SHILLONG: ‘One bike ride at a time’ is what ardent animal lover Sushant Ajnikar undertook to build a connection and create a relationship between humans and other creatures.
A passionate motorcyclist who loves Indian dogs, Ajnikar visited Shillong recently to raise awareness on being compassionate to canines and other animals.
On his solo bike rides, he makes it a point to feed street dogs, talk to local people and enjoy the landscapes.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, Ajnikar, a designer for Urban Ladder, an online furniture company and a native of Bangalore said, “People do not know how to behave with dogs. A dog’s instinct is to run behind you and they can sense pulse rate,so if people see a running dog towards them, they have to stand still. Dogs tend to be familiar with humans who feed them if they are approached with love.”
Lamenting that dogs are ill-treated in India, he said, “We call ourselves a civilized society but we do not know how to be kind to other creatures. Two women were beaten because they fed pups in Pune.”
“Changing the law will not be enough as people need to change their attitude. It is illegal to kill dogs. Why they are not handed over to the police? What is so cool about being called a professional dog killer? We cannot go out and kill dogs! Dogs do not bite without being instigated,” he said.
Referring to his solo bikes rides, he said that he has not been harmed by anybody, let alone dogs who as he put it, “Knows his intention”.
He said that he carries a packet of biscuits on his rides to feed his canine friends.
Urging people to build compassion for the four-legged wonders, he said, “Nobody is born bad and the easiest way to build love is to feed them.”
When asked about his thought on the city’s treatment towards animals, he expressed concern over the growing number of street dogs.
However, he was optimistic as he came across a team of animal activists, Stray Animal Rescue Society (SARS). Together, he has discussed plans to find better lifestyle for dogs.
Set with the intention to make lives of families and animals better, he said, “We are looking for paid foster option in which people get paid Rs 100 per day. In this way, it is an employment opportunity for people to look after the animals.”
Narrating his bike rides, Ajnikar started the initiative called ‘Paws of India’ two and a half years ago, where he rode 9000 km from Bangalore to Ladakh and back in one month.
“On September 1, I started from Bangalore and rode to Srinagar, Kolkata, Siliguri, Nepal, Bhutan and then North East India. It was a 45-day trip covering 16,000 km. In North East, I started my journey from Shillong and will visit Tezpur and Silchar but it all depends on the roads,” he said.
While in Shillong, he met a group of bikers and urged them to feed dogs while they go on bike ride. He said, “There is a need to respect all creatures and respecting everything in an ecosystem can make a person be better. Awareness has to be made to school children to instill in them the love and respect for other creatures. In India, there is lack of awareness and we need to do something to make people listen.”
He was all praise for Bhutan where he noticed a peaceful co-existence between humans and dogs.
Ajnikar is on a vegan diet and has managed to persuade people to give up non- vegetarian food. He said, “Unless we take remarkably massive steps, people will not know how.”
Back home in Bangalore, he has adopted three street dogs- April, Zombie and Lulu. He said, “Street dogs are super intelligent and highly immune to sickness.”
For people hesitant to approach dogs, he said, “Just feed them (dogs). It will take time as they are traumatized by the harassment they encounter with humans. Being kind to animals should be taken as a sense of responsibility.”
Overall, he is on a mission to start a place for the socially unwanted people- transgender, handicapped people, old people etc and to create awareness on India’s street dogs, perhaps to bridge the gap between two living creatures, filling the void with compassion and love.
