Ram an old dog around twelve or thirteen years old was either deliberately or by mistake dropped by the municipal corporation post sterilization in a wrong east delhi colony. Ram was absolutely lost and to add to his woes the dogs of that area were barking at him, growling at him and attacking him. Had a young girl Pia (M+919990055344) not come to his rescue Ram would have died very soon. Pia saved him from other dogs and started feeding him. She kept his name Ram because right across the street where Pia stays there is a Ram temple. Anyhow all was well with Ram but three days back someone very mercilessly beat him in his leg. Pia gave Ram first aid but today morning he left this world. It seems he had sustained some internal injuries which led to his death.
Soon after his death the caregivers of the area gathered together to perform Ram's last rites. Generally caregivers bury their beloved dogs in parks. They called the sweeper of the area who picked up the body of Ram (pic in the post) in his cart and took it to the nearest park but to everybody's astonishment and shock the caretaker of the park did not allow them to take the body inside. It is a public park which is managed by the municipal.corporation of Delhi. The caretaker is an employee of the MCD but he behaved as if he owns the park. The caregivers requested him to allow to bury the dog in a corner behind the garbage bin but still the man didn't allow. Instead he asked them to throw the body in the garbage bin. This is the kind of empathy and compassion the municipal corporation workers have towards the Delhi dogs.
Anyhow the caregivers along with the sweeper went to another place which was quite far away to bury the dog. But all the time they kept praying that no one objects them to bury the dog there. And luckily they succeeded.
This is nothing new in the capital city of Delhi. Once the dog dies the caregivers have a hard time getting the dogs buried. All that a dog requires is a two feet area. And the caregivers either themselves or with the help of the sweepers dig a two to three feet deep pit and bury the dog. They also sprinkle salt on it so that the body decomposes fast. That's all they need to do to bid a final farewell to their beloved dog.
Nancy (M-+919792862186) another caregiver has a similar story to tell. Her dog was hit by a vehicle and he died. Nancy found his dead body after three days. The body waa smelling badly and insects were crawling on it. Often the MCD van comes to pick up the dead body of stray dogs and that too when someone makes a complaint. And God knows what they do of the body. It is told that the dead bodies are thrown in garbage bins on the outskirts of the city.
There was a news few months back that the MCD is making a crematorium for stray animals. But by making crematoriums will the dead bodies be picked up on time? And there are lakhs of stray dogs in Delhi alone. Is it possible for the MCD to pick up every dead dog on time and give the dog a respectable last rites?
Anyhow Nancy could not get the dog buried in the public park opposite her house because she was afraid that the people won't allow her to bury the dog. So she hired the sweepers and took the dog in a far off place and gave him a respectable burial.
Each time a caregiver loses a dog he gets tense because he doesn't know how he will get him buried. Till the dog is buried the caregiver is not at peace.
There are few private crematoriums and burial.grounds in Delhi. The pet owners often use these paid facilities for their dogs. But the situation for stray dogs and their caregivers is really bad.
The public parks belong to the public. No MCD official or a resident of a colony owns the park. The birds and animals living in and around the park also have an equal right to these parks.
The least these animals require is just a piece of land for a respectable burial. The land is not encroached upon by the caregiver nor any cemented grave made for the dog in his memory. Once the dog is buried the land is left as it was. Burial of dogs in parks who are residing in and around these parks shall greatly reduce the burden of picking up the dead carcasses of the dogs by the MCD and also help the dog get a respectable burial on time. If Nancy and Pia were not there the dead bodies of the two dogs would stil be rotting and being eaten up by birds and insects.
Our honourable Prime Minister is talking about Atmanirbhar Bharat (self reliant India). How is denying any animal a respectable burial make india Atmanirbhar? How is dependency on MCD for performing last rites of the dog make India Atmanirbhar? And we all know how these people perform their last rites. The dog will be thrown like a piece of filth. And let's assume that crematoriums are working then too the caregivers will be dependent on the MCD to take the body away and cremate them. Will the MCD van come on time? And just imagine how much money the govt will be wasting on dog pick up and cremation. Is that really required? May be for unclaimed dogs and stray animals but the ones who are taken care of by the caregivers why this dependency on the MCD? If the caregivers are ready to bury the dog with full honour and respect then why create hurdles for them?
We have seen how uncompassionate and apathetic municipal corporations are towards the stray dogs. It's time they changed their attitude. Their employees should be taught compassion and empathy towards the man's best friend.
The Municipal Corporations should give some humane classes to their employees. Teach them how to show respect to the dead body.
A blind dog used to stay in a Gurudwara. Everyday he used to escort the sevaks (servicemen) at 1:30 AM to the banks of river Godavari. He was the darling of the Gurudwara. He breathed his last yesterday. The Gurudwara sevaks gave the dog an honourable last rites which was full of love and compassion. They cremated his body just like they would have cremated any human being. Kindly go on the link below to see the lovely dog and his lovely caregivers.
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