On the daily menu for street dogs: Rice and chicken

Nagpur: It’s people like Tapas Kumar, a boutique owner, make this big bad world a better place to live in. For the past 15 years, Kumar has been feeding around 100 street dogs in the morning and evening hours. And its not just biscuits or chapatis. A meal of rice and chicken is prepared every day at his home and is lovingly packed in paper bags. Kumar then piles it all on his two-wheeler and follows a nearly eight km route feeding dogs on the way.
“There is no particular reason for doing this. I like animals and have a pet dog who we shower with love. So I feel that these poor dogs on the streets should also get some share of my love,” says Kumar displaying a streak of kindness that’s rare in modern times.
Kumar also insists on feeding the dogs himself. “This gives me peace and satisfaction. I tried hiring a boy to do the job but realized that he was not doing it properly and would dump the packets in the garbage,” he says.
Around 8am, Kumar and his wife along with a domestic help cook 25kg of rice and 5kg chicken. 250 packets are then made. “I move through Futala, Amravati Road, Dharampeth where my boutique is located. In the evening I take the route from Sadar to Income Tax office, Seminary Hills and back to my home at Hazaripahad. The dogs wait for me and if any day I get late they complain. They communicate with me and I understand what they are saying,” he says.
The food bill for the street dogs comes to Rs30,000 per month. “I can afford only this much. If God gives me more, I will feed more dogs,” he says.
Though dogs express their gratitude with love, Kumar says he faces a lot of opposition from neighbours and authorities. “The residents in my building oppose this activity and I have to move away from our society and then feed the dogs. I was also called by NMC officials who asked me to stop doing this. It dirties the street they said. But I told them that I pick up the paper bags once the dogs had eaten and clean up the area before moving on. They finally relented and allowed me to continue,” he says.
Try telling him that millions of men women and children go without food every day and this could help them, and Kumar retorts, “Human beings are so dishonest and ungrateful. These dogs are happy to see me and jump all over me.”
And to the query as to how long will he continue with this practice, Kumar gets pensive, “NMC is now sterilizing street dogs. I think after four to five years we won’t see them on the roads at all.”