While many states in India have an alarming sex ratio and a large number of girls are still being abandoned and killed, it indeed comes as good news that couples looking to adopt in India prefer girls over boys. Is it the winds of change? 

Couples in India prefer girls over boys. To many this statement may seem false or perhaps the wishful thinking of a gender rights champion. After all, doesn’t one keep reading about how rampant gender biased sex selection is in the country and that, at present, the child sex ratio – 914 girls per 1000 boys – is the lowest since independence.

Okay, so it may indeed be a strange paradox but though these figures don’t paint a great picture it is also a fact that when it comes to adoption increasingly couples want to bring home a baby girl even if it means waiting for as long as six years for her.

While a majority of those who go in for adoption don’t have any biological children of their own, today, there is a growing trend of couples with one child being keen on adopting a girl as their second one.

Take Bengaluru-based Saumya Vishwanathan and her husband, Ranjith, who decided to adopt a baby girl after their firstborn, a boy, turned three. Of course, the decision to adopt, says Vishwanathan, had been taken even before the duo started planning their family.

“I work in the social sector and am more than familiar with the biases that a girl child faces, especially in north India. The skewed sex ratio in states like Haryana and Punjab is proof enough of the deep-rooted prejudice. Maybe it is because of this that I felt a social responsibility and had the strong urge to adopt a baby girl,” shares Vishwanathan, who is in her late thirties.

When she got married to Ranjith and told him about her wish he was a little taken aback. But she was fully prepared for such a reaction and so she sat him down to talk about her reasons for wanting to adopt a girl. “When I told him why I wanted to adopt a girl, he understood where I was coming from and agreed wholeheartedly. At the same time, both of us also agreed that we wanted a biological child, too – I wanted to experience the whole journey from pregnancy to childbirth. So, Ayan came along first and then, three years later, Masoom, our daughter filled our home with joy and laughter,” she says with a wide smile.

Obviously, convincing their respective parents wasn’t all that simple. “But as soon as they saw Masoom, who was 10-months-old when we brought her home, they instantly fell in love with her. Even Ayan was more than thrilled and these days he is every bit the doting older brother,” she adds.

Unlike Saumya and Ranjith, for Meenakshi Padmanabhan and her husband, Rajiv, the decision to go in for adoption came when they were unable to conceive even after 15 years of marriage.

“We tried to have our own child but fate, I guess, had other plans in store for us,” says Meenakshi, 45. While friends and relatives suggested they try different assisted reproductive options, including surrogacy, it was a chance meeting with a couple who had adopted a baby girl that changed their minds.

“There was no looking back then. We decided to go for adoption and were very sure that we wanted a baby girl,” she says. “Girls are warm and empathetic; they always look after their family, even after marriage and in old age. Okay, maybe I am being biased here, but this is what we’ve seen and truly believe. Also, the chemistry that the couple, Sam and Maria, shared with their daughter was wonderful and we wanted the same kind of connection with ours.”

Padmanabhan and Vishwanathan’s recount of their reasons for going in for the adoption of a baby girl are quite common. “In fact, whether it’s because of the movies, social service advertisements, or the real life experiences being shared publicly, the mindsets are definitely changing not just towards the practice of adoption itself but to the idea of bringing home a girl child,” elaborates Anu J. Singh, a former member of the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Women & Child Development (WCD), Government of India. The agency functions as the nodal body for adoption of children in India and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions.

In certain states there is a clear preference for girls. According to Mini Nair, a child counsellor and psychotherapist who works with several adoption agencies, “The preference for girl child adoption is especially higher in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu [Chennai] and Karnataka [Bangalore]. In these places, the waiting period for a baby girl could run up to six years in some private adoption agencies. I know people who have looked elsewhere for adoption because of the long waiting time. However, if you go up north, in Haryana and Punjab, the trend evens out and the number of parents who want girls and boys is equal.”

As per the WCD Ministry, the official adoption numbers have been climbing steadily. Whereas in 2013-14, a total of 3,924 children were placed for adoption (in-country) of which 2,293 were girls and 1,631 were boys, in 2014-15, 2,300 girls were adopted in comparison to 1,688 boys. This year, between April and June, 518 girls and 298 boys have been placed for adoption.

It’s certainly good news that when it comes to adoption a greater number of girls are being placed into loving homes nowadays. Yet, at the same time, it does indicate that girls are still being abandoned and put up for adoption.

“This is why we were surprised when, after we gave our gender preference, we were told by the adoption agency that the wait would be long. I was under the impression that since so many girls are deserted in our country, it would take less time,” Padmanabhan remarks.

Although her reasoning is not wrong the reality is that the adoption process in India is a long-drawn and exhaustive one, and prospective parents are often faced with innumerable hurdles in the form of inordinate delays and complicated paperwork. Fortunately, the WCD Ministry is working towards changing all that. Says Women and Child Development Minister, Maneka Gandhi, “People have to wait for up to three to four years to adopt. That is inexcusable. I want to overhaul the system so that it doesn’t take more than four months.”

Gandhi has announced a target of 15,000 adoptions for the government-run agencies this year. And to make this possible a set of reforms have been proposed. Apart from simplifying the rules and shedding excessive bureaucratic caution, there is a move to set up an online application tracking system and launch a new foster-care programme as well. She hopes that the new guidelines governing adoption will “speed up the process and make the system more transparent”.

With more than 50,000 orphans in the country in need of a secure home, Gandhi says, “There will be zero tolerance for those agencies that delay the process of adoption or report unavailability of children.” Incidentally, there are 403 government-recognised adoption agencies in India. With new rules and a new, more progressive way of thinking, hundreds of unwanted children, especially girls, will hopefully get doting parents like the Padmanabhans.

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).

Every time our readers like and share TBI stories they are not just spreading positivity and hope, they are also creating an impact that may not at first be visible. Here’s one such story, of a young adoptive parent to a special child, which went viral and created ripples greater than we had imagined.

On January 1, 2016, Aditya Tiwari became the youngest single adoptive parent in India by legally adopting a special child Binny. He named him Avnish.

Aditya fought a 2-year-long battle against the system and society to become a single father.

On January 12, 2016, we wrote about ‘How Aditya Fought All Odds to Become India’s Youngest Single Parent to Adopt a Special Child’ and, like always, our readers helped us spread this positive story like wildfire. The article got lakhs of views and 33,000+ shares too (so far).

Avnish turned two on March 16, 2016. On this occasion, his father Aditya could not thank you all more for the huge impact you created simply by clicking ‘share’ on his story.

Here are some of the things that have happened in his life since the story was published on TBI:

1. Parents of children with Down’s Syndrome reached out to him for inspiration and help.

This was a message from a single father to Aditya after reading the story:

Aditya received loads of calls from parents who thought life had been unfair to them by giving them children with Down’s Syndrome. But here was a young single man who adopted a child with Down’s Syndrome and told the world it was a blessing for him.

“Parents of children with Down’s Syndrome called me from almost every part of the country and told me how my step has given strength to them,” says Aditya.

2. Aditya benefitted too. NGOs and physiotherapists reached out to support him.

The NGOs that had special kids helped him learn more about the disability and ways to deal with it, whereas many physiotherapists offered to treat Avnish for free.

“Ms. Rekha Ramchandran from Down Syndrome Federation of India called me after reading your article. Since then she is supporting me in any way possible to nurture Avnish,” Aditya informed The Better India.

3. The legal struggle and victories inspired many citizens.

In our previous article we had explained how Aditya had to fight a legal battle because the age bar for single adoptive parents in India was 30 and he was just 27 when he decided to adopt Avnish. He kept fighting the system until the age limit was reduced to 25.

“Atul Vidyalaya, Valsad, Gujarat, invited me as a chief guest on January 26, 2016. I was surprised by this and asked them why I was selected, as I had done nothing other than just adopting a child. The Principal replied that it was not just an adoption but it was a trend-setting decision and the struggle behind it makes me a hero. He said he would like the children of his school to become like me. That was the biggest compliment I could ever get,” says Aditya.

4. Thirty other children like Avnish, who were at the same orphanage as him, were also impacted.

During his struggle to adopt Avnish, Aditya came to know about 30 other kids who were illegally being sent to foreign countries. The adoption agency was reported and its licence was cancelled.

These 30 kids are legally registered now and a few of them have also been adopted.

5. HIV positive children will also have a home now.

After word spread, an NGO called Palawi from Pandharpur, Maharashtra, which had 98 HIV positive children, called Aditya. They told him these kids were not allowed to go to regular schools and were not accepted by society either, so the NGO had an in-house school and orphanage for them. However, these kids also long to have families but the NGO does not have permission to give them for adoption. Aditya, who is well-versed with adoption proceedings and laws by now, asked them to send all the documents immediately. He then forwarded them to CARA and the Central Government. Aditya is now fighting for the rights of these kids.

“It used to be that previously, if a child was born to an HIV positive mother, he/she used to be infected too. But now, with proper medication and good care, these babies become negative within 18 months. There are many parents who are ready to adopt these kids but we do not have the permission to give them for adoption. Being in a remote area, we explained our concern to the local authorities but did not know any other further procedures. My mother read the article about the legal battle that Aditya Ji fought for Avnish. So we called him to seek help. And he has been a great support since then,” says Dimple Ghadge of Palawi.

6. Law students got to learn a lot.

Aditya’s story became an interesting project for law students, who found an opportunity to learn about the adoption law through him. A few documentaries have already been made by law students on Aditya and Avnish – among these are two by LLM Pune University and Jai Hind College, Mumbai. Bhopal Jagran Lake City University is also making a film on them.

7. Foreign nationals sought help for adoption.

Aditya’s story reached foreign shores, and was also published in several magazines of UK and U.A.E, after which many foreign nationals called him to seek help with the adoption procedure in India. Aditya was more than happy to help them.

8. Aditya was the first man to be presented the ‘Real Life Hero’ award by his company, Barclays, on Women’s Day recently. Aditya takes pride in telling this to us.

