You have seen The Elephant Whisperers, now meet Chennai’s unsung animal activists
The Hindu
Bomman and Bellie from The Elephant Whisperers were among the activists acknowledged at this award show in Chennai
When Bomman and Bellie went up on stage to receive an award for their dedication to animal welfare, they took with them a spotlight that outlines the workers who have devoted their lives to animal welfare. These heroes were celebrated at the #iamstrongest awards by Sharon Ply at Savera Hotel recently. We explore their stories, and how their daily work creates incremental change.
Joseph Sekar
At 6 am every day, Joseph Sekar has been feeding wild parakeets from his terrace for around 25 years. He wakes up at 4 am and cooks 75 kilograms of rice. He then readies the roof of his house, and lays out the planks and rice. Parakeets start trickling in, hanging on the wires and standing on the planks. Soon, the terrace is full.
Sekar says he receives thousands of birds a day, with the number climbing up to 4,000 during the monsoon. He spends up to 40 percent of his income in feeding these birds, and does not have any regrets. “We are not going to take anything with us when we die,” he says, explaining why he does this everyday.
Prabha Venugopal
“Dogs, hospitals, cases, abuse,” says Prabha Venugopal. “That is how my days go by.” Prabha was a professor in accounting in Oman for 15 years. She returned for her children’s education, then stayed for the dogs.
Working with the animals for 11 years has meant that Prabha also spends a lot of time at the police station. “I go there very often, to handle cases of animal abandonment,” she says, adding that she deals with a large number of abandoned pedigree dogs. She also focuses on sheltering and vaccinating abandoned puppies, and is currently looking after more than 40.
Minister launches distribution of textbooks in schools, over 70 lakh students to benefit across T.N.
Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi launched textbook and notebook distribution programme for the new academic year 2024-2025 as schools reopened after summer vacation on Monday in Chennai.