“Indian street dogs and cats as we call them are very intelligent creatures”, is the earnest opinion of a homemaker Mrs Tilaka Joseph. Most breed pet parents will refute this statement and call this person who empathizes so much with these as irrational. Mrs Tilaka starts her day, like all other housewives by serving breakfast to her ‘family’. The slight hitch in this is that her family doesn’t just comprise of humans, but also nine cats at home and the street cats and dogs as well. Nevertheless after feeding the hungry mouths at home, she soon arrives on the street with assistant Sita, who carries the food alongside, as she serves all her tailed friends on the streets of Kalanagar, Mumbai. They wait for her from the time day light strikes, like little children waiting for their daily breakfast.
Tilaka had all along nurtured a passion to look after street animals. When her husband an IAS officer was posted in Delhi, she had a lot of free time on hand. She rescued cats and soon her home was full of adopted street cats named after a movie or a film character. Tilaka explains, “This is to record the year I got them home”. Each cat has a story which Tilaka relates with a lot of affection. One whom she has named ‘Murphy’ after the movie ‘Barfi’ was given to her to be kept for a few months. This little one was so playful, that she got too attached to return to him to his former pet parents. According to Tilaka she has seen both dogs and cats closely and her communication with them is very good. She feels that cats aren’t as bright as dogs, but do queerly funny things and have the ability to show their preferences. One would be amused to know that one of her cats Minnu would actually use the wash room, just like a human. Her sprightly tomcat Murphy opens a door easily by turning the door knob and plays with the guests at home. She decided to adopt cats as fewer people cater to them.
Yet she considers street dogs to be more expressive among animals. They wag their tails and lick your face to show approval. They have a distinct body language, through which they convey their gratitude. If every police station could train our street dogs and take care of their needs it would be good for the society as a whole. Also street dogs would be calmer.
She prefers to ignore the sneers of disapproving passersby. It’s ironic that poor vendors and auto drivers seem to understand feeding more than the rich as they have experienced hunger themselves. Even the BMC garbage collector boys thoughtfully keep some extra chicken just for them. Tilaka jokes, “In fact I call that, their street food, just like ours which they consider more exciting than the normal food”.
A few of the street dogs live in her society and are named after her drivers and helpers. One of them Rummy was named after the game of cards which she loves to play. Rummy was abandoned by his owners. He was hurt and bullied by other street dogs. He was famished. When Tilaka found him he was in a deplorable condition. She did all she could to restore his health. Once while being bathed he reacted aggressively and bit her hand badly. Her hand got swollen and she had to take a number of injections from a nearby hospital to prevent infection and to reduce the swelling. In spite of this setback, she did not give up on him. She understood now that Rummy did not like to be bathed and perhaps to be too close to humans as he couldn’t trust them anymore. So the next time, she used a water hose. She gradually won his regard and trust. He now hale and hearty is a part of Tilaka’s dog troupe.
Tilaka’s back-bone, her daughter Jyoti and her encouraging husband strongly support her in her benevolent cause. She personally knows the ordeals each street dog has gone through and with the help of some good veterinarians and like-minded friends she has healed them back to health and given them a new lease of life. If they have any common health issues, she generally treats them in their own environment. Another of Tilaka’s policies is never to hospitalize a dog that is in a critical condition, as it’s cruel to leave it to face the trauma of various injections and tubes when the end is near.
These street friends of hers stay independent, but her devotion and affection towards them gets them to her every morning each day. As it’s not just the affectionate voice, it’s her compassionate soul which speaks to them. She is their savior. That is the gentleness an animal understands and desires. The food she feeds them is special as she cooks it herself. But the love that she feeds them is the solace they truly seek. It gives them the power to survive for life on those unkind streets. Supriya Bhonsle
