For every stray, there is Shamalatha

BANGALORE: It was an early morning walk that opened Shamalatha’s eyes to the world of animal cruelty. When she saw an adorable street puppy being beaten and kicked by a passerby, she was stupefied. “I wasn’t sure what actions could be taken against the violator. That’s when I went to People for Animals (PFA) to find out what the ground rules are for animal protection,” says the Bangalorean.Recently, in an attempt to reach out to children in particular, Shamalatha floated a website that deconstructs the term ‘animal activism.’ But it all began with a book that she penned down in 2009. “I wrote a book called Chutki’s Experiences, capturing the story of a 5-6-month-old street puppy who runs away from a dog catcher. But the book was in my cupboard gaining dust,” she says. Two months ago, she decided to take the smart route and  floated a website, chutkisexperiences.com, that is designed to give a person an overview of the book. The author says that her sole intention is to make people aware of the rules when it comes to animals and increase their respect  for them. “According to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, you can’t beat up animals,” she notes. “But most people are unaware of these rules. Even if you go to a police station with a complaint, they seem unaware of these rules,” she adds. The book, she says, is a story that also points out the rules regarding animal welfare. “I have also pointed out rules pertaining to monkey charmers and load bearing animals.”According to the author, it is imperative to impart animal rights education in schools. “The syllabus teaches civic rights and environmental protection. Why not animal rights?” questions the lady.   Shamalatha says she is an animal activist and vegan by choice. The pilot project, Animal Birth Control program (ABC) that she undertook a few years ago, to get all the dogs in her locality sterilised, had created ripples across the city. Now she is dedicated to picking up injured strays off the streets and giving them for adoption. The proceeds from the book, Chutki’s Experiences will go for animal welfare, says the author.  Shamalatha who is distributing the Kannada version of the book for free in schools, colleges and animal welfare organisations is also working on another book on poultry farms in India. “It is to spread awareness on the importance of vegetarianism and veganism,” she signs off.