“Hi, my name is Bandya. I am neither too big in size to scare you nor too small to fit in your arms. I am not capable enough to take my own decisions; nor do I possess the power to think before executing an action. God sent me here to befriend you all, to be around all of you; in return he promised me that I’d receive a lot of love from your side and that you’d take care of me since I can’t do that for myself. I haven’t been created like you lucky individuals who can rule the world and do everything as per their choices and wishes. God created your species quite different to mine; he blessed you with all the essential qualities one needs to survive in this world. You can communicate and express your feelings and wants, you can take help from other people and you all have homes and all the means to fill the stomachs of your loving family members with. My home literally is the land where I pee on, under the cars where I feel safe, on the streets where I scrounge for food. You have friends and several sources of entertainment, you most importantly have the wit to choose between right and wrong and the five senses to sympathize and empathize with others and also with us.
What saddens me the most is how you don’t make the right use of your blessings and powers on several occasions and instead behave so thoughtlessly and impolitely with me or with other creatures of my species. The other day a car purposely ran over me and led me to having broken legs and a broken spine. I remember peeing on one of the cars’ wheels. I don’t remember causing any damage to the vehicle or any loss to the owner. I only wanted to pee but I had never imagined that the owner, full of vengeful feelings and intolerance would take such a step and I would end up being severely wounded. I lost my brother recently too, who had succumbed to his injuries when a drunkard ran over him. I also gathered that someone played a prank and lit a cracker in my friend’s mouth which led to him undergoing extreme pain and suffering. A recent incident in Kottayam, Kerala wherein panchayat ward members with the help of hired dog killers, had bludgeoned about 40 harmless street dogs to death and paraded their carcasses, has also been reported.
I am disturbed, shattered and heartbroken. I don’t think any of my street- friends ever expected such incidents to have taken place. I am still clueless about the reasons behind this barbarism. I now only want to plead to you readers to develop and spread some sensitization towards us; we want to love you and be loved by you. I also want to express how spine-chilling it is for us during Diwali. It is terrifying to hear the loud bursts of crackers; we shake like leaves and sometimes the damage is beyond repair. I, on behalf of my species, request you to refrain from bursting crackers. This shall mean a lot to us.
I am still recovering from my injuries.
Once again, I am Bandya. A dog. And this was a speech from a broken heart.”
-By Pooja Ahuja