साल का अंत अक्सर हमें बाहर की दुनिया में कहीं दूर ले जाने का वादा करता है — यात्राएँ, उत्सव, उपलब्धियाँ। इंस्टाग्राम का ज़माना माँग करता है कि कुछ हैपनिंग सा हो, कुछ कपड़े हों ख़ास, चमकीले रंग और शोर गुल का माहौल.. लेकिन इस बार मेरे साल के आख़िर के कुछ दिन बाहर नहीं, भीतर की ओर थे। वृंदावन की कम प्रचलित गलियों में, उन लोगों के साथ जिनकी हर साँस में करुणा का स्पर्श है, पशुओं को भोजन कराते हुए मैंने मुझ से मुलाकात की।
Rabindranath Tagore imagined a nation
“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high,
where the world has not been broken into fragments by narrow domestic walls.”
But in the land of Braj, the minds of the four-legged Brajwasis are not without fear.
Their days are shaped by danger and neglect.
They are run over by speeding vehicles on streets that offer them no refuge.
They are left uncared for during the floods of the Yamuna, struggling alone against rising waters.
They are injured by electrocution, scarred by dog fights, and forgotten once the crisis passes.
On my first morning in Vrindavan, I joined a small group of Braj Animal Care volunteers for the stray-dog feeding seva. Carrying a canister of milk, we walked through the familiar lanes where the dogs seemed almost to be waiting for us. Some sat patiently at their usual spots, while others appeared suddenly, emerging from corners as if drawn by instinct. I was hesitant at first, unsure how close to get, but the quiet energy of the volunteers and the gentle presence of the dogs drew me in.
On the chilly evening of 24 December, as I scribbled my endless list of wishes to Santa and New Year resolutions destined to crumble by 2 January, something within me paused. For the first time, the impulse was not to ask the Divine for more, but to offer something back. And so, I chose to give to His most vulnerable creation: the four-legged Brajwasis of Vrindavan.
They say “opposites attract”, and for Braj Animal Care, that truly came to life when we received an unexpected invitation from the Pro Kabaddi League team, Patna Pirates, for an interview on their segment, Pirate People.
It felt almost surreal, a sports team known for its strength, grit, and fierce energy opening its doors to stories of compassion, care, and the voiceless.
