Anna Park , Yercaud : living story of human cruelty to animals

A paradise of beauty ; hilly , lush , green , serene and quite a terrific place to unwind.Take a stroll around the stately convents , eat sumptuous buffets near the gardens and if you crave for a mild exercise , how abouta pleasure boating around the lake ? And Oh ! While boating , if you do happen to notice some very tragically caged animals around the lake ,please completely ignore them .

Please take no notice of the sad rabbits , the once-so-beautiful peacock now limping , the caged dear with wounded skin and the milky eyed Guinea pigs...after all they are just animals ! One has come to Yercaud to enjoy one's vacations .These animals are no part of that vacation . Or are they ?

That is exactly how thousands of educated , not-so-educated and highly educated intelligentsia are treating Yercaud's Anna Park , ironically situated right across the beautiful boating-lake-house .

This is the rabbit enclosure . Hardly 4ft x 6ft , it houses around 10 rabbits. Half of the cage being torn , the iron pieces have wounded most of them . So, huddling around the corner of the good part of the cage , they only crave for food....Just offer them something to eat and if you have any experience with animals you will know they are clearly underfed ! Their furry skin is wounded , bloody , entangled with dry leaves and germs and most of them are noisily breathing. They are so ill , they hardly manage to shuffle their feet around.

The guinea pigs are another story all together , their sad eyes , hungry expressions , cluttering around just one spot and especially the milky eyed sick ones , just melted my heart completely. How can we be strolling around the park taking joy rides when fellow creatures are in such deep pain ? What is the pleasure in taking pics beside their cages when they are screaming with pain inside ?

Who are we really ? The evolved species ?

Then there is the enclosure of our national bird , peacock ! Two of them in a 10ft x 10ft enclosure. No branches to perch , no vessel for water , no greenery -not even a shrub, just stranded on a flat un-textured barren land with no room to walk ( forget fly :-) ) ...truly regal state for a royal bird , I say. Befitting treatment wouldn't you say ?

Then there was this sad pair of parakeet. Both of them in a tiny winy cage , no branch , no hole , no texturing , just flat iron board criss-crossed and mostly torn iron pieces...One of them was huddled in the centre and was breathing so heavily and noisily , I know it was sick with something . Their wings were cut with the iron boards and the cage was so dismally maintained , or not-maintained so to say , that my eyes were filled with tears.

The deer enclosure was slightly open but with abso-freakin-lutely , no shade of any sort . Yercaud can go upto 37 degrees in summer and it gets quite dry. What does the poor thing do when it rains or wants to rest in a shade , I wondered.

Imagine being asked to sit on a small spot of flat land with no trees , no terrain..Just sit there and wait for someone to be kind to you and feed you. And oh ! do this forever until they get bored of clicking your pics or you die of a painful excruciating disease.Of course , while you suffer --they shall click pics !!

Can you imagine that happening to yourself ?I saw the same pain in those beautiful innocent doe eyes.

None of the cages have been cleaned for ages...Poop and piss lay everywhere , the cages were rusty and torn and had no base-sheet ( don't get the point ? try sitting on a criss-crossed iron-rod floor ) there was no regular regime of feeding them as I found out . Worst of all , they were not even treated upon being sick , which would invariably happen in those condition.

What does evolution really mean , have we ever wondered. If capability to extract only pleasure with no thought for the other beings pain counts for advancement or birth-right of evolution , then what was wrong with Hitlers and Mussolinis of the world ? and the slave-keepers of the middle history ? And those who engage in human trade and slavery even now ? They are also using sheer strength to subjugate just because they can !

However , if that is morally incorrect , then so is this. We have no right to exploit helpless animals. NO ,They do not look good in cages .

Please stand up for the right things . Please understand that being sensitive to creatures and environment around you , eventually reflects upon your own quality of existence.

We are but a part of this magnificent ecosystem functioning through its own complicated intelligence , half of which we cannot even fathom. Please respect that Life-process , that Life-form beautifully functioning so spontaneously around you.. You cannot create that process but please do not disrupt it at the least.