9. Film makers have started contacting Aditya.

You might soon watch a film based on the life of Aditya and Avnish – a well-known Bollywood production house and a regional production house too have contacted him for the same.

10. The most wonderful impact.

Binny, who is Aditya’s son Avnish Tiwari now, has shown tremendous improvement since he became a part of Aditya’s family.

“I met the parents of a 10-year-old child with Down’s Syndrome before I adopted Avnish. They told me how difficult it is to raise such children. Avnish had 70-80% Down’s Syndrome. The doctors told me that he would never be able to walk in his life. But in just three months it seems his Down’s Syndrome is just 15-20%. He can hold and stand and tries to stand without support too sometimes. The parents of the 10-year-old child were surprised to see this and have invited me home to help them. My son has set an example for everyone,” says Aditya with a smile.

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us:contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).

Petdom, an online dog adoption portal and app, has made adoption easier and less time consuming for prospective pet owners. With many dogs abandoned at shelters, the team at Petdom encourages adoption as opposed to buying.

If there’s an app for everything – from buying groceries online to finding plumbers – then it’s only logical that there’s an app to adopt a pet too. With the number of abandoned dogs that end up at shelters or with NGOs on the rise, it is becomingly increasingly difficult for these organisations to manage enough food and facilities. The solution is adoption.

The normal process of adoption is time consuming and cumbersome, sometimes driving away potential adopters. This is where Petdom steps in. Launched in January this year, it is a platform that brings together dog shelters and potential owners in a fool-proof setting. It takes the process of dog adoption online and on a mobile app, making it simple to find a nice home for a dog.

People can discover pets from the shelters near them, all with the click of a button.

For Udit Agarwal, who founded Petdom with Abhinav Tyagi, the idea resulted from his own experience when adopting a dog and watching others go through the same lengthy process. “There are no verified sources for finding pets and most of the pet classifieds are occupied by unethical breeders who breed dogs in very bad conditions,” he says, “Also, there are a million healthy pets in shelters waiting to find new homes. We want to enable people to easily find pets around them for adoption and then make the process really easy.”

His team, made up of pet-lovers with corporate and tech backgrounds, is tapping into the large want-to-adopt population in India.

According to Udit, adoption is still quite new and in its nascent stages in India. “Considering people bring home more than 100,000 dogs every year and the number is only increasing, adoption is going to be huge in India,” he says.

In fact, in just two months, the app has met with appreciable success, with more than a 1000 downloads.

“We’ve had a lot of people use our platform with more than a hundred adoption requests in the last 20 days,” he says, elated. “We’ve also had people from Tier B and Tier C cities use our platform. Every day, there is someone or the other in India who wants to adopt a pet. We have about 200+ unique visitors every day and these numbers are growing rapidly.”

With about 225 listings so far, Udit says at least 30 new ones are being added every day.

The Android app and its corresponding website have listings of many dogs and puppies that are up for adoption from shelters, NGOs and other pet owners across India.

“We work with animal organizations like People For Animals, Friendicoes and SPCA all over India,” says Udit. “After a user makes an adoption request on Petdom for a pet, he/she fills up a simple form with details about family and prior experience in having a pet, among other things. We get adopters to upload their house photos on our platform, because house checks are mandatory for a lot of pet parents.”

This information is then sent to the pet shelter organisation or the pet parents at the other end of the process. These shelters review the users and decide if they want to pursue their adoption requests.

Currently, the app and website use Facebook for login purposes to verify potential adopters and those putting up pets for adoption.

“The verifiability is ensured through their Facebook logins first and then the adoption form which asks for more specific details about their house, family, prior pet ownership, purpose of adoption, and the house photos for the shelter,” explains Udit. “This helps us weed out the bad adopters from the really interested ones and also alleviates the time-taking pet adoption process.”

Once the shelter or the pet owner accepts the profile of the user, the prospective adopter can go meet the pet. “It really depends on the adopter and the parent after that, to make multiple visits before the process is completed. We facilitate the process but the final call rests with the shelter,” he says.

“We counsel first time adopters and give them information about the entire pet parenting experience,” Udit says, introducing the concept of concierge services. This includes finding trainers, vets, and food for these pet owners. “Every pet owner has a unique relationship with his/her dog – some want guard dogs and others want them for companionship. We talk to these people and help them find what’s right for them and their pets.”

The team’s focus right now is only on dog adoption, simply because of the massive dog population in shelters in India.

Source: Facebook

“Our platform could support cats but we are deferring this right now until we can learn more about the entire process and make it even easier for the adopter and the parent,” he says.

The team works in a pet-friendly environment with a lot of stray dogs, and is headquartered in Delhi. It does not charge a single rupee for the use of the app or the website, keeping the process of adoption as welcoming and hassle-free as possible. “However, we do ask people for any donations that they’d like to share with us to keep the servers on and enable us to add more pets for adoption to Petdom,” Udit says.

Speaking of the dog breeds the team runs into most often, Udit says the Indian Pariah dog is ubiquitous in all the shelters. Then there are a lot Labradors, Pomeranians and Golden Retrievers too, many of whom end up injured or abandoned in shelters. “But it’s very hard to find Pugs, Rottweilers, and Dachshunds in shelters because their parents seldom abandon them,” he points out.

However, Udit speaks out for indigenous dogs, upset that most people in India don’t adopt what he calls ‘IndiDogs.’

Source: Wikimedia Commons

“People have their heart set on breeds for various reasons. It’s a huge problem because IndiDogs are very healthy, clean and lovely pets; they will love you as much as any breed dogs,” he explains. “It’s very important that we are able to get this fact across to our users as a lot of the puppies on Petdom are IndiPuppies.”

Other challenges include potential adopters who change their minds at the very last stage. And then there are pet shelters that are hesitant to try out an online platform for adoption.

Yet, the Petdom team is confident that dog adoption will pick up at a great pace once people are comfortable with it, virtually. “Petdom is seeing considerable usage in a very short time, which has also surprised us. We still have to reach out to more people and tell them there’s an easy way to adopt dogs rather than just buying them.”

Posted by Petdom on Wednesday, 20 January 2016

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).

Feeding dogs on the streets of Bengaluru, a corporate employee, 37-year-old Amee Mendez is a dog lover who has been looking out for man’s best friend with steely determination. She’s taking care of 44 rescued dogs in her Horamavu home in northeastern Bengaluru; she considers them her family.

Source: Facebook / Amee Mendez

Her journey started many years ago when she found an abandoned Pomeranian while she was headed to work. After asking around, she realized the dog was helpless and surviving on leftovers.

Mendez made her decision then; she decided to take care of the dog herself, unaware that this was a sign; it would lead to bigger things in the future.

“I could relate to her pain. I was also helpless after my grandmother died. I could see myself in her,” she told The New Indian Express. “I named her Betty.”

Source: Facebook / Amee Mendez

Mendez rescued another dog yesterday, offering shelter and a home to her four-legged friend. “I’ve always had a passion for animals,” she said, explaining that moving to the big city from Kerala, where she was raised, gave her a chance to find her niche.

Her parents are divorced and she lost her grandmother a few years ago. She found unconditional love with her pets and shared that she’d never planned to become an activist. Taking care of dogs feels natural; it’s something that was meant to happen.

Holding down a day job at Tesco hasn’t hindered her from continuing her quest to save dogs from the brutality of the streets. After work, every night, she steps out and offers food to the animals. She’s been soldiering on for eleven years, undeterred by obstacles such as irate neighbours who complained.

Source: Facebook / Amee Mendez

She usually takes care of the mothers and after ensuring the safety of the puppies gives them to other animal lovers looking to adopt. It’s harder to find people who want to adopt older dogs, there are a lot of pre-conceived notions.

Mendez has been forced to relocate to new apartments several times in different parts of the city. As the number of dogs under her care grew, complications arose. Finances became a major hurdle since Mendez essentially relied on her personal income to feed the dogs.

Today, she spends almost 60,000 rupees to make sure her pets are well-fed and healthy. Other animal lovers have also helped. A Good Samaritan she met on an animal forum acts as the dogs’ caretaker, looking after their safety.

Source: Facebook / Amee Mendez

Her love for animals has translated into a more responsible way of living; Mendez says she’s become more mature because of it. “I have changed as a person,” she added.

A campaign has been started on Milaap to help Amee Mendez raise funds for her beloved pets. If you would like to help out, please click here to donate towards building a home for Amee’s family.

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).

Single mothers of adopted daughters talk about their heartwarming journeys into motherhood and the changing definition of a family.

On the outside, Suja Warrier and Malini Parmar have a few obvious things in common: both are single and successful women living in Bengaluru, they have had long corporate careers, and are passionate environmentalists and waste warriors. But look more closely and you will see how they have not only taken the road less travelled in their professional lives, but also in their personal ones.

 Suja Warrier and Malini Parmar are both single mothers to adopted daughters.

Suja and Malini speak candidly about their heart-warming journeys into motherhood, and how it’s high time that our society goes beyond the conventional definition of a family.

How the Journey Began

Suja: In 2004, after the devastating tsunami, I travelled to Nagapattinam with a bunch of volunteers. We were there to help out with the relief work. While most of my colleagues left in a few days, I decided to stay back alone. Eventually, I found many other people like me. It’s there that I met some of the finest minds. Something about that experience changed me forever. It changed my perspective of how I related to myself and others in life.

Since then, while working with the corporates, I built my life around social projects – largely what I call volunteer driven, zero budget projects. Through this time, I lived alone. At some point I decided to sponsor a child for her education. I started doing that and in sometime felt like it was not enough. I wanted to adopt a child.

At that point, I knew this was a radical decision to take. Knowing that I came from a very traditional family, I knew I would not gather support from them. But yet, I had made up my mind and my journey towards motherhood began.

Malini: I was about 26 years old when I heard about Sushmita Sen adopting a daughter. And she was a single mother. I was very inspired by this. I thought it was a wonderful way to build a family. Around the same time I started to volunteer a lot with programs that were benefiting children. So I was always in the company of children. But yet, I couldn’t take the next step. I struggled with the thought of adoption, but until I thought I was doing it as a favour to someone else, I couldn’t proceed. As I started reading up about adoption, about being a single parent, I discovered that I wasn’t doing any favour.  Adoption was my need. And that is when my adoption journey began. 

