On a cold winter morning, a group of stray dogs at Mohini Road of Dalanwala area of the city wag their tails in affection for Tripta Sharma; they surround her and wait patiently as she pulls out milk, biscuits, chapattis and bread from her bag to feed them. Sharma works in the Education department of Uttarakhand and at present is posted as city coordinator of Right to Education (RTE) but one can find her in mornings and evenings on the streets of the city feeding and taking care of stray dogs and cattle.
Such is the devotion of Sharma towards her unique passion that she spends about Rs 15,000 per month on the food and medicines for these animals. The street animals of Dalanwala, Subhash Road, Rajpur Road and many other localities recognise their caretaker and wait eagerly for her arrival in their areas. Narrating her passion and experiences Sharma told this correspondent that she decided to take care of stray animals when she realised that one of the street dogs she regularly fed stopped eating during her hospitalisation after she met an accident in the year 2000.
On a philosophical note she added that most of our human relationships are based on some expectations but these animals simply love and do not expect anything from you. She said that initially she started taking care of the dogs of her streets and gradually covered nearby areas.
“I realised that the puppies of the street dogs are more effective when adopted by some family so I started requesting my relatives and friends to adopt them and every year I successfully persuade 30-35 people for this purpose,” she quipped. Those who adopted these puppies vouch for the superiority of these dogs over the expensive varieties. Indramani Balodi a senior officer of education department said that initially his family members expressed their reluctance when he adopted the street dog but now Julie (bitch) is everyone’s favourite.
Sharma informed that every day she feeds about 5 litres of milk, 25 fresh chapattis, a dozen eggs and yogurt to the stray dogs. In the streets, she chooses some deserted buildings or other spot where she feeds these dogs and attends their litter. Sharma said that she makes it a point to sterilize the street dogs so that their population is kept under check. She claimed that with a little care and affection these dogs can be very handy for the society and can help in protecting the streets and mohallas. Sharma also keeps some medicines and antiseptic creams with her for the ill and wounded dogs. She said that many cattle owners disown the male calf with a plastic string on their necks, as they grow this lease tightens around their neck and inflicts a wound. Sharma appealed that people should not disown these calves with plastic strings on their neck which is fatal for these mute animals.