Please be intelligent enough to be sensitive and receptive to those around you..Maybe they cannot speakto you or maybe they use an extra pair of legs to walk but they still feel kindness and you will see the Universe will respond back to you in a magnificent way.

Thank you !

IGIA : Window to a staircase: but where does it lead ?

I once heard an American freelance journalist crack jokes about human Birth saying ‘Your birth is a mistake you will spend your whole life correcting’..as an adult I found it amusingly accurate but little did I know that it is indeed the case for several children born in our world ; tiny souls thrust into this physical dimension with no weapon , choice , affection or protection – just the grim reality of facing their own deprived existence and the daily strife of ‘ how do I stay alive today ? ‘.

I met 285 such children tucked away in a small corner of Namma Bengaluru.

In the midst of technological rise and stupendous luxury apartments and movie tickets that cost 1000.00Rs ( gold class) and the best luxury brand showrooms from across the world making way to us , yet , like a beautiful yet mysterious damsel - our city hides a few miniscule secrets of its own. ;-) Could it be the games Mother Universe plays or is it our own doing ? I leave the answering to the philosophers ..…

I am talking about 270 kids and their selfless , brave , unwavering staff of 15.

IGIA - These are Sri Lankan refugee kids. Their country does not protect them , the LTTE has abandoned them and ridden them with visible bullet marks or brutally slaughtered their families in the presence of their innocent minds , India Government has turned a blind eye to them and UN refuses to help as they are caught up with their own games and agendas ….

Innocent , hopeless , hungry , cold and sick – these children (mostly orphans ) do not understand boundaries , laws , nations. They only know there ‘is a small boat and it will get me far away from the raining bullets and incessant torture ‘. Little do they know what world they are walking into—internationally branded ‘Refugees’. Hence begins another phase of struggle in various regions of India , places where these boats happen to breach the sea-boundaries and enter our country.

So what do you do if you are a 2 year old and have typhoid and your nearest surviving relative is in another refugee camp miles away ? who pays for your treatment ? Do you care which country won the war ;)

What do you do if you are an 8 year old and do not know if your parents made it to the surviving boat or not ? are you technically an orphan or orphan-in-waiting? Do you care if India signed the UN –Charter or not ?

What do you do if you are a 16 year old and have no papers or identity claim to back you up for official admissions to anywhere on the planet? What do you do ? Still believe in the so-called law and order of the Nations or their ‘consortiums’ ‘forums’ etc. ?

What is it you do then ??

Let me tell you what they are doing – cooped up in small overstuffed dorms with dilapidated bunker beds , they read their torn donated text books , their make-shift kitchen cum study room serves as an incubation for dreams for there is a small Tv there ! And when they play or go to a small in-house school with limited resources and 3 teachers – they dreammm .. Like you and me they dream of a better Life and better future.They do not know ‘human rights’ ‘fundamental rights’ all that fancy jargon..all they know is that someday it will be allright.

Strangely, I have not yet found that spirit in the private-school spoon-fed expensively-dressed toddlers and teens flaunting cell fones and IPads whose parents spend half of their bourgeouise income in a psychological race to chase them to the top-of-the-tree .

When there is not enough rice to eat or when they do not have enough winter clothes , their enthusiasm and passion to stay alive is all that keeps them going.

When I visited this small establishment with no proper electricity arrangements , drinking water , drainage or even clean rugs—I saw 130 boys , 130 girls and 10 very brave staff-cum-operations-folks staring back at me with a lot of hope in their face, ‘maybe she is the one..maybe they have sent her for us finally’. To my surprise while my heart ached and reached out to their pain , all I could really see , were Smiles. Dreams and hopes of a better tomorrow …and Oh ! there were three old paintings in a small broken shack of an office--take a guess who they were ? 3 of our best national leaders , Mahatma Gandhi amongst them.

When I first visited this place on Jakkur Road ( thanks to Mr and Mrs Prashant , the lovely couple ), I saw there were two dorms , couple of open bathrooms , a kitchen-dining-cum-reading-cum-living hall , a caricature of a small-school and of course ! a million bright dreams all overflowing from these innocent eyes who know not what is ‘nationality’ ‘community’ ‘ political agenda’ ‘ refugee’ ‘ terrorism’ etc. etc.