Becoming a Mother

Suja: I must say that my adoption journey was not an easy one. For one, I was a single parent and the processes were not as streamlined as they are today. Also, I lived alone and I didn’t have much support from my family. Given the situation, the adoption agencies recommended that I support a child who already lives in an institute. But I had made up my mind; I wanted my child to be with me, in my home. Finally, I met Ms Usha Pilla who helped me with this process. She travelled with me to Lathur, Maharashtra and that’s where the search for my daughter began. From Lathur I went alone to Udgir. Aftre a sleepless night I reached Udgir , visited many adoption agencies and met several children. Many of these children were not even available for adoption because the legal processes were not complete. I found my daughter there. And I called her Ameya – the boundless one. After a tough journey of over 24 hours in buses and trains, Ameya and I walked into an empty house.

The first few weeks were tough on both of us. Ameya did not connect to her new name and she held on to me all the time, fearing that I would abandon her. On the first day, I had left the house just for a few minutes to fetch groceries from a nearby shop, and when I returned she was crying loudly.

“I realized how she had trusted me, almost completely, though I was a complete stranger to her. Sometime in between all this, I realized that I had become a mother,” says Suja.

Malini: I had been researching for three years; talking to my mother, sister, and friends, and preparing myself for the process of adoption. And then, in December 2008, I remember while meditating, I felt some one call out to me and say ‘Mama, come quickly’. I took that as a cue, and by April I registered for adoption.

I had decided to adopt a healthy sibling pair; girls between the ages of three and five. The agency said they had found a match and I left for Orissa. When I reached there I realized the children I came there to meet were already being adopted by someone else.  Initially, I was disappointed, but then I felt if they are my children they would come to me.

My daughters were the first children I saw and met at the agency. And I completely fell in love with them. I named them Tara and Lila. I spent over a week with them and the other children at the agency before bringing them home.

That’s when I realized that I had done a lot of research around adoption, especially single parent adoption, but had done none on parenting. I brought my daughters home in July 2009 and I stayed at home with them for 6 months.

“The initial days were tough, I had no idea about parenting, we spoke different languages, but we got through it pretty well,” says Malini.

Talking to the Children About Adoption

Malini: When I adopted my children, they were two and a half and four and a half years old. Every evening we would read stories and I would use fairy tales to introduce the concept of adoption. So it was revealed to them very gradually. Today, I see them as children who are open about their lives and in fact very comfortable with it.

Suja: I also started talking to Ameya quite early and introduced the topic gradually. Recently, there was a talk in class about adoption and Ameya came back from school and told me that she felt proud to be an adopted daughter. I think we underestimate our children. They are way more mature than us.

Breaking the Myths About Single Parent Adoption

1. You can only become a mother if you give birth

Malini: My children are born from me; they are born from my heart, not my womb. I feel a great connection with my children, and the fact that we are together as a family today is a part of the plan of the universe. We were meant to be together.

Suja: I feel a very strong connection with Ameya. We both are so tuned into each other that we know what the other is thinking and feeling. It’s indescribable this connection. Yes, she was born from my heart- and it didn’t take nine months, but three and a half years.

2. A family needs to have a father and a mother

Malini: I think the definition of family is changing as we speak. And we, as a society, need to accept this. We have had a history of joint families, but yet when we speak about urban families we consider it as a unit with father, mother and children. This is a very western concept. So when my children present their family tree it’s very different from the others – my mother is a part of it, so is my sister, and there are many others. So my children’s family trees always have many more members than their friends. And they are very happy and proud about that.

3. Adopted children come with bad genes

Malini: I don’t subscribe to this idea at all. But sometimes I feel my kids have got better genes than me. Tara is a born athlete, I can’t run to save my life. Lila is a gymnast; I probably have the most inflexible body. They both are very competitive and we are hoping that they reach the Olympics. With my genes, that wouldn’t happen.

Suja: Ameya is extremely creative and very talented. And she can already speak six languages. I agree. Ameya definitely has better genes that what I could have given her.

     4. Adopted children go back to their birth parents

Malini: I have not felt threatened by these thoughts. See, I believe that my children’s family will grow. They will build strong bonds with many people through their lives. And I am only going to be happy about that. I want them to love and be loved.

Also, we have agreed as a family that when Tara is 18 and Lila is 16 we will go back and try and find their biological parents.

Suja: Yes, Ameya once told me that she wanted to go back and find her biological mother. And I told her that when she grows up she can, and I will go back to look for her biological mother. This thought has never worried me. Ameya and I share a unique bond. That I know.

Listen to the complete interview here:

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).

Guess what!

The Hyderabad-based Osmania University turned 100 this year!

And its alumni association has decided to adopt 100 villages in Telangana, as a token of gratitude and respect towards their alma mater.

Osmania University. Source: Wikimedia

An alumni association with an enviable strength of about 25,000 members, that includes engineers, businessmen, doctors, advocates and other professionals, the proposal is to recognize the problems faced by the villages with the help of district collectors and then progress accordingly with a plan of action.

“The state government has been promoting village adoption scheme and already public representatives, officials, celebrities and other important personalities have decided to adopt backward villages in the state and develop them. Our Osmanians will also take part in the programme and serve the state. The programme will begin from next month itself,” Osmania University Centenary Celebrations Alumni Committee chairman Anantula Shyam Mohan told TOI.

While infrastructure facilities like proper schools or hospital buildings is the need of the hour for some villages, some require to be supplied with medical care and attention. “A high-level committee will be constituted with some expert members on various issues such as doctors, engineers and businessmen to interact with officials and zero in on issues pertaining to the specific village and solve them,” Shyam Mohan added.

You may also like: Why Apple, Google & Amazon head to this Ahmedabad man when they need Indian fonts

Close to 8,700 gram panchayats come under the jurisdiction of Telangana, where only about 2,500 gram panchayats have been adopted by public representatives, according to TOI. The alumni members belonging to particular villages that fall under the chosen 100, also plan on taking up programmes such as medical camps and awareness on foreign jobs, benefiting the rural landscape of the state.

The 100-year-old university is known to have produced some of the many brilliant minds in the country that include former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, former Lok Sabha speaker Shivraj Patil, distinguished film personalities like Shyam Benegal, and former RBI governor YV Reddy.

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp!

Back when we were kids, a trip to the zoo was like a field day to quench our curious little minds.

As we grew up, zoo trips brought many of us to realise the deplorable conditions that these animals were often left in.

Ever felt like making the lives better for these animals but didn’t know how to?

With plans of launching an animal adoption scheme, the National Zoological Park in New Delhi is paving the way for animal lovers to go an extra mile for these animals.

The initiative was motioned after a suggestion made by Environment Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan a couple of weeks back.

“We are exploring various options to start an animal adoption scheme at the Delhi Zoo. We would launch the scheme once we finalise the modalities,” Renu Singh, director of the National Zoological Park, told HT.

So the scheme will allow you to choose an animal and ‘adopt’ it.

By adopting the animal, you take care of the funds that will be used by the zoo authorities to buy food and medicines for them, and to meet general maintenance expenditures.

You may also like: Want to Help Protect Distressed Animals & Birds in Your City? Reach out to These Organisations

Some of the added perks will include having your name displayed on the enclosure, an adoption certificate as well as free entry to the zoo for an entire year. And the best part is, you get to choose a name for your animal and even celebrate their birthday in the zoo premises.

Reportedly, you can can also be exempted from Income Tax under section 80 (G) of the Income-Tax Act in some special cases.

Though the initiative plans on covering all the animals in the zoo, the authorities are vouching for large animals like tigers, lions and elephants in the scheme, as they require maximum expenditure.

Many such initiatives have already been put to practice by zoos like Lucknow Zoo, Patna Zoo, Alipore Zoo in Kolkata, Mysore Zoo and Nandankanan in Odisha few years back.

“But there is a difference between the Delhi zoo and other zoos in the country. While the Delhi Zoo is the only zoo in the country directly run by the Union ministry, other zoos are managed by their respective state governments. Most of the other zoos that have launched adoption schemes are registered societies and can accept money in the adoption scheme. We can’t,” said Renu.

The zoo authorities in Delhi are currently doing their research on the various adoption schemes launched by zoos in the country as well as the ones abroad, in order to come up with a palpable scheme.

“It won’t be like other zoos as we can’t accept money directly. For that we have to register the zoo as a society, which would be a long and cumbersome process. So we are planning it differently and that is why we are exploring options,” she added.

The Delhi Zoo is currently planning a birthday bash for its animals. A white tiger named Vijay will be the first amid the pack that will have its first birthday party celebrated on July 21.

You can write to the National Zoological Park at nzpnewdelhi@gmail.com or call them on (011)24359825 or (011)24358500.

Like this story? Or have something to share?
Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp!

Adoption conjures a mix of emotions. For some, it may seem as a quick remedy to bring a child into the house, and for others, an act of nobility. Some think of adoption as ‘Plan B’ while others view it as an opportunity to complete the family without getting into the travails of pregnancy yet again. Whatever be the driver, most parents carry an air of caution, loss, suspicion, grief and surprise around adoption.

Unlike law, religion, science, taxation, relations, marriage, careers and whole lot of domains prescribed at school and college education, adoption has completely escaped the attention of our educators. It is not part of any curriculum; there are no festivals dedicated to it; it is not enshrined in any political party’s manifesto and there are hardly any family or public conversations around it.

Whatever little people understand of adoption is largely fed through Bollywood and fiction in melodramatic overtones.

Here are 10 things you need to know about adoption to gain an objective understanding about it and to present the same to others with little knowledge about it:

1. Anyone can adopt: Adoption is not just the last recourse of couples affected by infertility. Families are increasingly choosing to adopt a child, irrespective of their need or ability to reproduce one. Many single parents also opt for adoption. The law does not differentiate between rural, urban, rich, poor, single, married or divorced status of the parent. It does not discriminate on the basis of religion or social status either. You don’t have to prove if you’re infertile, and you don’t have to give a reason as to why you want to adopt. Just be confident and rest assured that millions have tread this path, and that there is a support system available, should you need help.

