From
serials and movies to some extent in the real world, old people are always seen
as the creatures to be thrown into some old – age homes to facilitate the so –
called undisturbed, peaceful living of the next generation. “I can’t stand this. Dump these old people in
some unknown place. I don’t care”, is one of the most common dialogues of
Tamil serials (oops.. sorry, mega serials) Either the husband or wife would be
uttering these words with a tone of hatred and discomfort clearly evident from
their voice due to the presence of their mother – in – law and father – in –
law. And echoing it, most of the old people, post – retirement, only want to
spend their lives resting in a chair, gossiping and reading magazines. But,
here is a distinguished couple who seem to be the only hope for animals.
Now, let’s
see a bit about the current world with respect to protection of animals. It’s a
rare combination of very sensitive Blue Cross volunteers, who want the animals
to live in peace but would never mind about human lives and the cruel, ruthless
human beings, who would kill animals ranging from kittens to elephants for
everything like merry – making, meat – making and money – making.
Free from
all these contraries, there is a full – fledged home, literally, to provide
shelter to stray and diseased animals. Yes! It’s all about the AWPT – Animal
Welfare and Protection Trust. Mr. Narasimhamoorthy, a retired RBI employee and
Mrs. Padmavathy, his spouse, have continuously been crusading the cause of
animal protection, not just in terms of word, but in practice. I happened to
meet this Jehovah in the Leo Utsav –
2015, the annual festival of the Leo Club of CEG, of which I am a part. He had
been invited as the Chief Guest for the inauguration ceremony and I was asked
to prepare a welcome note with the help of a website, www.awptrust.org
“What the
hell!” was my first thought and reluctantly I opened the site. Surprise awaited
me as the top of homepage displayed some cute pictures of puppies and kittens
with tags, Adopt, Donate, Sponsor and Volunteer. Curiosity got the better of me
and I started going through each and every tab and information. When I was
finished, the feeling of being awestruck occupied me.
A gist: An
old couple are protecting animals with adequate medical facilities and cosy
shelter. They spend their entire source of income for the welfare of these five
– sensed creatures by treating them effectively with Animal Birth Control (ABC)
surgeries under the control of expert veterinarians. Though they face a lot of
monetary and societal problems, they continue their service. They never want to
come to the limelight and are very much contended with what they do. Their
services have been recognized by associations like Lions Club of Chennai and
the Chennai Rotary and eminent personalities such as our former Chief Minister,
Selvi. Jayalalithaa and former Governor Honbl. Surjith Singh Barnala.
With all
the information, when I looked at the bottom of the page, I was electrified to
find that the site had last been updated in the year 2009. I started admiring
them because had they filled the page with instant notifications on what they
did in these six years 2009 – 2014, the website could have gone viral and they
would’ve got more attention and attraction in the media.
Since I
had got enough data for my speech, I glossed it with some of the proverbs and
sayings and voila, it was ready! The next day, I presented it in a way which
satisfied me. When the Chief Guest, Mr. Narasimhamoorthy was invited to speak,
he started with a calm, shaky voice. I can assure that he could not have spoken
more than 250 words there but each word was worth being chiselled in the form
of inscriptions. “People ask me why I care for animals to this extent. Human
beings can express their feeling of pain, sorrow and suffering and ask others
for help. But, these animals cannot. Helping and serving animals are the
noblest virtues.”
He asked
us to visit the Sanctuary, as it is
known, at least once. So, we went there today not before encountering the usual
hassles of travelling around Chennai. We boarded the wrong buses, we got down
some stops before and had to walk quite some distance. Eventually, when we
entered there, all our tiredness due to the hot sun disappeared and the supreme
feeling of heart – pounding joy filled us. The smell of cat and dog hairs
greeted us into the Worldly Heaven. I
could sense the divinity there as even the dogs barked in a manner, which was significantly
different from the usual noises a dog make on seeing a stranger. This was the
indication that they had got the feeling humans are really hospitable to them,
courtesy their atmosphere. What surprised me more was the dogs and cats played
with each other, preening the tails and jumping over here and there. While the
cats were afraid for some time initially, dogs readily nestled and sat on our
laps, eager to receive some pats and harnesses.
As Mr.
Narasimhamoorthy had earlier stated, Mrs. Padmavathy was happier than him on
our visit. She treated us well and began explaining the course of their
development in with a baby’s enthusiasm. Meanwhile, he showed us the
photocopies, scanned pictures and photo albums of the earlier activities, which
really moved me. Some of the letters received from various people from across
the city were praising him as God’s Messenger. Really thrilling to view was the
photograph which showed the removal of tumour from a cow’s brain. When we went
around the home, I could see a caged crow, which had been recently injured in a
leg. Since it is practically impossible for it move, leaving it free would lead
to peril.
Food is
kept in bowls almost in every corner of the home and the animals are not
restricted to eat whenever they wish to. The utmost affection and care towards
these non – verbal species is evident in the way they keep separate
compartments for dry food, cooked rice, milk and snacks. Kittens could be seen
sleeping in their living room and on the beds. Notably, both the Managing
Trustees, as they are legally described, are 65+.
After some
emotional moments, when we finally prepared ourselves to depart, we donated
some amount (I’ve been advised not to
mention it here). He received it with thankfulness but reinstated that more
than money, the continuous arrival and visits of guests is always the
encouraging tonic that keeps them going.
I can tell
only one thing to those health – conscious, hygienic people. Touching And Growing Animals In Your House
or In Your Locality Won’t Affect Your Health. Please Do Not Restrict Animal
Entry Into Your Posh Apartments. Feed Them and Make Them Live. Because, We’re
Nothing More Than Modifications Of Monkeys.