They just know they are hungry and that they are very cold ….

On the other hand it is ironical that in such a place the Universe also offers possibilities of immense optimism and courage , like Kokila Madam – volunteering and serving in-house since last 14 years ..or the 2 school teachers who have not been paid since the last 8 months .. or the dean who without an iota of expectation fights for these children every day before they wake up and long after they go to bed.

And then of course ! There are the miracles….the spotless anomalies of time and space..like the two boys who manage to go to Polytechnic College and the girl who obtained 72 % in her Matriculation Exams finding hardly 30 mins a day to read her curriculum. The little boy who survived cancer and the small girl who fought typhoid with such little medical intervention ..

So this is IGIA on Jakkur Road : a window to possibilities , would you like to determine what this window opens to ?

I promised to help them and I cannot let them down.
Please lend me a hand.

1. Winter Clothes , rugs , blankets
2. Books , notepads , supplies , stationeries
3. Food Sponsorship…6000.00INR to 10,000.00 INR per day depending on what kind of food you would like to sponsor
4. Education sponsorship ( some of them cleared board – exams and want to study further )
5. Volunteering with their education or helping with teacher’s salaries
6. Buying calendars from them ( 500.00 INR each ) ..Prashant has stock
7. Using your contacts in UN/State Government to get things cracking
8. Using publicity to garner help
9. Just visit and volunteer and brighten up their day J
10. Help them buy water-heaters—winter is here , how can 5 year olds bathe early morning ?
11. Volunteer you car to carry supplies for them
12. Help them get clean drinking water
13. Donate / help in any way you want – there is a lot to be done …


Please get in touch with Prashant at +91-9945244490 for details , he is the wonderful man who has tirelessly worked for this cause despite his busy schedule and hectic day job , for years. Many a times Destiny chuckled at her cruel games- once a child was diagnosed with cancer and once the electricity supply of the entire building went kaput – but come sickness or crisis; Prashant is the one constant factor in their lives , he never gives up on them,never ….

Contact myself as well for further information. joyeeta.das123@gmail.com

5th floor , 5 o clock

I see her often in that corner,

Soft eyes , liquid mouth….quite a stunner.

Lost in thought , she never does see ,

That a window opens as wide as can be.

I see her from my apartment up here,

She comes at 5 o clock and sits right there.

The book is open wide , the pages softly flutter.

She is ever so silent , not a word does she utter.

She looks at the sky and sometimes, the grass,

She never notices the gaping men who pass.

Once or twice I saw her lips tremble ,

Not a smile – just a symbol.

She wipes often a solitary tear,

Then her face is enveloped in fear !

She quickly turns around and around ,

To see did anyone notice – who found ?

She looks so lost , so lonely , such hauntingly beautiful eyes,

She is incapable of deception , cruelty or any lies.

Never reads a word though the book is open in her lap ,

She stares blankly at the children around who play and clap.

She sits in the park on the 5^th bench everyday ,

But she never knows….never , in any way……

She never does look up – she never does see…

That my window opens as wide as can be.

Like a whirlwind in slow motion , she changes my Life…

If only she looked up – she could be my wife.

Trust the tragedy .

What is the meaning of pain if it teaches you nothing ,

What is the value of Joy - not more than a farthing.

No one has grown through sheer laughter

But the world has seen tears making men loftier

It is strange how we undermine the importance of tragedies : big or small.

However comedies are remembered : no matter how short or tall.

The butterfly felt searing pain when out of the pupa it burst,

How else would the caterpillar become pretty in the harsh world it was thrust !

The phoenix felt excruciating pain and possibly cried out loud ,

But once out of the ashes , not afraid of even the darkest cloud .

Trust your bad moments , they are not here to stay ,

But they will teach you something , so you will never stray.

Trust your heartbreaks and the miserable burns ,

How else would you acclimatise to wrong sharp turns ?

Would the silver lining stand apart ,

If the dark cloud did not play a part !