2. Choose a legal and safe option: India has two perfectly legal options of adopting a child. The old method was to adopt a child under the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act (HAMA), 1956, where only Hindus could adopt a child. There are several risks of adopting under HAMA. It must be understood that adoption under HAMA is not illegal. Just that HAMA being an old law, is not designed to support mass scale adoptions between strangers.

The second option is to register with the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) on their website www.cara.nic.in, where the entire process is online. You will be assigned a Unique All India Seniority, which does not change across the adoption cycle.

Soon after registration, your home study will be conducted by a Social Worker. Once your home study is approved and uploaded, you become eligible to receive a referral.

3. Yes, there is wait: Currently there are about 16,000 parents registered for adoption with CARA, with only less than 2,000 children. More than half of these children have a special need, leaving just about 400 children below two years of age who are legally free for adoption. This has resulted in a wait for about 15-18 months for getting your first referral. The wait time varies, and could be shorter for different preferences according to age, gender, state of the child.

4. Counselling is must: Even if you are aware of the overall process, it is a good idea to seek counselling in adoption. There are NGOs and adoption support groups that offer counselling. It helps you prepare for adoption, overcome the feeling of loss, connects you with the child and with other families trying to adopt. Genuine advice can help you decide which category to adopt from – immediate placement category, special need group, older children – from anywhere in India or from specific states.

Each parent is different and capable of supporting a different kind of child.

You may be able to save a few months of your wait by adopting a child that might have special needs. A good counsellor can suggest good books and videos and connect you with families, lawyers, doctors etc. and engage you in events associated with adoption.

6. Accept the child: Do not judge a child by his/herappearance. You’ll only increase the wait and delay the happy times in seeking multiple profiles. Adoption is not about ‘matching’ a child. It is about accepting one.

7. Refrain from extra medical tests: Each child that has been referred to you has been medically examined and the medical reports are available along with the referral. These reports are valid for 6 months. Don’t be tempted to conduct extra medical tests, unless it’s really necessary. Remember, a child loses up to 5% of his/her blood every time a new set of parents conducts their tests (blood test is the most basic requirement, in addition to other tests) and needs two weeks to recuperate the loss. Repeated tests by parents, sometimes week after week, cause extreme pain, trauma and setback to the child’s development. Even a perfectly healthy child may become sick with repeated exposure to tests, radiation, diagnostics and strain.

8. Talk about adoption: Contrary to what you see in films, it is absolute necessary to share you decision to adopt a child. It is your child’s right to be aware of his/her identity and it helps them discover their true potential. If you choose not to tell them, chances are they’ll discover on their own or through someone else, and they might not be able to process that information.

You will also come across several instances where you will have to share that your child was adopted, especially with the pediatrician. Make adoption a positive experience, rather than an undesirable one.

9. Accept the truth: There are certain things you need to accept as a parent, in order to experience joy and bliss through adoption. Your child indeed has birth parents. Refer to them with respect, especially during the growing up years of the child. Your child should never feel that his/her parents were incapable of taking care of him/her.

It’s possible that the child will have a different personality than yours. Allow him/her to realise his/her true potential. Do not thrust your wishes – moral, academic or emotional – on your child. Your child may live in the shadow of being different from you. Encourage the feeling of difference, rather than trying to curb it or ignore it.

10. Embrace Positive Adoption Language: Adoption is just another way of building a family. You need to make a conscious effort to make it a positive experience. Labelling the child as an ‘adopted’ child, comparing it with ‘real’ children, referring to adoption as ‘Plan B’ are a result of conditioning. Make no big deal about adoption. Share your values, beliefs and underlying message of humanity and love through adoption. Make your child feel comfortable with adoption and do not shy away from correcting, educating or sensitising the uninitiated folks when confronted with uncomfortable situations. Prepare your children to expect these situations and train them to deal with such occasions through Positive Adoption Language (PAL).

Life is a journey. Each one of us is blessed uniquely. Adoption may be the opportunity to rediscover ourselves, our hidden potentials and our ability to love and connect with another soul. And when in doubt, always keep the child’s best interest above everything else.

Like this story? Or have something to share?
Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp!

Every year, November is recognised as adoption awareness month. It is especially important for India because India has 11 million abandoned children but fewer than 4,000 adoptions per year. This requires a twofold solution. First, India’s laws and their implementation need to keep improving to ensure that all vulnerable children come into the legal adoption pool, and second, more and more Indians need to be open to the idea of adoption so that every child awaiting adoption finds a home.

Adoption is not new to the Indian context. Our religion, history, and culture are ripe with examples of positive and loving adoptions, yet the act is still associated with infertility and seen by many as the last choice. However, this does not represent all adoptive families. For many families, adoption is the first choice. This November, I am sharing the stories of three families, including mine, who have chosen adoption as the primary path to parenthood.

My husband and I adopted our daughters when they were 8 months old and 3-½ years old respectively. With each adoption, we were overjoyed about our daughter coming home, and their age was not a primary concern for us. Unfortunately, prospective parents considering adoption often get fixated on this point and ask me if it was tough adopting an “older” child.

This question makes me uncomfortable because labelling young children “older” just because they are not infants is incorrect and tragic — this mindset in the adoption framework means that as soon as a child turns 2 years old, her/his chances of adoption drop significantly. It is as joyful to adopt a young child as it is to adopt a baby. To my amazement, I realised that it was easier for my 3-1/2-year-old daughter to bond because she was waiting for a family and was keen to feel safe and loved. The bonding process happened within a few weeks and was much faster than I had anticipated.

Before I embarked on the adoption journey, a good friend told me that I should be prepared for the fact that the child may be malnourished or show other physical symptoms of institutional living, and that all of it changes very quickly once the child comes home. I experienced this with both my daughters. Within a few weeks after coming home, they looked healthier and started becoming stronger. What I didn’t expect was how their personalities transformed. Each of them was described as a shy, quiet child by the children’s shelters and they were serious, watchful kids when they came home. However, they soon evolved into funny, loud, strong-willed and active girls. It was almost as if their real self-had been hiding until they found a family.

Kavita and Himanshu adopted their daughter when she was 15 months old.

They specifically wanted to adopt a child with Down syndrome because they believed that no child should be left alone without a family, even those who require extra care. It was easy for them to make a decision, but dealing with family reactions was a completely separate matter.

Their parents were hesitant about the idea of adoption itself, but adopting a child with Down syndrome was unimaginable. Kavita and Himanshu were told that they were taking a risk because a child with Down syndrome will be unable to support them when they get old, but they proceeded with the process, against all opposition. There is no waiting time in India for parents who choose to adopt a child with special needs, so they soon found their baby, a lovely girl in Bhopal who was abandoned when she was 6 months old. Their first meeting with her is one of the most memorable moments of their life when they held the tiny baby with a gorgeous smile and beautiful eyes.

Their daughter had not received any early intervention, leading to developmental delays and lack of gross and fine motor skills, but with physiotherapy and occupational therapy, she is showing tremendous progress. Everyone who meets Kavita and Himanshu thinks they are an extraordinary couple, but they feel that providing their daughter a good environment and happy life is the least they can do.

Ayesha* and Varun* are parents to their 3-year-old biological son and are choosing to adopt their second child, a daughter. They were keen to adopt for several years and kicked off the adoption process as soon as they felt that their son was old enough to understand the concept of a sibling. They are currently waiting to be matched with their daughter and are determined to raise both their children with lots of love and equal opportunities.

Ayesha and Varun have received support for their decision but have also faced some misinformed questions about adoption. Ayesha has been asked whether she will love both children equally, whether she is concerned about the adoption impacting her son, and what if the adopted child fights with her son.

Ayesha is a strong woman, and has been able to tackle these questions with ease.

Her standard reply starts with “do you ask this question to parents with two biological children?” Then she explains that yes, she will love both children equally because she will be their mother irrespective of whether she has given birth or adopted.

She is looking forward to the positive impact of adoption on her son because it is like giving birth to another child where she will make sure that her son understands the concept of family and sharing, and is part of all the excitement and preparations. Lastly, she believes that the upbringing that she and her husband will give their children will determine how they choose to behave with each other. Ayesha touches an obvious truth when she says, “When one cannot guarantee perfection and a life sans of obstacles with a family you inherit through your bloodline, why do these questions and predicaments arise when we talk about adoption.”

Adoption is as fortunate a connection between parents and children as birth or any other path to parenthood. For the sake of the 11 million children in India waiting for a mother and a father, we need to start recognising adoption as the happy and positive choice that it is.

*Names changed because Ayesha and Varun would like to maintain some privacy until their daughter comes home.
**The author is an adoption activist who has been in the weeds of the Indian adoption system, and is working to make adoption more mainstream in India.

(Written by Smriti Gupta)

Like this story? Or have something to share?
Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp!

More than 50 percent of children awaiting adoption in India fall into the ‘special needs’ category, but it is also the category with the least number of adoptions within India. One of the reasons for this gap is a lack of understanding of special needs and the adoption process. Slowly though, more people are becoming aware that children with special needs grow beautifully and thrive in a loving and supportive home environment. If you are considering or just curious about adopting a child with special needs, here is everything you need to know.

The adoption process in India puts children into two categories — normal needs and special needs — where special needs are the catch-all for all children except those who have perfect health. Even children with minor health issues, correctable health issues, health conditions that can be easily managed or have no bearing on the quality of life also get categorised as special needs children.

Many of the children in the special needs category just need the necessary medical diagnosis and support to become healthy and active, but this support is not available to them unless they get adopted into a family.

There is a separate category for children with special needs, because of the expectations of some prospective adoptive parents. Adoption agencies need to categorise the children carefully. If prospective parents want a ‘normal’ child but get the referral of a child who may have ‘special needs’, they can reject the child and file a complaint with the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA). This means that the child loses valuable time during which another loving family could have adopted him/her.

