The Stray Dog Problem of Kerala and it's immature handling

I am really fond of Animals and believe that animals needs to be treated with respect. Be it livestock or otherwise. There is growing unrest after a number of people were attacked by dogs in Kerala. People are going to extreme measures like culling and massacre of dogs, Which I feel is very immature and uncalled for. Everybody wants a hasty remedy for the stray dog menace. It is disturbing to see educated people like Kochaouseph Chitilappally of V-guard and Veegaland promoting violence against animals. 

The tolerance point for me was when a group of school students in Kochi was made to take a pledge which encouraged the culling of strays. A message wrong on many different levels, It is equal to telling/reassuring a child that hurting animals is fine. I would want my children to learn compassion at school and not violence. I feel immense hatred towards the school authorities who allowed ignorant people like Jose K Maveli to speak to the children on the issue.  Children should decide for themselves how they want to treat animals. Let them come to their conclusions on the subject when they grow up. 

We have had countless discussions in our bachelor flat on the topic, as usual me on the side of finding a humane and viable solution and them on the other side that killing is the only solution. My points were the following, 

• It is important to have the maturity to understand that the stray dog issue is not a standalone problem that Kerala faces. The number of stray dogs have increased proportionally with poor waste management strategies.  
• Kerala needs to immediately address and come up with better waste management solutions before we can talk on the stray dog issue. 
• I agree that there are vicious dogs, which is a minority again. Dogs are animals that are dependent on human beings. Instead of killing the vicious dogs, all dogs are being killed in Kerala. It is equivalent as killing all people in a place just because one person has committed a crime.
• I suggest we go towards more humane solutions rather than mass culling of animals. It poorly reflects on us and sets out a bad example for the generations to come. Sterilization and widespread awareness of programs like ABC(Animal Birth Control) by government would go a long way. 
• More adoption drives and fund raising activities towards rehabilitation of animals.

I also questioned the genuineness of Chitilappally on the issue, which they couldn't digest. Chitilappally to them is a saint, and it is wrong to criticize him unless I myself has donated a Kidney( Which I then have to report to all news dailies ). The really sad part is the mentality that culling of dogs is fine, not a big deal. 

The points they have raised and my replies are as follows, 

• What if you had lost a dear one ? Would you still support the stray dog menace ?

Gladly I haven't and I have never seen such dogs in my area. This might sound immature to you but I definitely don't feel an eye for an eye does any good in the world. 

• Dogs have bitten children while inside their homes. 

It is really unfortunate that this has happened. There is no justifying this. Still it was children who were left unattended that were attacked by dogs. Parents do have to be more responsible.

• If you like dogs then why don't you adopt one ? 

I already have a dog at home and at present me not being home, I don't want my parents to look after another dog just because I want them to. Once I am back home I am considering adopting one from Street dog watch Trivandrum. However I have made small contributions to groups like People for Animals Trivandrum who have been working towards betterment and rehabilitation of animals. Something that I can do as of now. 

• If Killing of Animals is not right ? Why do you eat meat ?

The animals I eat are livestock, they are animals raised for our food needs. They are not like dogs. Dogs are not raised for food at least in India. However my take on livestock is that the way these animals are treated also has to change. These animals also have to be treated with more space. I have read somewhere that it is illegal in India even to kill an animal in view of other animals. But government doesn't have people to check if these animal regulations are in place for livestock. 

• If you can kill mosquitoes you can kill dogs too. 

This is baseless. Mosquitoes do no good to the world or us. 

Coming back to topic, I happened to see a documentary by Asianet News today, which talks in detail of these issues. This could easily be one of the best TV programs made on the issue with an open mind. 

  Street Dog lovers | Anweshanam 26 Oct 2016

I really wish that people and government takes inspiration from the video and work towards a humane solution to the problem. Let us not heed to people who propose for hasty solutions.  We all share this world and their lives are as important. 

The Three Feet from Gold - Inspirational Story

A lesson learned while reading the book 'Think and Grow Rich'. It was a lazy Saturday night back home when I grabbed the copy that I had bought online almost an year back. The book by Napoleon Hill is a self help book and I should say that I am totally into it just after two chapters. 

Into this first chapter of the book I came across the story of R.U. Darby. The story struck me real hard. I could very well relate to it. I pondered over it for almost a day. It is said that this story is famously known among insurance sellers around the globe. The story of an entrepreneur who  stopped 3 feet from Gold. 

Three feet from Gold inspired Cartoon.

The story stresses on the point how people are broken down by temporary defeat. I could relate to it easily and have been there umpteen times. The story goes like this, Darby and his uncle buys a mining field and tries luck at  digging for a fortune, few weeks after they strike Gold. Excited, they put all their life savings and money borrowed from relatives to buying gold mining equipment. As they expected they did find more gold and by the looks of it, It looked like the biggest gold mine in the Colorado region. Soon disaster struck and they couldn't find any more gold. They dug deeper with hope until it reached a point of desperation. They decided it was time to give up, decided there was no point in going further. At this point came a man who willingly bought the mining land at a cheap price. 

The new property owner however decided he will give it a shot and so he did. He sought expert advice and they found Gold 3 feet from where RU Darby and his uncle had stopped digging. If only they had gone 3 more feet deeper. 

Often many of us, I know one for myself have many times stopped 3 feet from gold. We give up easily. We are often desperate and give up easily, who knows if you push 3 more feet and end up striking a fortune. This lesson is embedded to me right now, I will not easily give up from now. I will push myself a little more. 

I have always had entrepreneurship dreams, this is one lesson every wanna be entrepreneur should read about. The striking part of the story is that Darby learned from his mistakes and later founded one of the biggest insurance companies in the US.  

Who better than Leonardo DiCaprio - 'Before the Flood' !

   Before the Flood Documentary

More than a documentary, 'Before the Flood' is a message to the world from Leonardo Dicaprio. A message that if we don't act now, we are doomed before we know it. Before the Flood is Leo's journey around the globe in the past two years and the shocking revelations that he came across.

The documentary is very bold and there are some very strong allegations and criticism made against corporations and politicians in the US. Even Barack Obama is not spared. Leo takes a lot of criticism heads on as well, like the conversation with Sunita Narain, who heavily criticized US and it's lifestyle for global warming. There are also bits and parts of media clippings that criticize UN for selecting him as an ambassador.

A few scenes from the documentary

The positive note about the documentary is that it doesn't stop at highlighting global warming issues, it goes a step ahead and provides solutions. Solutions that are viable. Loved the Elon Musk entry and him suggesting that 100 Tesla model Giga factories would solve the energy issues with the world.

Media and some might call him and 'Before the Flood' a publicity stunt. Stunt or not, Leo has done something very few people have done. He is doing his part and creating awareness. This documentary again is not about Leonardo Dicaprio, it is about each and everyone of us. How we can make a contribution even if small to decrease global warming. 20-25 years from now when it's too late, there will be Leo with a wry smile on his face that reads 'I told ya losers'. Let us hope we doesn't get to that point.