Mahatma Gandhi has said, “You can judge a man’s character by the way he treats his fellow animals”. In the past few years, I had this sinking feeling about the state of affairs around me. I felt, that people had become intolerant towards animals. I had read about people tying up their pets for hours on end, disowning or abandoning their pets and even starving their pets. Moreover the youth of this generation, seemingly were aimless, nothing to work towards or struggle for in life. We could call this a ‘Laid back generation’.
But just a year ago after meeting Mr Saurabh Kharkar, my views underwent a sea change. I realized on knowing him, that young people, who have a well thought of goal for their future, do exist in today’s world. In fact they have donated their future for the welfare of animals. He is one of the better human beings and I would say, belonging to the class of humans who want to benefit the animal world. He doesn’t question another’s belief but is firm in his own, which is to help any animal in need. This exactly, is his vision.
Saurabh is a friend of all in my family and more so of my pets. In fact, when we initially got to know him, we just knew that he had harboured a number of birds and animals in his spacious home and back yard. A few birds, rabbits, street dogs, cats and turtles. A few weeks later we learnt that he works for an NGO, ‘YODA’ which works for the welfare of street dogs and abandoned dogs. We were amazed at the things he did at such a tender age. A few anecdotes could give a glimpse of what exactly he feels and the work he has set himself to carry out in life.
He rescues tortured and ill-treated pets. Once he saw a pug (a small dog breed) in his area, which was tied up at the side of a road. He noticed that it was full of ticks and was limping. As suspicion got the better of him, he inquired with the locals about its owner. They said that it was the pet of a cab driver. He then went up to the cab driver and told him to give him the pet as he wanted to treat it.The pug was in a miserable condition. The ticks had almost eaten his eye and his limp was also due to thousands of ticks biting away his paw. As the cab driver refused to give away his pet for treatment, Saurabh lodged a complaint at the nearest police station and with the help of the police rescued the pup from his owner and took it for treatment at a nearby hospital. He paid for all its expenses. The pug had got a condition known as ‘tick fever’. Also known as ‘Rocky Mountain spotted fever’ (RMSF) is a tick-borne illness caused by bacteria, resulting in a high fever and a characteristic rash. The only way to prevent this is clearing a dog’s skin of ticks and maintaining hygiene.
In this condition the dog can be affected in several ways, namely he can get paralyzed or get organ failure and even die. Due to timely help from Saurabh, the pug recovered in a month, but unfortunately lost one eye, which was sickeningly eaten up by ticks. Eventually, a good Parsi family adopted him. Thus the pug got a loving home, due to Saurabh’s efforts.
Saurabh also takes abandoned pets under his wing and gets them loving homes. He gives first aid to injured birds and animals and sees to it that they get proper medical treatment. He treats animals with maggot infestation, till they are cured completely. He cleans street dogs of ticks and fleas. The work that Saurabh has done and is doing is really awesome. He rescues animals in danger of being killed by the locals, who consider them to be pests. Once on the way to Kelwa (a picnic spot in Maharashtra), he found a little puppy about to die of hunger. He picked her up and gave her food. Asking around for food for the puppy, luckily he then found a family which loved dogs and gave her to their care He saw that the family wasn’t well off to take care of the pup and so he provided them with money to feed the puppy. In another situation, there was an abandoned pretty pup that Saurabh was fostering. Somehow nobody came forward to adopt the pretty one for a long time, so he himself adopted her. Her name is Cleo. He has also adopted a female Husky and a male Rottweiler pup to give them a good life as their respective owners couldn’t take care of them well and added them to his already overflowing ‘Ensemble of pets’.
Apart from dogs, he has rescued a horse from the clutches of its cruel owners. It was being scorched, with burnt cigarette butts by them, for their pervert entertainment. In this case too, he took the help of like-minded people and the police for carrying out the task. He then sent it for treatment and rehabilitation. His fight was till the finish, till the job was rightly completed. His commitment towards animal kind is made of ‘sterner stuff’.
He doesn’t disturb strays that coexist well with their environment. But helps those who are in need of any aid. If any person notices a sick or wounded street dog in his vicinity and alerts Saurabh, he literally springs to action. He gives the required first aid treatment and cleans them of ticks and checks for maggot infestation if any. Moreover he calls for the ambulance in which he accompanies the dog to an animal hospital for appropriate veterinary treatment.
He is doing his BA in a reputed college in Mumbai, but plans are on to go abroad and learn physiotherapy for rehabilitating injured or paralyzed animals.
I know very well that he isn’t alone. There are many such wonderful people doing their bit for the welfare of birds and animals. But, in my view, he definitely stands out, amongst us common people, due to his complete love for and focus on animals. We, common pet parents, feel like doing our bit too. But we are tied by the chains of our fears, capacities, relations, age or even our goals in life. Saurabh is only bound by his compassion for animals in distress. All he desires is that man should do justice to animal kind as a whole. He is working towards achieving just this life. Restoring peace, health and happiness to the lives of as many animals as he can.