Also Read: Here Are 3 Unique Stories That Will Change the Way You Think About Adoption

The adoption process is the same for all children irrespective of their category —

1. Prospective parents register with the centralised authority in India and indicate their preference about child’s gender, age, location, and health. Parents who are willing to adopt children with special needs can make the appropriate selection under ‘health’.
2. After a social worker completes the home study process, which evaluates parents’ willingness and capacity to adopt, the parents wait for a child to be referred to them. There is no waiting period for parents who want a child with special needs because the number of children available is higher than the number of prospective parents.
3. There is an additional helpful feature for children with special needs. Even if potential parents select ‘normal’ health as their preference, they can see the list of children with needs who are awaiting adoption. This means that people who were initially unaware of special needs can potentially change their mind and accept a special needs child. (Similarly, there is a list of children available for immediate placement. These are children who have been awaiting adoption for a long time).
4. After accepting a child, the parents’ bring their child home under a foster care agreement. The adoption agency responsible for the child requests a hearing and the final court order completes the process.

As an adoptive mother of a child with special needs, my most significant discovery has been that all types of special needs get stereotyped as problematic. However, it is more about understanding what the child exactly needs and providing the right support. It’s not any different than raising a child who doesn’t have special needs, whether biological or adopted.

Children respond very positively to a family environment, thus significantly and quickly improving on whichever condition they may have, once they come home.

Whenever I talk to social workers who work in the adoption space, they seem resigned to the idea that children with special needs will either never get adopted or only get adopted by foreigners. This does not reflect kindly on us. Special needs include a wide range of children and many people in India can support most of the requirements in this range. Being open to special needs allows us to accept the love of a child who is as brilliant, unique, and deserving as all children.

(Written by Smriti Gupta)

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp!

The case of a 10-year-old rape victim from Chandigarh, impregnated by her uncle, had shocked the nation earlier this year, and also made international headlines. While her parents petitioned for her to be allowed to have an abortion, the Supreme Court rejected the plea since her pregnancy was discovered when she was 30 weeks pregnant, and the abortion would have put her life in danger.

Both the uncles of the girl were sentenced to life imprisonment by a fast-track trial in a special court when they were found guilty.

The police were claiming that the elder uncle had impregnated the child, but a DNA test revealed that in fact, the younger one was the father of the then unborn child.

On 17 August, the victim gave birth to a baby girl. According to a report by The Hindu, the father of the rape-victim has requested the hospital to keep the pregnancy a secret from the mother, and also asked them to hand over the baby for adoption.

A couple from Maharashtra has now adopted the toddler and promised her a new, loving life. The couple found the baby on the Central Adoption Resource Authority’s website, and it carried all the necessary details of the baby.

The details of the couple are not revealed under a confidentiality clause and also to ensure security to the new-born. However, Hindustan Times reports that the baby has been adopted by a caring and well-to-do family.

While the paperwork to complete the adoption process is still underway, Sangeeta Vardhan, the chairman of the Child Welfare Committee says that the pre-adoption undertaking has been signed and formalities have been completed. She also laid to rest the rumours of a foreign couple adopting the baby.

This is certainly a fresh turn in the life of the newborn. We hope it brings a positive change in the life of its mother as well.

Like this story? Or have something to share?
Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp!

Adoption may start as a decision made by prospective parents, but like all paths to parenthood, it is ultimately about the child.

Irrespective of the reason to adopt, a successful and happy adoption requires that parents put the welfare of the child first, do not treat it as a selection process, and lovingly accept the child that comes into their life.

At the same time, the formal adoption process should be structured in a way that it respects the children awaiting adoption and does not accommodate prospective parents at the cost of treating the children in an unfair manner.

Also Read: Parents-To-Be: Here Are 9 Things That Will Help You Adopt a Child

Here are five positive changes from the past year, among many others, that continue the make the adoption process in India more child-centric.

1) Only one child is referred at a time

After prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) complete the required paperwork and home study, they are ready to receive referrals of children awaiting adoption based on the criteria specified by the PAPs.

In the early days of the online centralised adoption process, PAPs could receive multiple child referrals at the same time. This meant that the PAPs could compare children, wrongly amplifying the notion of selecting a child.

Moreover, while the PAPs thought about the referrals (within a time-bound window), the children were blocked and couldn’t be referred to another family.

The process has now been changed to PAPs receiving a referral of only one child at a time, reminding the PAPs that every child is unique and deserving of a family.

2) A total of 3 child referrals instead of 6

What if a prospective parent keeps rejecting every child that is referred to them? Earlier, a PAP could receive up to six child referrals; this number has now been cut down to three.

If a PAP does not go ahead with adopting a child after three referrals, they have to do their home study with a social worker again. This allows the social worker to understand why the PAPs rejected all referrals, provides an opportunity to counsel the PAPs, and also ascertain whether the PAPs are ready to adopt a child. This change makes sure that PAPs don’t treat adoption as a way to continually judge or select children.

3) The ‘Immediate Placement’ list

Making the adoption process child-centric not only requires a thoughtful approach but also the willingness to address any issues as they come up. Our society has many biases and illogical notions, and unfortunately, some people carry these over into the adoption process, which results in many children going through the referral cycles but not getting adopted.

To ensure that children get noticed by PAPs, who are also committed, the ‘Immediate Placement’ list was introduced.

The list allows PAPs to see all the children who can be adopted immediately. PAPs who adopt a child from the immediate placement list can bring their child home without any waiting time, whereas PAPs with specific criteria have to wait for a referral as per their position in a wait-list.

This change helps children find parents sooner rather than wait forever in the referral cycles, and it also makes the process faster for those parents who are willing to love a child without rigid preferences.

4) Assessment of the parents through a home study report

It is one thing to want a child, but parenting one is an entirely different ball game. In the adoption process, a home study report by a social worker is mandatory for PAPs to become eligible for adopting a child. The home study report, and a questionnaire, now focuses on making PAPs think about and explaining their preparedness for adopting a child, besides just evaluating the PAPs motivation to adopt.

Prospective parents need to explain how they plan to support the child financially and emotionally, how they will introduce the child to their existing children (if any), how they plan to take out time for the child, and so on. This not only helps the social worker make an assessment but helps the parents to ensure that they are putting the need of the child first.

Also Read: Want to Adopt a Child With Special Needs? Here Is All the Information You Need

5) Root search even for children under 18 years of age

It is normal for adoptive children to be curious about their past and the circumstances surrounding their adoption. Some children may want to know more about their biological parents.

India follows a closed adoption model, and no information is given to adoptive parents about the child’s biological parents and vice versa. But the adoption system does recognise the rights of the child to know about their history. Hence, adoptees over 18 years of age can apply for a root search to find out any available information. Now children under 18 years of age can also apply for root search jointly with their adoptive parents.

As mindsets broaden and more and more people choose to adopt, we will hopefully become a more child-centric society regarding adoption. In the meantime, it’s good to know that the Indian adoption system is leading the way in protecting the child.

(Written by Smriti Gupta)

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp!

Fondly known as Appa, among the children he takes care of, Parmeshwaran, and his wife Choodamani, have quite a packed daily schedule. Naturally, as taking care of 36 orphans isn’t an easy task. Nambikkai (hope), the couple’s home for children who lost everything in the 2004 tsunami, has been a warm, safe haven for these kids ever since that fateful day, in 2004.

The physical scars of the tsunami might have healed, but the wounds are still fresh for scores of children, who found themselves orphaned.

Parmeshwaran himself lost all his three children on that fateful day. Contemplating suicide, he and his grief-stricken wife decided to walk around the streets of Nagapattinam, to gauge the extent of the tsunami’s devastation.

They were greeted by grisly sights of bodies strewn all over, with babies wailing near their dead mothers and lost children walking around, looking for their parents. The husband-wife duo held a few children by the hand and took them home. Over the course of the next few weeks, they would return and find more children who needed a home. There has been no looking back, and today, Nambikkai houses 36 kids.

The couple have two sons of their own, but all children are treated the same. The first child they adopted, Saravanan, lost his childhood in 2004, but today says optimistically, to The Quint, “ This is our own home. Just like any regular house where the boys will be more attached to the mother and the girls with the father. It has never been like a home or a hostel.”

Saravanan has an MBA degree, and many of the other children are successful graduates and engineers.

You may also like: Tsunami Survivors turn Waste Managers

Parmeshwaran sees the tragedy the tsunami caused, as an eye-opener. The couple was devastated after losing their children, but decided to rise above their sorrow and honour their memory, by helping others. Which is why, even though the images of the tsunami and its carnage is fresh in the children’s minds, they are finally at peace.

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp!

28-year-old French artist, Lucie Lefevre, traveled from the beautiful coastal city of Marseille in the South of France, to India five years ago to work with her close friend Karan Talwar, who runs the Harkat art studio in Versova.

Over the years, she continued to visit India to work on projects. But never did Lucie think India would gift her a cherished lifelong companionship.

When Lucie visited India in January 2017, to work on a three-month long art residency. It was at the time she first met Rani.

The pavement outside Harkat studio was Rani’s home. It was love, at first sight, says Lucie speaking to The Better India.

“Words cannot explain our first meeting. Right from the first look, it was magic. It wasn’t just I, was the one who adopted Rani, she adopted me too,” says Lucie.

Lucie was always an animal lover. Looking at the sheer number of strays on Mumbai roads, she always carried some Parle G biscuit packets in her bag to feed them. This was how Lucie started interacting with Rani too.

“Even though Rani was already familiar with people working at Harkat studio, she became close to me. I would pet and feed her every day. I remember how she would curl under my feet while I worked,” Lucie recalls.

Soon Lucie started taking Rani back home to where she lived in Mumbai, at Madh Island.

They lived together for almost two weeks at Lucie’s Madh home. But sadness about the more long-term separation they would have once Lucie went back to France was already sinking in.

Lucie knew she didn’t want to leave Rani behind. So she started researching rules and processes for international adoption. It was at the time she connected with Ganesh, the founder of Mumbai-based NGO Animals Matter to Me (AMTM) and explained the situation to him.

