In a very quiet serene private farm located in a very bustling Virar city area at the outskirts of Mumbai (Maharashtra), four retired canine soldiers were sent to spend their last few years. They were none other than the four canines that played a key role in the 26/11 terror attack operations in 2008, the dog squad, which helped the Mumbai police detect explosives and minimize casualties in the attack which killed more than 160 people and injured 300. After serving the Mumbai police for a decade, the four dogs namely Ceasar, Max, Tiger and Sultan retired in May 2015 and lived peacefully their last few years under the care of animal lover and activist Mrs Fizzah Shah at her Fizzah Farm.
Fizzah has the aura of a strong person, who has loved animals all along from the depth of her heart and whose objective in life is to take as many needy animals under her care.
Fizzah’s farm homes an ensemble of birds and animals, all of them rescued from various hard situations, but now at peace and far from harm. There are some 350 animals in her farm, all of which are diligently cared for, which include birds and marine life, all of which are rescued.
According to Fizzah, “I have many abandoned dogs under my care. They have emotions and are badly affected physchologically.. They can’t speak ,but express their turmoil through their eyes and behaviour. They have to be comforted and given time to adjust to new surroundings. At my farm we give them their freedom and love to heal their wounded spirits”
Though she can’t be at her farm all the while, she is in constant touch with her assistants and keeps discussing with them about the various items needed on the farm or about the upcoming activities to be organized on the farm. She sees to it that prompt medical aid is given to them if needed. She personally supervises and gives that loving touch to each and every animal at her farm with no discrimination. Every weekend she checks on them and attends to each of them. She has helping hands at her farm, who are also her family. They are the ones who tend to her farm in her absence. Whilst celebrating festivals at the farm, she makes it a point to give a break to her staff and she herself prances and enjoys with them all in tow. One day she got a call from an animal lover, saying that a bull was behaving strange in Dombivli area. She was asked to come and take a look. She picked up the bull from there as it needed medical attention at the earliest and brought it to her farm. As it was very difficult to handle and wouldn’t yield to any pressure, she named him Toofan. The doctor examined Toofan and he was better for a while. Later he ate as Fizzah fed him herself. But in a few days he expired. Many rescues came and stayed, some died, but none were sent away. Fizzah gives all her animals the best food, part of which is grown at her own farm. She has an organic vegetable farm too in this region. She personally works on this cultivated land and helps in the harvesting of the produce. The food thus prepared is very healthy and nutritious.
Back at home, in her Worli residence, she has homed 20 cats and 3 dogs and feeds the strays outside her home too. Her love for animals can be traced when she was a young girl, silently objecting to eating meat at home. She feels very firmly “I can’t eat my friends” and so she grew up getting closer to her animal friends as years passed.
Her good work is appreciated by many as she has helped too many people who needed help with rehabilitating rescued animals.
Fizzah Shah is a busy woman, juggling between her various responsibilities, to being in charge of a huge farm with so many farm animals. All said and done, she still does keep some 'time to stand and stare’.. this is a virtue which is rarely seen in today’s times.
Fizzah has never chosen her animals as all those under her care have come to her as refugees or as rescues. She says that she finds all of them to be lovely whether small or big, young or old, healthy or not.
She has space for her goats, donkeys, cows, rabbits, and her dogs to run freely on her farm. She has welcomed with open arms birds rescued by others who are also now a part of her farm. She has a special place for all these not only on her farm, but also in her heart. In Fizzah’s opinion Animal communication is a very simple relation one develops with animals while loving them, feeding them and caring for them. They understand this language alone and communicate by licking, wagging tails or by simply jumping in happiness at seeing the person concerned, thereby acknowdegling that they love you and have faith in your love. The scene at Fizzah’s farm reflect her thoughts and is a serene place where the flowers whisper tales of love. As one plans to leave this animal farm the heart and soul plead to stay on. It’s a garden in likeness to, where ‘all animals are loved equally and no animal is more equal’. The tranquility is felt as soon as one enters until one departs and it’s just an everlasting feeling of happiness.
by Supriya Bhonsle
No comments:
Post a Comment