United for animals

PFA has launched its Uttarakhand unit with top names on board:

Anjali Nauriyal

A large number of luminaries, including writer Ruskin Bond, actor Victor Banerjee and Headmaster, The Doon School, Peter McLaughlin, IAS Vinita Kumar, IFS Jai Raj, and Principal, Welham Boys' School Dev Lahiri gathered at the formal launch of People for Animals (PFA) movement organised in the state recently.

Agriculture Minister Trivendra Rawat was the chief guest on the occasion. Maneka Gandhi, who could not be present personally, sent as message. Victor Banerjee asserts, "We live in a country where human life is cheap. The poor die of starvation, lack of medical aid, victims of political violence and natural calamities. We deprive our people by stealing from their coffers unashamedly and perpetuate slums and juggis to house vote banks. Under such circumstances, where you have scant respect for human beings, it is difficult to inspire people to worry about the welfare of animals. But for those of us who have the will to serve the people and can afford it because we don't worry where our next meal is coming from, I think it is time we sat up and looked out of the windows of our apartments and noticed how street dogs are stoned, live with painful and oozing sores all over their bodies, species of birds that disappear because the seed-bearing shrubs and trees they lived off have been cut down to build colonies for people flocking to populate our towns and cities. See how cattle and buffalos, frothing at the mouth, are whipped to carry unbelievable loads up gradients that would break our backs. We watch it all and simply drive on. So what should we do when we simply carry on doing nothing? That's where 'Safar ek rupye ka' comes in to make it easy for you to make a substantial difference. Not only does your institution match your peoples' contribution, but that single rupee slowly but surely creates an awareness that is an essential ingredient for every citizen's consciousness and also educates some callous minds."

Uttarakhand state in-charge Gauri Maulekhi informs, "In Uttarakhand, PFA has presence in Dehradun, Nainital, Roorkee and Kotabagh through its units managed by Manavi Bhatt, Anurag Barthwal, Kuldeep Suryavanshi and Rajiv Rastogi, respectively. Haridwar, Kotdwar, Rishikesh, Champawat and Chamoli pitches in through its helplines. Each unit and helpline is run by dedicated individuals but their capacity to take the animal rights movement to the next level or to interface with the government or to raise funds to sustain the work that they do may be insufficient. This is where a need was felt for an umbrella organisation to assist, strengthen and monitor all the units and help more shelters and clinics come up in even the far recesses of the hilly state."

For 10 years, PFA has run a shelter in Dehradun but few were aware of it and the cause could not become a community movement until a sudden spurt of activity during the past two years.

"All major schools, institutions, industries and corporates have been roped in and the support that the government has offered has been exemplary. Bureaucrats have even consented to join hands with PFA which goes a long way to show that the government is also determined to take constructive action to deal with crime against animals," adds Gauri.

Maneka Gandhi affirms, "The newly formed board will be instrumental in increasing the fund raising capacity of PFA, strengthening all the units and helping more units of PFA to come up in each district of Devbhoomi. It will interface with and motivate the Government so that PFA's mission of making a more humane society for all can be achieved." www.pfauttarakhand.org, a new website was also launched at the event.