But Rani’s consent mattered to Lucie too. She calls it one of her most special memories with Rani.

“We went to the beach for a walk, where I took Rani on a leash. I looked at her in the eye, unleashed her and said, ‘I’ll give you your freedom. But if you want to stay with me, I’ll leave no stone unturned to take you home with me to France. You really are my dog.’”

When Lucie unleashed, she ran happily. But every time, Lucie called out to her. Rani came right back to her.

“So I told myself, here you are, you have a dog now, and you have to do everything for her,” Lucie says.

And thus began the long process of multiple approvals and paperwork to take Rani to France.

“Karan, my friend from Harkat and AMTM handheld me through Rani’s tests and paperwork,” says Lucie.

Rani’s blood test revealed that she didn’t have enough rabies antibodies. So she was entrusted to the care of Dr. Ankita from AMTM, who helped raise the count with treatment. But it was a long process.

Rani who was supposed to arrive in France in August took as long as December. Lucie had to return to France by March and was deeply upset by the separation.

“It was so hard to see her from far away, and I missed my dog so much. But the AMTM staff was so supportive. They sent me pictures of Rani’s process every week.”

Fast forward to 2018; Rani has adapted to the beautiful coastal city of Marseille quickly.

“At the beginning, we bought her a little coat because we were worried about the winter in France. But it appeared she didn’t really need it. She had her own sofa in the flat. We are going to the beach for a walk almost every day. She is always with me during the day, coming to my art studio. She loves the sea even if it’s a bit cold for swimming for now. She will enjoy it more this summer!” says Lucie delightfully.

Rani has found wonderful pet parents in Lucie and her fiancé, Pierre, who is also an animal lover.

“Pierre was very supportive and enthusiastic about my decision. He was equally stressed during those difficult months of Rani’s procedures. Ever since her arrival, Rani and Pierre have bonded strongly,” says Lucie.

It isn’t just her fiancé but also her cat, Pablo who has accepted Rani as their new family member.

“I was a little worried because we usually think that cats and dogs don’t really bond together but to my own surprise, Pablo adopted Rani very fast, and they now share the same sofa. You’ll often spot them playing together!” Lucie says.

Read more: Crowd-Funding, Students Come Together to Revive French Heritage Buildings

We got in touch with Ganesh Nayak from AMTM who lauded Lucie’s decision to take Rani to France without caring about her breed.

“Known breeds are preferred over a stray which is a harsh reality. But every dog, no matter what the breed, is always faithful to their master. Lucy spent a good amount of time to bond with Rani. And for them, it was the bond and love they shared that spoke, not Rani’s breed,” says Ganesh.

In her final message to people, Lucie says, “They are so many animals out there who deprived of love. Just give them one chance, they’ll transform your life forever. I can proudly say, we’re all pleased together, and it is Rani who makes our life beautiful.”

Did the story of Rani and Lucie inspire you?
Write to Lucie at lucielefevre@live.com
or https://lucielefevreart.com/

Get in touch with AMTM at +91-7045627850 / +91-9967795660 or email getinvolved@amtmindia.org

Website: http://www.amtmindia.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amtmindia

Twitter: https://twitter.com/amtmindia

Like this story? Or have something to share?
Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp!

An RTI query filed to inquire about the number of adoption cases in every state of India since 2012 has revealed some very positive information. In a country where state and central governments have been continuously fighting against female foeticide and where one regularly reads stories about the abandonment of girl children, it is heartening to see that there is a ray of hope too.

In response to the RTI, the Child Adoption Resource Authority (CARA)—which is the apex body for adoption in India—revealed that about 60% of children adopted in the past six years are girls!

These statistics might immediately solicit the question of whether more girls are being adopted simply because more girls are put up for adoption.

Lieutenant Colonel Deepak Kumar, the CEO of CARA clarified this doubt saying, “It is not that the availability of the girl child is higher but that parents are opting more for a girl child. We give them three choices—they can either opt for a girl or a boy or give no preference. The percentage of those opting specifically for girls to boys would be 55:45.”

Maharashtra is currently leading the charts, recording 353 girl child adoptions out of the total 642 in 2017. The second to follow is Karnataka, with 286 adoptions, and 167 of them were girls.

One of the main factors that led Maharashtra’s high adoption numbers is the availability of adoption centres in the state.

“Maharashtra has the highest number of adoption agencies in the country (60) while other states that are bigger have on an average, 20 adoption agencies,” Kumar told PTI.

You may also like: This Ahmedabad Doctor Does Not Charge Parents If a Girl Child Is Born, Throws a Party Instead!

The year 2017-18 also showed a rising number of total in-country adoptions in India. Out of the total 3276 children adopted in the country, 1858 were said to be girls while 1418 were boys. These numbers show a slight increase from the year 2016-17 when 3210 children were adopted in India—of which 1915 were girls.

Speaking about the preference of Indian parents to adopt girls, Kumar said, “This reflects that things are changing now. Moreover, people feel that it is easier to manage a girl child than a boy, and that’s another big plus point for the girl child to be considered for adoption.”

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

Featured image for representational purposes. Source.

Like this story? Or have something to share?
Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp!

“Adoption is not about giving a childless couple a kid, but giving a homeless child a family,” says 37-year-old Smriti Gupta.

An adoptive mother herself to two beautiful girls (aged six and five), this Pune-based woman’s parenting ideas are something each of us can learn from. Smriti an electrical engineer, who worked for the Wikimedia Foundation in Europe, returned to India in 2014.

She quit her full-time job last year to dedicate her life to the cause of adoption.

As an adoption campaigner and activist, she works towards creating awareness as well as increasing the number of adoptions in India, with special emphasis on older children and those with special needs. She is also closely associated with Families of Joy Foundation, a community of adoptive parents passionately working to promote adoption.

“India has a huge demand for the adoption of young children, who fall in the so-called ‘normal’ category. But the moment a prospective adoptive child even has a special need, something as minor as an eye-squint or perhaps is older and comes as part of a sibling duo, he/she is unwanted,” she shares.

One of the major outcomes of the work she has been doing with the Families of Joy Foundation since last year is the proposed recommendations she drafted to allow visibility to special needs kids on Central Adoption Resource Authority’s (CARA) adoption list.

Speaking to The Better India, Smriti highlights a few challenges the adoption ecosystem in India is grappling with. Sharing a real-life case, she says, “In one of our shelters, three years ago, a man who had lost his wife decided to leave his 3-month-old child. He told the shelter authorities that he would remarry and take the child back. Today the kid is three. Either the man never remarried or has forgotten completely about the child. In this case, this young kid who falls in the normal category and has a very high probability of being adopted cannot be adopted, because the parental rights haven’t been terminated.”

It gets worse if the child has even mild disabilities, deformities or diseases or is not of the right age or is too old and so on and so forth.

“Prospective adoptive parents spend almost five years waiting for a ‘normal’ child. Instead of waiting for a young kid to reach the specific age for adoption, why not help them adopt an older kid who genuinely needs a home and a family at that point?” asks Smriti.

She describes her own journey as an adoption counsellor as a rollercoaster ride.

“There are days when you counsel about 20 prospective adoptive couples and none of them decide to go ahead. It is disheartening. But then there are also days when a child gets a home and a new family. You watch how their life changes and that happiness supersedes any of the bad days. One such case was when a family I counselled decided to adopt a five-year-old girl with an amputated leg.” she says proudly.

Speaking about her the challenges many adoptive parents face, she says, “The key to being an adoptive parent in the initial years is to grapple and overcome one’s own fears. Everything else is secondary. When prospective adoptive parents ask me, ‘Am I gonna be okay?’ I tell them, ‘You are fine. You need to worry about the kid.”

She describes how it takes most children weeks or sometimes months to settle down. “Many kids at a tender age have witnessed harsh realities that leave an impact. They are anxious after they are suddenly transported to a new place among new people and told, ‘now this is your family’. And these initial weeks and months are not only full of turmoil for the kid, but also for the parents. You have gathered all the strength, bravery and patience you possess and constantly tell yourself that ‘It is going to be okay.’”

READ MORE: How Thousands of Rotis Made By This Mother Fuelled her Son’s UPSC Dream!

Another sensitive area that Smriti explores is whether or not adoptive parents should speak to their kids about it when they grow up.

“While my younger daughter has no recollection, my older daughter remembers that she came from someplace (shelter) and had many questions. We speak about it openly. She is always delighted when I tell her how it took us so much time to find her and therefore how special she is to us. She is six now and thinks all kids come from somewhere before they find their families. As she grows older and questions of ‘how babies are born’ come my way, I intend on telling her that she was born to another mom. But perhaps they felt she had to go to a second mom.”

In many cases, adoptive parents deny their children the right to know about their birth parents fearing the child may want to trace them. Smriti feels these thoughts are sometimes based on uninformed and unjustified fears.

“Personally, I think every kid has the right to know about their biological parents. You as a parent need to understand that this curiosity doesn’t mean they will abandon you.”

In her message to adoptive parents, Smriti says, “Introspect why you want to adopt, build a blinding self-confidence that you can do it and commit your life to this child. You will change his/her life. In the process, they will change yours too.”

Like this story? Or have something to share?
Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp!

Jeeja Ghosh from Kolkata is affected with cerebral palsy and has battled through many obstacles in her life, but no victory compared to the day when baby Bhujungu walked into her life.

The 48-year-old woman had dreamed of being a mother since she got married to her husband, Bappaditya Nag, in 2013, but given her medical condition, the possibility that a person with a neurological disability would be able to adopt a child seemed very bleak.

However, the Ballygunge resident, who had already broken the glass ceiling and set a precedent for the differently-abled community by earning her MA degree and entering wedlock, was not one to be deterred. Unperturbed about what the consequences could be, Jeeja and Bappaditya went ahead and in 2016, signed up to adopt a child.

Two years later, a five-month-old baby would prove to change the lives of the couple and make Jeeja probably the first person with congenital cerebral palsy in the country, to become an adoptive mother.

