Somewhere in Bangalore....

Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai all living under one roof day in and day out, and struggling for one square meal. That may not happen for real in Bollywood but it’s happening at a shelter for stray dogs on Hennur Road in Bangalore. All the 178 stray dogs at this shelter (some of which have been named after Bollywood stars) are literally starving due to funds crunch. Eight years ago Jaya Battacharya, an employee with a travel agency, started the stray dog shelter Anand Chhaaya with funds from her friends and family. Three months ago she flew abroad for bone marrow cancer treatment. From then on, the shelter is struggling for funds. “She did not leave any money for the shelter when she left. It is a few members now who are trying very hard to raise funds,” says Sharanya Adi Kumar, who has been a part of the shelter for the last five years. The condition is so bad that they had to cut down one meal for the dogs. “Previously, we would feed them twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. But now we give them meals only at three in the afternoon,” she says. There is no doctor around when these canines fall sick. A veterinarian who used to work with the shelter has quit as those running the shelter could not pay him. “Some dogs have started getting stomach and skin infections. We have left one of the dogs at CUPA where it is getting treated,” adds Sharanya. Meera Tiwari, a techie who donates money to the shelter, says, “We also want to shift to a new place as this place is not enough. We also need a veterinarian who will visit the shelter on a charitable basis. I am able to contribute only between Rs 6000 and Rs 7000 a month. If we could find a biscuit company which can sponsor free biscuits, that would be really great,” she says. Giving the dogs an extra meal will cost Rs 8,500 per month. Sundar Ram Reddy, a retired industrialist, pays rent for the shelter and partly for their food. “We have found a place in HSR Layout where the shelter can be shifted but we do not have the finance,” he says. Sharanya and the others also had approached the government for funds a long time ago when Jaya was still around. “They told us they cannot provide funds until we put down some of the dogs. We were not ready to do,” says Sharanya. Those running the shelter now hope animal lovers will come to the rescue of man’s best friend.