Several individuals, including celebs, have come forward to feed stray animals in Kolkata streets during the lockdown. Prominent among these animal welfare warriors are the Kolkata-based couple, Anita Das Basak and Dibakar Basak. The duo are braving the odds in their endeavours to care for stray animals around the city neighbourhoods. Despite the lockdown, they ensure that hungry strays get meals on a daily basis.
Despite their modest accommodation, (the couple live in a one-room apartment on the ground floor of an old residential building in central Kolkata), for the past three years, they have taken in and cared for scores of strays who were mistreated, injured, and abandoned. “I have a pet labrador and while raising him, I decided to work for stray animals. When I met my husband for the first time, around five years ago, I found that he too has a similar passion - so, we started working for strays in a more organised manner, together.”
As the saying goes, ‘No good deed goes unpunished’, and the couple are often met with resistance. “We face stiff opposition from several residents in our building and the neighbourhood but that has hardly stopped us from carrying on with our work for stray animals,” says Das Basak, a fashion designer. Her husband, on the other hand, works as a fitness trainer at a local gym. “We use our own money to feed and look after stray animals; we haven’t formed any non-profit organisation yet,” says her husband.
Following the present lockdown, these warriors have stepped up their efforts, and have encountered several challenges in the bargain. “We received a call from one of our associates from the Taltala area (the couple has a few friends and volunteers helping out as and when they can) in central Kolkata. One of the locals in that area was recklessly riding his motorcycle trying to run down a stray dog,” says Das Basak. “My husband and a few friends rushed to the spot to rescue the dog. They went to the local police station to lodge a complaint.” Unfortunately,, the officers on duty at the time refused to take the complaint seriously. “They told him that they had more pressing matters to address and asked us to drop everything and go home,” she adds. “While we fully understand the gravity of the situation and we are trying our best to not flout lockdown rule, but we cannot simply let a stray animal suffer.”
With no help from the police, and after the couple ensured the dog got the care it needed, the couple emailed Maneka Gandhi, Lok Sabha MP, and one of India’s most prominent animal rights activists. A prompt response was received by the couple from the MP’s executive assistant, assuring the couple that they would get the help needed - they also received a signed letter (digital scan) from her office urging police and other concerned authorities, to allow animal welfare workers to feed stray animals. “We were told, Maneka Gandhi got in touch with DC (Central), Kolkata Police, who in turn told us that we’d be allowed to carry on with our daily duty of feeding stray animals, and that local police authorities will cooperate,” says Das Basak. “Of course, we will follow hygiene, lockdown and emergency protocols in every possible way.”
Now, armed with this letter, the Basaks drive down twice a day to several localities in and around Central Kolkata to feed stray animals. “We target the business district where stray animals depended on local eateries and office-goers for food.,” says Das Basak. If they see an ailing dog, they call NGOs or veterinary staff. “We have a mini medical set-up for treating stray animals at our own home. Sometimes we bring ailing dogs back home with us, give them some basic treatments, and then hand them over to doctors or NGOs, who fight their welfare.” Just recently, they had also rescued a monkey and a horse, who had been abandoned.
So what does these daily meals for strays consist of? We’re told they cook basic meals of chicken and rice out of their home. In fact, almost half of what they earn goes towards meeting these expenses “We are cooking for around 90 strays every day,” says Das Basak, who grabbed headlines in 2019 for her contribution towards bringing the NRS Hospital puppy death incident in Kolkata to light, where a couple of staff members of the government hospital were seen in a video bludgeoning to death 16 puppies on the staff hostel premises—an incident which shook people across the country.
Fortunately, the Basaks are not alone in their endeavours. Says filmmaker Satrajit Sen, “We feed strays in front of our home in South Kolkata. Apart from this, I have helped raise money for an NGO, that feeds stray animals in various Kolkata neighbourhoods,. Moreover, during this crisis I have asked several friends to donate money (through bank transfer) to help the NGO stock up on food for street animals.”