Bhujungu or Sonai, as the child is lovingly called at her new home, was born in January this year and abandoned at a hospital in Keonjhar, Odisha. Through a specialised agency project at the Self-Realisation Mission (SRM), she was put up for adoption, and when Jeeja and Nag saw her for the first time, it became a moment they would never forget.

However, despite the many efforts they made to bring the baby home, their journey was full of obstacles. Even though the couple had received full clearance from a gynaecologist, Jeeja faced intrusive queries over her ability to be a responsible caregiver in front of the adoption committee on multiple occasions, who were apprehensive about her ‘mental disease’ and communication skills.

However, Jeeja and Nag refused to give up, and after multiple emails and reminders, they brought the issue to the notice of Dr Sadaf Nazneen, a Consultant (eastern region) with the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA).

You may also like: Here Are 3 Unique Stories That Will Change the Way You Think About Adoption

“It needs to be checked whether the couple is emotionally, physically and financially suitable to adopt a child. This was the first case where a parent with cerebral palsy was keen on adoption. It will remain as a reference point for other such applications in future. Some questions might have seemed uncomfortable, but they were perhaps asked to judge the suitability of the family adopting the baby,” Dr Nazneen said to The Times of India.

Finally, after a long struggle, the resilient and determined couple, welcomed baby Bhujungu to their ninth-floor flat at the Saptaparni complex on Thursday last week. The overjoyed new parents agree that life could not be any better for them.

This landmark moment gives hope to countless people across the country, who are afflicted with different medical conditions and have nursed the desire of starting a family of their own, but couldn’t do so until now.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

Like this story? Or have something to share?
Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp!

“Advait is a state where two entities are not different. They are part of each other. Advaita is the female version of Advait. My daughter and I are one entity.”

For Pune-based Amita Marathe, a single mother, her daughter’s name mirrors the reality of her life and the bond she shares with her.

Life took a dramatic turn for her in 2012, when as a native of Maharashtra’s Sangli district, she registered with the Child Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) at Sofosh.

Coming from a society where child adoption and being a single woman after a certain age was frowned upon, she was surprised when her parents supported and even respected her decision.

Speaking to The Better India about her decision, the 42-year-old says,

I never wanted to get married, but I always wanted my own child. Among all options, I found adoption to be the best. My parents and sister stood like a rock throughout the process.

Of course, as parents, they were concerned if she would be able to raise a child alone. She elaborates, “They were worried about how I would manage my career and daughter, considering how demanding the two roles are. To an extent, even I had the same concerns, but I believed in myself and took the plunge.”

Amita, an MBA in Finance, was at the peak of her career at the time. So, she worked hard and significantly improved her financial condition.

Finally, on a sunny day in August 2013, a phone rang, inviting her to a child care centre in Pune. In her application, she had asked for a girl child and was ready to take home a daughter.

Alas, life had other plans!

None of the girls in her list were available that day, “It was destiny,” she says.

When the person-in-charge told me about a five-month girl who was also put up for adoption, I had my reservations. Her condition was not the issue, but her age was. I wanted a child who was a year old at least so that I could also balance my career.

But all her apprehensions disappeared as soon as she laid eyes on the baby. She had “majestic” eyes.

It was love at first sight. The moment I saw her, I knew she was the one. Bringing her home was the happiest day of my life, she says.

She named the toddler Advaita and gave her the best medication available in Pune. “The doctors said that a surgery could be done only after she weighed 16 kilos, which would take some time.”

Amita’s career took a back seat, and for the next three years, Advaita was her only priority.

Love and care that were hitherto unimaginable, poured from her. Before Advaita turned one, they witnessed a miracle. “With the right medications and care, her defective heart was fixed. She is now hail and hearty.”

When she was a little over one, Amita decided to tell her about the adoption and how her family was different.

I am proud of my status and my decision. I wanted her to know the truth and be prepared for the questions that will come to her when she grows up. In fact, there was an incident when she lied about having a father, she says.

She continues, “I want my daughter to know that having a single parent does not mean that her family is incomplete. I want her to stand up against all the mocking, and proudly declare that she was raised by a single mother.”

Through stories and pictures, Amita managed to reveal the truth with ease. While telling her the stories, she was very particular about two things, “I didn’t want our relationship to be labelled a certain way or ever make her feel unwanted. Secondly, I wanted her to respect her birth mother.”

Though Advaita is only a child, she processed the information in no time and happily accepted both her mothers. “The process was emotionally exhausting. I was worried if she would react negatively. But my child is more mature than I imagined.”

Advaita is an emerging artist, Amita says proudly. She loves drawing and is very focused on whatever activity she takes up. She can be mischievous, yet understanding, “a perfect blend of a daughter and a friend”.

When Advaita turned three, Amita got back to work at a private firm as a Business Analyst.

Along with juggling her professional and personal lives, Amita has also taken up the task of spreading awareness about adoption. She is a trustee at Poornank, an organisation committed to educating parents and children about adoption. The support group was started three years ago to guide parents in the adoption journey. They have more than 600 parents, who have adopted children of varied ages.

“Adoption is a beautiful process to complete a family and become a parent,” Sangeeta Banginwar, Founder of Poornank, tells The Better India.

We hold regular counselling sessions for parents who want to adopt, for the ones who are in the process, and for those who have already adopted. It is a good platform to dispel all the myths around adoption and single parenting, she says.

Amita’s life has changed drastically ever since Advaita became a part of it. She wishes to experience this joy again and awaits her second child in October this year. “I do not want Advaita to feel lonely. Having a sibling makes a lot of difference in a child’s life, and I can vouch for it as my sister has been my pillar of strength at every point.”  

This time, Amita has chosen an ‘open’ option, meaning the child can be from any of the genders.

When asked what things one should keep in mind before making the decision, Amita says, “Do not go by logic, go by heart. Adoption can change multiple lives. The ride will not be easy, but will definitely be worth it.”

Also Read: Moved by Her Epileptic Son’s Suffering, This Mother Created a Life-Saving Device!

Amita broke all shackles and chose the path of love for her child, like every mother does. For this, we, at The Better India, salute her.

If you wish to know more about Poornank, contact them here. You can also write to them at sangeeta@sroat.org.

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

Like this story? Or have something to share?
Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

From 1932 to 1995, more than 20,000 dogs were being brutally killed in Chennai alone, every single year.

“Their fragile bodies would be doused in salt water, to be eventually electrocuted to death in the Basin Bridge Lethal Chamber. They were being brutally murdered when all they needed was some love and care,” says Shiranee Pereira, an animal lover and activist.

Shiranee cannot imagine her life without these these innocent furry beings. If you know the feeling and share the same love for your pets, here’s a collection of wholesome, natural foods and accessories that will not just pamper but truly ensure their good health!

Shiranee has fought many battles in her quest to make the world more sensitive and inclusive towards animals, and her first major victory was on September 25, 1995, when thanks to her efforts, the barbaric practice of electrocution was finally banned.

Today, after having saved almost millions of lives over the past 26 years, she stands tall as one of the most prominent animal rights activists in India.

She says that her work comes from a place of love and passion for the furry beings.

“I might not have human kids, but I am every bit of a mother to more than 800 beautiful creatures. Every evening, when I go to check on them and tuck them sleep, it is the most emotionally rewarding time of the day for me!”

Owing to this she co-founded the Chennai chapter of People For Animals in 1994, which has since then helped thousands of animals get a new lease of life.

“I was lucky to be born in a family of animal lovers and grew up with 17 cats. My brother would often rescue cats and bring them home while I took care of them. Seeing this, my father even got hold of an abandoned place to transform it into a shelter for them. I feel that this upbringing enriched with the mindset to treat all animals as equals is what shaped me. I am what I am because of my family,” says the scientist, who has managed several strides as a leading researcher at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for more than 20 years.

Animals don’t belong in laboratories

Shiranee mentions that one of the greatest challenges on her path has been to get people to care for animals.

A PhD in aquatic biology, she has dedicated her life looking out for them, not just by providing shelter and care, but by also fighting for their rights. One such focus area of her work includes animals who are often used for laboratory tests.

As a member of the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA), a statutory body under the Indian government, Shiranee managed to create history by helping in the passing of two national guidelines for the treatment of laboratory animals.

Also Read: These Mumbaikars Opened Their Doors to Strangers & Animals Stuck In the Rains!

“The first one was released in 2002, for the ethical use of equines in anti-snake venom serum production. India is the only country which has developed guidelines for equines used in the production of immuno-biologicals. The conditions that they are put through is horrifying and unimaginably painful. I remember witnessing one such barbarity inflicted on a pregnant mare, and how she was injected with the serum and bled to death despite her condition. Amid all this blood and pain, she managed to deliver Nickle, who was extremely weak when I adopted him. He was the first horse in my shelter, and since then I have been striving to find alternatives to testing drugs on animals,” Shiranee says.

The second guideline, released in 2014, was focused on limiting the use and reuse of dogs and their rehabilitation.

It was this that prompted the beginning of the groundbreaking initiative, Project D.O.N.T (Dogs are not for Testing) in 2017.

“We are working to augment the precision and prediction of drug or chemical toxicity by replacing the dogs in testing with the power and potential of machine learning and Artificial or Augmented Intelligence. For this, PFA has collaborated with IBM (USA) and Johns Hopkins University, US. After years of struggle, we were finally able to initiate this project in April 2019, and once complete, this has the potential to transform the lives of millions of animals across the world!” she adds.

A home for the condemned

Shiranee’s 3.8 acre PFA campus in Red Hills, Chennai is a place where miracles happen, and they continue to motivate her and the volunteers.

The story of Pepper and Popcorn is one such wonderful example.

While Pepper was an aged ‘condemned’ horse, Popcorn was a six-week-old filly.

“Pepper was born on a farm and trained to be a race-horse. But with age she was pushed out of the racecourse and into a life of condemnation, awaiting to be euthanised like many of her kind. Many horses like her once are rejected from the race, are given to the police department, who in turn abandoned and condemns them to die after a certain age or injury. The practice is deplorable, and PFA is the only animal welfare organisation that has an order from the government stating that these horses can live with us” states the pioneer, who was also responsible for exposing the cruelty in the use of horses in joy rides that evoked a ban from the Home Dept., in their use in Chennai in 2004.

