Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Live
GUIDING STUDENTS AND CARING FOR ANIMALS
Our planet belongs to all life forms that inhabit it; few are blessed with this awareness and sensibility.
Kavita Dass, is one such person, striving for the cause of the furry and the feathered who call Earth as much home as humans do. “Humans are most intelligent kind living on this planet. By virtue of this, it becomes their duty to think for the life that lives around them. To have compassion for, not just their kind but also for animals, who cannot express their suffering,” said Dass, sitting in her office on a pleasant autumn afternoon.
Dass, in her late 50s, works to ensure better life for street animals of Lucknow and nearby areas.
“For me, animals are lives and I do my bit to help them lead it peacefully,” she said adding, “I try to help all animals found in an urban setting. In Lucknow, dogs, horses and mules make a majority of this group.”
The thought to care equally for animals and the idea to share resources got engrained in her as she was growing up. Born fourth of five siblings to a
police officer, Dass moved with her family to several places in the country before the family settled in Lucknow in the early 70s. “I had a very happy time growing up. My father was a pet lover and I believe that I inherited the concern for animals from him,” said Dass. Besides several birds that live in her house that doubles up as an office as well, Dass also had two dogs as pets. They were with her till they passed away few years back.
The realisation of loss after their death led her to do more for speechless creatures. It started first by arranging help for injured animals on streets. “I used to receive calls from across the city to help injured animals and would make arrangements for their support and treatment. It continued till the construction of a dedicated shelter home for animals,” she said, adding, “These days help for this cause by spreading awareness, gathering support and providing assistance to these shelter homes.”
What makes her efforts even more unique, is the fact that she does all this while being a career counsellor and handling the finances of the Institute for Career Studies (ICS). “I try to dedicate some part of my daily time and most of Sundays to animals,” said Dass. Of late, she has also started visiting places close to the capital to check for cruelty to horses and mules by their masters. “I try to make the owners of horses and mules understand that they must not overburden their animals and must care for them. This, in a way, will benefit them,” she said. This concern for animals also helps Dass, a single, who confesses to being a “mix of introvert and extrovert”.
Though she likes to travel and read and listen to music, Dass doesn’t have a particular hobby.
“I don’t get much time from my schedule to pursue a specific hobby. Whatever time I have, I try to do something that will make our planet a better place to live in,” she said.
Understanding the needs of the speechless also helps her understand the minds of the children she counsels. “I interact with students almost on a daily basis, to advise them on a better career choice. Sometimes, it become difficult to understand what they really want to do in life and what career will suit them most,” she said. However, her patience proves to be an asset and helps provide the best advice.
The constant “thank you’ mails she receives from students reflects how beneficial her insight and advice to them was. “It is not a thankless job. I often get mails from students about how well they are doing in the career I advised them to take. This gives me a sense of achievement,” she said.
She wants to continue guiding students and caring for animals and has not thought of retiring from it anytime soon. “I don’t have any materialistic aim for my future at this point of my life. I want to continue what I do for as long as I can,” Dass said.