Dhruv's Vision for Street Dogs...

It's a bit tough to write. It's tough to say. It's tough to express. It's tough to feel. The world moves fast, and we try to keep up. The race never ends, and nobody ever wins. But how do we even begin to think about these things? How does anyone care when no one's around to see? Sometimes we're so lost in our own world that we don't see what needs attention. We follow the same pattern: wake up, get ready, go to work, exhaust yourself, get back home, watch something until your eyes close. The next day, the pattern continues. But how are we really living? Alone? With family? With so-called friends? Work friends? Late-night chatting friends? Or just ourselves? Someone out there struggles for a better life. Someone just exists. Someone wants to end it all. But we never really care about what's around us; we just forget.

Every day, when Dhruv follows his routine, while walking towards work he sees few street dogs and wonders about their lives. He learns a lot just by watching them. He questions how they manage. Do they eat to live or struggle to survive? A lot happens, and we aren't aware of it.

A similar thing happened when Dhruv was talking with his friends and enjoying the day. He saw a group of people protesting about something, maybe having demands to fulfill. The protest wasn't fueled by anger or dissent against the usual causes; it was a compassionate plea for a space dedicated to street dogs and pets. Like always, he ignored it and continued with his friends. But it didn't last long as Dhruv found himself in the crowd, and someone handed him a mic. The eyes staring at him made him speak.

"Hello, everyone!" he said, unsure of what to say next. But he amazed himself as he began. "Honestly, I'm not sure how I landed here or why I've been given this mic. But let me tell you something—this mic makes me feel like I should be singing. I'm sure you'll kill me for that if I start singing on this hot day when people are already sweating. How am I not? Did someone just put an AC on top of me?" he said, and the crowd burst into laughter. A little later, he understood what he needed to say and got a little serious. He looked at the people against whom the crowd was protesting, took a deep breath, and continued.

"You know, guys, India is progressing. Don't laugh at this, and if you do, I'd doubt you're Indian," he said, rolling his eyes at everyone around. "I'm actually happy with the way it's progressing. I never thought someday I'd get an opportunity to talk somewhere like this. But now that I have the option, I'll make full use of it. So, as I was saying, we all know that most Indians who dream to travel the world end up being citizens of some other country. A country where the passport is strong and doesn't need any visa stamping. But that's in the past. Now, our own passport is accepted in 62 countries, which is a great achievement. I don't know about others, but someday when I travel around the world, I'll carry a happy face with that one Indian passport in my hand that tells the entire world how proud I am of my country. But I'm not talking about this; it's about the dream—for every other person standing out here."

Slowly, he understood what he was about to say. "Forget this; just look around," he said, pointing at some random street dogs. "Do you guys even care about these dogs? Please, just give it a thought for a moment. Has anyone of you given a thought about this? How do they live? How do they survive? Do they even get proper food to eat? No?" he paused and continued, "None of you will ever think about it. But let one dog chase you while driving at night. You'll run behind them to kill them. But have you ever given a thought about it?" he stopped again for a moment before he could continue. "I believe the people who are protesting are mostly dog lovers or maybe pet lovers. So, the point is not about them. The point is about these innocent creatures out there. Just imagine we have streets not just for people to drive but for these animals as well. Just imagine if we could have streets designed in such a way that this place is a shade for each animal about 100-200 meters away from each other where they get a place of their own. A safe space for all the dogs out there. Maybe for other animals as well. A place where dog lovers can drop some food or water in their buckets so they don't die out of hunger or run behind cars barking around. If you observe them probably for 3-4 days, you will understand their nature. Dogs don't run unnecessarily behind cars or bikes. Some of you might have just run over one of their kids or friends. So, it's anger that they seek by barking behind cars. Sometimes to protect their loved ones or sometimes to vent out the anger for the lost ones." Dhruv continued to say a lot of things that were never planned for him. How and why he was saying so many things about the street dogs he was completely unaware.

Just motivated by overwhelming empathy for the voiceless creatures sharing our streets, he had shared his vision for the streets for dogs and cats. A safe place for them and something new for everyone. But then how many are actually ready for a new change? How many even want a change? There are many such unanswered questions that take us nowhere, and the chase continues. So, before Dhruv could explain everything to the people surrounding him, he realized it was yet another dream. A dream where he had seen a beautiful space for the street dogs, the animal lovers, and maybe a new vision for the citizens of India.

He didn't think much when he woke up but smiled that he had this vision and wished that maybe someday it comes true for the world to be a better place.