Would the sunshine be as bright ,

If we never ever saw a night !

Would the God above be worshipped and loved as much ,

If the Dark One did not take away all your support and crutch ?

Every thing has a role and purpose to play ,

Hard to believe when it happens : but including the black and the grey.

So learn while it lasts ,

Perhaps its a dying teacher's last class.

A STANDING OVATION

Thanks to those who never stood by my side,
Your cowardice taught me to be alone and taught me how to fight.
Thank you to the ones who were never ever there,
You taught me to accept all that is meaningless and unfair


Thank you to the ones who have found a way to stab,
Everytime you hit , a new weapon I could grab
Thank you to the ones who lied and cheated deep,
You taught me how to make promises and learn how to keep



Thank you to the ones who judged without evidence , witness , case,
It helped me be stronger and build a much better base.
Thnak you to the ones who caused immense pain ,
For I learnt that after great loss comes great gain


Thank you to the ones who made false pretence
You single handedly improved my self-defense.
Thank you to the ones who blocked roads and drank my confidence dregs,
For I realised that to move forwrad you need to fly and not use your legs.
Thank you to the ones who called themselves friends and were only foes,
Guess what bad times only test how much your soul really grows!

Above all , THANK YOU to the ones who broke my heart,
Unlike what you expected, I wasn't ripped apart.
For every tear I shed , I learn't a million lessons more.
How to distrust and laugh and be happier than before.

Thank You !

UNCERTAINTY

I know what its like to be torn apart ,
I know what its like to have both a brain and a heart

I know what its like to be a grain in the wind
I know what its like to be saint and a fiend

I know what its like to be on two boats
I know what its like to be sail and be afloat

what I dont know is how to be unsure
to not know if you are the sea or the shore ?

how can you doubt if you have a soul ?
how can you doubt what is your goal ?

WE ARE ALL BUTTERFLIES...Hang on !

I love butterflies..always have.

Their delicate wings , vibrant colours , sensitive flight ...lights up my day.

Many a times have I just rushed from one meeting to another and while I cross the buildings , a glossy yellow butterfly just winked past.

Its tiny flutter creates a flutter in my heart , too. Suddenly the day looks better . I find an unkown hope and look forward to the next moment.

Perhaps , something incredibly nice may happen to me ! Who knows !

Does this make me incredibly girly ? Maybe yes .

But this agent of pollination that plays such a terrific role in nature by allowing plants to reproduce , has really won my heart over.

I find that these tiny butterflies are nature's message to us , a symbol that the ugliest slimy , creepy , crawly thing can also transform into one of the world's most beautiful creatures.So if anything is possible, why give up ?

Looking at a dark , ugly , slob like caterpillar , can you imagine the gorgeous and vibrant colors that it can transform into ? The beauty it has which hasn't yet burst forth ? No.

So its nature's way of telling us not to be judgemental. Things turn around and boy ! When they do , they make heads turn !

Also , there is a hidden symbol of strength in every butterfly. No matter how delicate it looks , dont be taken by its fragile looks ! It can make the tallest plants reproduce..it can pollinate the biggest and the smallest flower. It is playing a very important role in Evolution. Though it looks like just any other tiny delicate creature which ( you think ) exists only to decorate this world.

My Mother says that there is another hidden message here , that of social behaviour.

She says that when a creature becomes admirable , even the people who would earlier spit on them and smash them and couldn't care less about their life or death, will spend hours appreciating that very same creature.

It is possible to obtain anyone's appreciation . Anyone. But the transformation is always always always painstaking and time-consuming.

You have to wait for the right time !

You see ,No matter how much the poor caterpillar rushes , its time to become a pupa comes in its own due wake. and when it does , it is so very painful.

Every atom metamorphosises into something new. It must be terrible..but the results are for the world to see..after a few days , the beautiful Goddess of Beauty bursts forth in all its glory . Everyone stares in awe..so pretty ! so very beautiful !

So , dont give up in your caterpillar days.Or the PUPA stage. It is painful but one day , the phoenix will arise.

Thats the norm of Nature.

Just hang on.