a video of Bhattacharya shaving off her head also went viral. Ask her about it, and she says, “I’m an actor and I know beauty lies in your performance. I can manage with a wig. But at this time I can’t be worried about my hair, so I decided to get rid of it. It’ll grow back soon.”
While she is helping everyone generously, she shares a few recent incidents that taught her to be careful. “I’ve got calls from people in between asking for help. A few times it had happened that the food we sent didn’t go to those who needed it. Now we don’t trust anyone asking for donations and do everything ourselves,” she says.
Hopeful that the situation will get better soon, Bhattacharya is also looking forward to get back to work. “I need to keep working to do what I do. After Silsila Badalte Rishton Ka, I’ve not taken up any long-term projects. I was supposed to do so now and shooting was to start when this lockdown happened. Some of my cheques are also stuck. I hope we get back to work soon,” she says.
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