LUCKY – WORLI CRUELTY VICTIM

24^th July 2019, a heavy rainy day in Mumbai is when a yet another angel gets a taste of foul human nature of depreciating everything in sight. Merely seeking shelter from the heavy rain, a stray dog (now named Lucky) entered a residential compound only to get ruthlessly thrashed by the watchmen. As this incident surfaced, so did a protest outside that building and arresting of the 2 men, who are out on bail. Everywhere on media, it is being talked about the cruelty, about arresting the 2 watchmen and showing sympathy to the little stray who has suffered concussions and now is in coma, being tube fed. You might be aware of all these details already. My point of publishing this blog is to point out the issues going around this incident, or may I say these incidents ( referring to the Gurugram incident of stuffing dogs in sacks and beating till death, the Badlapur incident of the canines beaten mercilessly by drunk youth, or let’s say the not-so-spoken about acts of poisoning the stray dogs in our locality, if you were not aware of this as yet, there is more for you to know.)

(You can watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB9HyH2KXwg)

WHO ARE LUCKY’S ABUSERS?

While only the 2 watchmen are being targeted and blamed for this, it was the resident to be blamed first of all for instructing the men to do so. Why is he not arrested? If masterminds are not eligible for the horror, I bet Osama would still be alive and planning to help reduce human population.

I assume, most of us reading this blog stay in buildings and not stand-alone houses in extreme outskirts. Now tell me, even if a car honks in our compound, we most often hear it. Even if we are not consciously looking out of the window waiting for a honk to decorate the silence, we still can hear it. If a dog is being thrashed left right and center, do you really think it is possible that no residents of the building would’ve heard the shrieks of Lucky? Not a single person? Everyone woke up only after the gruesome incident had occurred? I am not aware if they have the facility of soundproof walls. Or maybe…

THE PROBLEM IS,

Very few are standing against the enormous wave of cruelty done to animals. Most are either busy ignoring it or conducting it. Like none of the building residents thought, till it was too late, it was necessary to even question on the shrieking little dog who passed out on being beaten up so mercilessly, would you too be so quiet about it? You have the gift to raise your voice and talk about issues that really bother you. Animals don’t. And that nowhere implies that they have equally important right to exist on this planet, you not more important if that is what’s in your head. If you see people abusing, RAISE YOUR VOICE. I once saw a 11-12 year old boy pelting stones at a few puppies and his mother was simply spectating this. Amidst her everyday problems this felt normal to her, normal to not teach her kids to be kind, normal to not bring up better humans for this world, but normal to fuck and bring children to leave them on their own. That day, I took action against that act, and took a lesson with me. RAISE YOUR VOICE.

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?

If you’re still reading this, I think you are interested in how can you do your bit in helping around this issue. I appreciate you for this. Now, I do understand you roam around with a pile of tasks on your head and are mostly occupied in it. When you get time, you sleep, Netflix and chill or intoxicate. That’s your own time, I respect that and I am not asking you to make any big sacrifices here. But I sincerely request you to not ignore abuses that you witness. Kids pelting stones on dogs, purposely running cars over animals (I have seen this happening), people trashing and littering, eveteasing, etc. these things have grown in such a huge scale only because these acts were never stopped when it happened the first time. Khud hi socho yaar, sirf Swachh Bharat cess bharnese thodi hi desh saaf hoga!  Keep driving towards your success, but if a creature seeking help comes on your way, help it in whatever little way you can, and if you can’t fine too but don’t run over it for fun!

The cruelty towards Lucky and many such can’t continue. Be with me in this together. State your incidents, help connect rescue heads. Even a little step will give the furry angels a good world to survive in, after all they have saved humans so many times!

Lots of love,

Madhvi Panchal