Pepper was among the lucky ones to find her way to this retirement home of sorts, but she was still reserved and cut-off from the other 11 thoroughbreds and 16 rescued ponies, until Popcorn arrived in January.

“Popcorn was extremely traumatised and was refusing to eat. Our volunteers noticed how her arrival had suddenly sparked a new life in Pepper and her constant advances towards the filly, eventually made the child respond to her. Sensing the bond, we instantly brought them together, and what followed was a heartwarming episode of love, where after four days of cajoling Popcorn finally ate and found the strength to survive, while Pepper found another purpose to live!” shared Shiranee.

With more hundreds of dogs, 120 cats, 40 goats, 185 cattle, 16 ponies and 11 thoroughbred horses, Shiranee signs off by saying that thanks to these animals, her home is a ball of happy memories that never fail to inspire and delight every single day.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

Like this story? Or have something to share?
Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter

The word ‘lockdown’ often fuels thoughts of claustrophobia, boredom and most importantly, social disconnection.

But with a functional internet and heaps of groceries, many of us reading this story from the comfort of our homes, are just fine. The lockdown has no doubt caused inconvenience and even financial loss for many of us, yet, it has hardly been a cause of death, rather, in the current circumstances, it is a measure to avert that.

However, we cannot seem to say the same for all the helpless creatures inhabiting the streets—stray animals who have been pushed to the verge of starvation owing to the nationwide shutdown.

So, when the government announced a ‘Janta Curfew’ on 22 March to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, a few of us had one more thing to worry about and began to organise supplies and citizen groups to feed the strays.

Once at 7 AM and then after 9 PM, following the brief relaxation of the government’s call for self-isolation, these individuals hit the deserted streets to feed free-roaming dogs, cats and other animals.

“Due to the lockdown most shops, especially meat and fish shops that serve as a primary source of food for strays, remained closed. We managed to help some strays by feeding them whatever we could gather at the time. But, then the announcement to extend the lockdown was made and that pushed us to start planning for a long-term routine to feed them. Sadly, the way people are, the needs of animals, especially strays, always come last,” says Karishma Chatterjee, a homemaker and resident of Navi Mumbai who has been feeding 10-15 dogs and cats every day in her locality.

Fortunately, she is not alone in this. 21-year-old Sagun Bhatjiwale, a final year veterinary student from Mumbai and secretary of Nature’s Ally Foundation, an NGO dedicated to the welfare of birds, animals and trees, has also been going out of his way to help the strays.

“The lockdown  has resulted in decreased animal feeders all around the city. The shutting down of restaurants, eateries and offices has completely stopped leftovers being discarded in garbage bins, which was a major source of food for strays. As a result, they are faced with extreme starvation and dehydration. I could not bear to see the stray animals I love so much, suffer and die and had to help them, no matter what,” he tells TBI.

With the help of a few friends and colleagues, Sagun spread the word and encouraged people to do their bit. Since the lockdown he has been going around in a car from Jogeshwari to Dahisar, feeding an average of 100 to 120 stray dogs and cats every single day.

Bengaluru’s Paul Goswami, an IT professional and an animal rescuer is yet another good samaritan. He has been feeding close to 120 animals daily in the Electronic City area and hopes to expand to the rest of the city.

In Golaghat, Assam, Abhishekh Boney Singha’s NGO, All & Sundry, has launched a statewide campaign named ‘All we need is Love’ to encourage citizens to help out strays.

“I request everyone to leave organic waste like vegetable or fruit peels, biscuits, breads, leftovers (unwrapped), grains, banana leaves, etc., along with a bowl of water in front of their homes, so that stray animals can eat them, without you having to step outside the house,” he appeals.

More than 100 individuals, from civil service officers, professors to students and kids have participated in the campaign, and feed over 100 stray dogs and cats and around 40 cows, daily.

Pawzz Team

Started by a Gurugram family, Pawzz is a social enterprise that rescues and rehabilitates strays, in addition to providing them with medical assistance.

So, when the Janata curfew was announced on March 22, the Pawzz team began a new mission—the Hunger Project—which has gathered a number of volunteers to care for the innocent stray animals in these distressing times. From local police officials, community gatekeepers to common citizens have come forward to lend a helping hand.

Not only is this family-run organization feeding animals living on the streets but is also spreading awareness to dispel misinformation about COVID-19 being spread through dogs. Owing to these rumours, many dogs have been abandoned, beaten up and even been poisoned in the last few weeks, so their efforts seek to eliminate such gruesome incidents.

Despite the many obstacles caused by short supplies and slow services of e-commerce platforms, the Pawzz team is continuously using all possible avenues including social media to procure supplies and carry on the feeding operations.

“The animals have literally been ecstatic since the time we started to feed them. We have seen a huge number of dogs relocated to other parts due to the scarcity of food and the entry of other dogs in their territory. Irrespective of this, we could see with our own eyes that the animals who stayed behind were at the verge of starvation. We believe we have been able to make a difference as we have been able to unite people to come together and get feeding permits,” says co-founder Vipin Kumar to a publication.

A selfless gesture met with sharp criticism

While the selfless efforts of these citizens have been noteworthy, it has not been devoid of resistance.

Many of them have faced resistance and been accused of flouting government guidelines and even causing harm to public property by feeding and disrupting nature’s way by destroying the primal hunting instincts of animals.

Countering such criticism Paul says, “People who are criticising our work are those who feel animals don’t have any feelings and so can’t experience pain or hunger. The truth, however, is that pain and hunger are universal, and when these two aspects are taken care of by rescuers and feeders, not only are these undomesticated animals able to survive in urban structures but are also more friendly to strangers.”

Elaborating on the challenges, Shivanya Pandey, a 23-year-old resident of Vishrantwadi, Pune, says, “The lack of credible information is the key issue or challenge in the way. I have been feeding at least 30 dogs every day, and people in the nearby societies of my area have even called the police in protest. Although the law is on our side, the lack of on-ground implementation causes challenges. The authorities responsible for upholding those laws need to be aware of them. Animal rights are as important as human rights.”

Shedding some more light into the source of bitterness and lack of empathy towards the strays, 58-year-old Jacob Thomas, says, “There have been several rumours around the coronavirus epidemic that are causing chaos and panic. One such rumour is that it spreads from domesticated and stray animals like dogs and cats. And, that is why many people have been apprehensive about public feeding of strays. But, I would urge people to get past this barrage of misinformation and read the facts for themselves before believing anything. Even WHO has confirmed that these are just lies, and so we should do everything in our power to help these creatures.”

An assistant manager in an insurance company, a voluntary traffic warden and a proud feeder, Jacob has been bending over backwards to help the strays in several parts of Bengaluru.

“If you can’t help them, then at least don’t hurt. It’s plain kindness, that’s all,” adds Paul.

Is feeding animals during a lockdown allowed?

To all those who think that feeding strays during the lockdown might amount to the flouting government guidelines, here’s an essential piece of information.

To stop the stray animals from becoming unforeseen casualties of coronavirus pandemic, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) on 23 March, issued an advisory letter for all chief secretaries of states and union territories, to ensure that animals and birds do not suffer during the lockdown period.

Advisory from the Animal Welfare Board of India. pic.twitter.com/N7oYNWqVc9

— Maneka Sanjay Gandhi (@Manekagandhibjp) March 23, 2020

Emphasising on the crucial work done by the feeders, Dr OP Chaudhary, Director of the AWBI states in the letter, “This is a valuable service consistently provided by compassionate individuals and the absence of it may cause a large number of animals and birds to suffer and die, and carcasses of the dead animals and birds may further spread different diseases amongst community which will be difficult to control.”

“Feed and fodder of large animals and food for companion animals and strays is an essential service and may be kept operational during [the] lockdown,” the letter adds, while encouraging states and UTs to spread awareness about the ‘essential service’ and allot a specific time for volunteers and organisations to provide food and water to strays.

The Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Ministry has also issued similar directives declaring that all state-run veterinary and animal medical treatment institutions will remain functional despite the lockdown.

pic.twitter.com/vnpWdX9Gpl

— Maneka Sanjay Gandhi (@Manekagandhibjp) March 23, 2020

“It is requested that veterinary hospitals and dispensaries in the state, including private veterinary clinics, veterinary pathologies, animal shelters etc. function in the normal course and the veterinary services be considered in the list of ‘Essential Services’,” the directive states.

Coming forward in support of animal rescuers and feeders, former Women and Child Minister Maneka Gandhi tweeted thus:

“Street dogs, cows, and birds can neither get nor give coronavirus to humans. However, in the event of a lockdown, if they are not fed, many will die, creating another kind of a problem.

I have requested all animal welfare workers to feed the animals during this period of a lockdown. I will be doing the same. Please allow them to do so. If there is any problem, please contact me on 08800067890. pic.twitter.com/P7yvoZCuYJ

— Maneka Sanjay Gandhi (@Manekagandhibjp) March 23, 2020

I have requested all animal welfare workers to feed the animals during this period of a lockdown. I will be doing the same. Please allow them to do so. If there is any problem, please contact me on 08800067890,” she added.

Help will come when your intentions are good, says Sagun who suggests that citizens do the bare minimum of feeding how much ever they can during this lockdown period.

“To see the stray dogs, many of them who are new mothers with their litter of pups, gobble up food in a matter of seconds out of sheer starvation was overwhelming. With a small bowl of water or food and even leftovers, you are saving a life. Nothing can be nobler than that,” he adds.

But, make sure you take all the needed safety precautions like wearing gloves, masks, shoes etc. while out for feeding.

For more information and assistance on the same, you can even join this WhatsApp group that is helping citizens become lifesavers.

Feature image source: @namanbhambri; Pawzz/Facebook

Also Read: 14-YO Girl Turns Saviour For Strays, Builds Shelter For 40+ Dogs In Just 3 Months

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

Like this story? Or have something to share?
Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.