But just a year ago after meeting Mr Saurabh Kharkar, my views underwent a sea change. I realized on knowing him, that young people, who have a well thought of goal for their future, do exist in today’s world. In fact they have donated their future for the welfare of animals. He is one of the better human beings and I would say, belonging to the class of humans who want to benefit the animal world. He doesn’t question another’s belief but is firm in his own, which is to help any animal in need. This exactly, is his vision.
Saurabh is a friend of all in my family and more so of my pets. In fact, when we initially got to know him, we just knew that he had harboured a number of birds and animals in his spacious home and back yard. A few birds, rabbits, street dogs, cats and turtles. A few weeks later we learnt that he works for an NGO, ‘YODA’ which works for the welfare of street dogs and abandoned dogs. We were amazed at the things he did at such a tender age. A few anecdotes could give a glimpse of what exactly he feels and the work he has set himself to carry out in life.
He rescues tortured and ill-treated pets. Once he saw a pug (a small dog breed) in his area, which was tied up at the side of a road. He noticed that it was full of ticks and was limping. As suspicion got the better of him, he inquired with the locals about its owner. They said that it was the pet of a cab driver. He then went up to the cab driver and told him to give him the pet as he wanted to treat it.The pug was in a miserable condition. The ticks had almost eaten his eye and his limp was also due to thousands of ticks biting away his paw. As the cab driver refused to give away his pet for treatment, Saurabh lodged a complaint at the nearest police station and with the help of the police rescued the pup from his owner and took it for treatment at a nearby hospital. He paid for all its expenses. The pug had got a condition known as ‘tick fever’. Also known as ‘Rocky Mountain spotted fever’ (RMSF) is a tick-borne illness caused by bacteria, resulting in a high fever and a characteristic rash. The only way to prevent this is clearing a dog’s skin of ticks and maintaining hygiene.
In this condition the dog can be affected in several ways, namely he can get paralyzed or get organ failure and even die. Due to timely help from Saurabh, the pug recovered in a month, but unfortunately lost one eye, which was sickeningly eaten up by ticks. Eventually, a good Parsi family adopted him. Thus the pug got a loving home, due to Saurabh’s efforts.
Saurabh also takes abandoned pets under his wing and gets them loving homes. He gives first aid to injured birds and animals and sees to it that they get proper medical treatment. He treats animals with maggot infestation, till they are cured completely. He cleans street dogs of ticks and fleas. The work that Saurabh has done and is doing is really awesome. He rescues animals in danger of being killed by the locals, who consider them to be pests. Once on the way to Kelwa (a picnic spot in Maharashtra), he found a little puppy about to die of hunger. He picked her up and gave her food. Asking around for food for the puppy, luckily he then found a family which loved dogs and gave her to their care He saw that the family wasn’t well off to take care of the pup and so he provided them with money to feed the puppy. In another situation, there was an abandoned pretty pup that Saurabh was fostering. Somehow nobody came forward to adopt the pretty one for a long time, so he himself adopted her. Her name is Cleo. He has also adopted a female Husky and a male Rottweiler pup to give them a good life as their respective owners couldn’t take care of them well and added them to his already overflowing ‘Ensemble of pets’.
Apart from dogs, he has rescued a horse from the clutches of its cruel owners. It was being scorched, with burnt cigarette butts by them, for their pervert entertainment. In this case too, he took the help of like-minded people and the police for carrying out the task. He then sent it for treatment and rehabilitation. His fight was till the finish, till the job was rightly completed. His commitment towards animal kind is made of ‘sterner stuff’.
He doesn’t disturb strays that coexist well with their environment. But helps those who are in need of any aid. If any person notices a sick or wounded street dog in his vicinity and alerts Saurabh, he literally springs to action. He gives the required first aid treatment and cleans them of ticks and checks for maggot infestation if any. Moreover he calls for the ambulance in which he accompanies the dog to an animal hospital for appropriate veterinary treatment.
He is doing his BA in a reputed college in Mumbai, but plans are on to go abroad and learn physiotherapy for rehabilitating injured or paralyzed animals.
I know very well that he isn’t alone. There are many such wonderful people doing their bit for the welfare of birds and animals. But, in my view, he definitely stands out, amongst us common people, due to his complete love for and focus on animals. We, common pet parents, feel like doing our bit too. But we are tied by the chains of our fears, capacities, relations, age or even our goals in life. Saurabh is only bound by his compassion for animals in distress. All he desires is that man should do justice to animal kind as a whole. He is working towards achieving just this life. Restoring peace, health and happiness to the lives of as many animals as he can.
Supriya Bhonsle
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