I am Sorry, my dear Animals

                                         I am Sorry, my dear Animals

In a country as large and diverse as ours,

a festival that celebrates the triumph of good over evil,

a festival as it nears our joy knows no bounds,

a festival full of celebrations,

a festival devoid of darkness

                         

Ladies and Gentlemen that is Diwali for every one of us.

While we are busy tearing down the dates of the calendar with great eagerness, we usually remain completely oblivious to the plight of several species of animals in the city that positively dread the arrival of the festival.

 

Considering that Diwali is a festival that celebrates the triumph of good over evil, it doesn't make sense to do evil on D-Day; it is a festival of lights. Nowhere in the origin of the festival do we find any mention of firecrackers.

It's the same old story every Diwali. While thousands of people across the city celebrate the festival by bursting crackers, animals - both pet and stray - tremble with fear, as they cannot bear the loud noises.

 

What an Irony, that the festival of lights usually brings darkness into the lives of animals.

Diwali can seem more like a terrorist attack than a festive celebration to dogs, donkeys and other animals. It is for them the anniversary of nightmare!

What entertainment is for human beings is the bombardment for animals!

Do you know How well do dogs hear?

                Very well actually. Much better than what humans can!

Many animals — such as dogs, cats, dolphins, bats, and mice — have a higher frequency limit which is greater than that of the human ear that is why such animals can hear ultrasounds. The dog can listen to a sound four times farther than what human ears can hear.

It is this incredible hearing ability of dogs, in particular, puts them at a great disadvantage, A normal cracker sounds like a bomb to dogs due to their acute hearing capability.

With their heightened sense of hearing, animals often panic, get scared and run helter-skelter on hearing the noise.

With their heightened sense of hearing, animals which get physically hurt often panic, get scared and run helter-skelter on hearing the noise.

There have been cases of pets running several kilometers in confusion, the terrified animals that flee the explosions often get lost and can’t find their way back home. Many dogs even die of cardiac arrests or go off food because they can't handle the stress during the season. Some shiver, and are prone to fits and seizures.

The situation is even worse for strays. As they do not have a home, they tend to run away from places where loud crackers are being used. In doing so, they may enter another dog's territory. So the number of casualties during this season automatically increases.

I can understand people's fascination for flower pots, but fail to understand the relish with which they burst loud bombs; Deepavali is not merely about bursting firecrackers.

In many areas people play the most inhuman game of tying firecrackers on dogs and donkeys' tails and letting them loose, watching the fun while the animals run around panic-stricken and ultimately burn themselves, Some animals when grab objects thrown towards them with their mouth imagining they were toys, and suddenly when  they explode in their mouth

Spare a thought for them - imagine the pain, hurt and trauma they have to go through!

The rockets fall into trees and burn the nests. In fear, thousands of birds abandon their nests and fly away, again to die of starvation. The anxiety can result in birds flying too far out to come back. Wild birds are frightened off their nests so their eggs get cold and the chicks die.

Hens show extremely low egg production the day after fireworks, and the eggs are often malformed as well.

But it's not just noise that affects the animals. The smoke in the air, just like it adversely affects human beings, also affects animals. It can aggravate respiratory tract diseases, cause eye allergies and bring on a skin rash.

The silver lining in this situation, and one that augurs well for animals, is that even though there are several people who continue to be lured by the sound of crackers, there is a growing number of people who have taken to celebrating the more gentle aspect of the festival - meeting elders in the family, lighting sparklers and flower pots, taking delight in lighting the house up with exquisitely designed lamps, making sweets, buying new clothes .

I always support the right of people to celebrate cultural events - but I also recognize that other people and animals have rights too.

God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages, perhaps the Animal Spirit is so great that one day it may inspire compassion in the human heart.

It just not only happens on Diwali, it happens on the every new year’s eve , for every personal milestone celebrations like marriage or birthday , cultural events, even also when an election results are declared!

Whom are we trying to please here and what good are we doing just by creating noise, is this the only to express our happiness?

I do not know how a society that likes to think of itself as evolved, enlightened, humane and civilized can tolerate any level of animal abuse

These are intelligent animals who feel love, sorrow, pain, fear, happiness… the only thing they are incapable of feeling - or understanding - is hate. But I guess they have us for that.

I am Sorry MY dear animals.

I look up and I see God, I look down and see my dog.
Simple spelling G-O-D, same word backwards, D-O-G.

I look up and I see God, I look down and see my dog.