Elders remembered

Thanks to the two articles titled ‘When Grandaunt voted’ by MMM under Short N Snappy, and ‘A Grandmother remembered’ by V.Vijaysree, the May 16 issue of Madras Musings would serve as a fitting tribute to the wisdom, common sense, and maturity of grandmas and grandaunts of an earlier generation who, though not formally educated, successfully managed the whole gamut of household chores, and also took a lot of pains to discipline their children and grandchildren. Congratulations to the centenarian grandma of MMM who voted at the booth recentlywith aplomb. His grand aunt’s political wisdom was exemplary. The story of the industrious and knowledgeable grandmother of V.Vijayasree has many lessons to be learned by the youth of today. That she preserved food by canning, pickling, drying, etc at a time when refrigerators were unknown, is amazing.

N. Rama Rao
1A Sri Kripa
44, Third Main Road, R.A.Puram Chennai 600 028

Grandmother remembered

This refers to the beautifully written article “A Grand Mother Remembered” by Vijaysree in your latest issue of Madras Musings.

I could very well connect with the article since our mother (who will celebrate her 100th Birthday shortly) is still very active (playing sudoku, writing Rama Rama – the count must now be in lakhs) talking about her school days, games she used to play, the wedding ceremony with our (late) father (the nuptials took place in Karaikal, the then French colony, since child marriage was not allowed in Madras Presidency), how they brought up their 8 children etc.

Every day we talk about different matters and she enjoys sharing whatever she remembers.

We are indeed blessed to have her as our mother.

R. Santhanam
santhanam45@yahoo.com

Stray dogs menace

Whenever a stray dog bites or mauls a person, the issue is highlighted in the press only to fade away with the passage of time until the next occurrence. The attack on a five-year old boy by two pet Rottweilers is perhaps the most-recent example. The issue was highlighted in MM (May 16-31) and also one of the city’s leading dailies thought it fit to devote a full page to the issue. The article states ‘rabid stray dog biting 29 people in a gated community in Chennai,’ dogs keep barking through the night which makes sleeping difficult’ and ‘people feel threatened by stray dogs. This has impacted senior citizens who come for morning and evening walks.’

While the problem persists, nothing of significance seems to have been done either by the civic authorities or the public or dog lovers. The article states ‘the approach adopted for vaccination and sterilisation of street or community dogs has been haphazard so far in Chennai,’ ‘the GCC has to overtake the birth cycle.’ They (stray dogs) multiply very fast. The only way to go about it is aggressive animal birth control, and civic bodies are supposed to pay Rs. 1,650 per captured and neutered dog but they provide only Rs. 750. This results in a shortage of dog catchers as low wages discourage them.

What can do done to address the issue? Some time ago, one of the city’s newspapers published a photo of dog lovers holding pots of water in their hands. This water is meant for stray dogs to quench their thirst during the torrid summer. How thoughtful, kind and compassionate! Kudos to these good-hearted people.

This writer is just curious to know how dog-lovers react when people are attacked and bitten by stray dogs (and also pets). In a very tragic case, stray dogs mauled to death a young boy in Delhi and as if this was not sufficient mauled to death his younger brother a few days later. Do dog-lovers feel any pain, any sadness?

They (dog-lovers) can approach the civic authorities and work with them and extend their assistance. They can guide GCC in the sterilisation and vaccination of stray dogs. They can create a unique dog collar that will identify sterilised dogs. They can set a target (let us say two years) to sterilise all the strays in the city. And most important of all, they need to raise resources (money) for this task. A tall order? Certainly. However, as the adage goes ‘where there is a will, there is a way.’

B. Gautham
137 Wallajah Road
Chennai 600 002

More on stray dogs

I have read the article on Pet dogs by V. Varsha in MM, May 16th. I agree with her that the rules on dog license should implemented and her ideas on the irresponsible pet parenting in India.

But the problem of dog bites in India is more from stray dogs than pets. I take a Tamil daily and almost every day there is news about stray dogs biting. Most of the victims are children and that too poor of the poorest. There are 6.2 crores of stray dogs in India (The State of Pet Homelessness Index 2021) Till 2001, as per The Destruction of Stray Pigs, Stray dogs and Monkeys of The Municipal Corporation Act of 1919, municipalities euthanized stray dogs. Only in 2001 The Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules came in. By operating a few dogs in cities, we do not even scratch the problem It’s like trying to empty a vast lake with a bottomless bucket. A pair of dogs can produce 400 in three years and 7000 in seven years.

Unless you operate all the dogs, male and female in one go – an impossible proposition – the scheme is bound to fail. While you operate a few, a thousand others are littering away. India has 81% of all the rabies deaths in the world. This is only recorded deaths.

Each year in India, about one million get bitten by rabid dogs and go in for anti-rabies shots. India’s estimated need of anti-rabies vaccine for humans is 1500 liters per year. Since all vaccine produced in the 12 centers in India falls short of our requirement, we import the vaccine, from France and Germany. For dogs, anti-rabies vaccine is to be given annually. Can this be done to the millions of strays that are roaming the streets? The issue needs to be examined in detail with experts on dogs from Kennel Clubs, community health experts and virologists, before it gets out of control.

Theodore Baskaran
(Author of The book of Indian Dogs)
26. Asha Township II, Dodd Gubbi PO
Bangalore 560077

Visionless they may be but not without vision

For the past nine years, the Tamil Nadu Volleyball Association for the Visually Challenged (TNVBAVC) has been dedicated to empowering visually challenged individuals. Through organising a variety of events such as volleyball tournaments, quiz competitions, and celebrations for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, TNVBAVC provides a crucial platform for visually challenged students to showcase their talents and achieve their full potential.

One of the association’s most notable initiatives is the TNPSC Group IV model test program, which has already helped four top performers secure government jobs. Building on this success, TNVBAVC hosted another model test on May 26, at Vidya Ratna PTS Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Sastri Nagar, Adyar. The event aims to prepare participants for the upcoming TNPSC Group IV exam scheduled for June 9.

The model test is designed to not only assess the participants’ knowledge but also to identify areas that need improvement, ensuring that the visually challenged youth receive proper training necessary for success in competitive exams. Such preparation is crucial for achieving greater economic independence. Approximately 100 participants, 100 scribes, and 20 volunteers took part in the event.
The event is supported by NGOs such as Right Turn Organisation and Malarungal Foundation, which are assisting with the arrangement of scribes and volunteers. The event was coordinated by Mr Palanisamy and his team, along with Ms Subhashini.

TNVBAVC remains committed to creating opportunities and providing support for visually challenged individuals, helping them to overcome challenges and succeed in various aspects of life.

The event was very successful thanks to the Management of Vidya Rathna Matriculation Higher Secondary School, who offered their premises for free along with catering arrangements for the participants.
Subbalakshmi Aiyer, aged 76 years, represented the school and ensured that everything went in order.
Proud to see many youngsters from Bank of America and TCS act as scribes, not minding their weekend. Let’s pray that these differently-abled men and women break all barriers to be very successful in their mission to live with dignity and become a part of state machinery. Contact Palanisamy at 98402 03539 and Subhashini at 98409 41648. — (Courtesy: Adyar Times.)