Kamal Ghorui
In Mahabharat, Yudhishthir refused to enter heaven without his dog. When Indra tried to convince Yudhishthir to ascend alone, he replied that abandoning a loyal companion, a stray dog, whose only concern is Yudhishthir’s protection, would be a great sin. The dog eventually revealed himself to be Dharm, the path of righteousness.
Why is ‘dharm’ personified as a dog in the epic? Why does Bhairv, a fierce yet protective form of Shiv, have ‘dog’ as his vahan, vehicle? The dog represents unwavering loyalty, companionship, vigilance, and guardianship – qualities we are beginning to forget.
Who knows the meaning of ‘unconditional love’ more than our furry friends? Animals, time and again, have reminded us of what it means to be human. Are animals our only mediums of faith, hope, and peace? Faith, the deformed dog that walked on two legs, unsinkable Sam, the cat who survived war, and Aloka, the dog who walked for peace, tell us why animals matter and what we can learn from them.
Faith, a bipedal dog, was born with three legs, and the front deformed leg was amputated when she was seven months old. Her owner, Jude, using a spoon with peanut butter as an incentive, taught Faith to hop. She learnt to walk upright on two legs, and soon became a symbol of courage, inspiring many to not give up.
Faith helped many soldiers and children recover. Frankie, a young soldier who had lost both legs while serving in the war, was feeling lost and depressed till he met Faith. She, with her upright, proud posture, entered the room, and that moment changed everything.
Frankie decided to give himself another chance, continued with his treatment, received artificial limbs, and fully recovered. He always remembered Faith and reminded himself, ‘If a dog can do it, i can do it too.’
Faith visited more than 2,300 wounded soldiers, and because of her work, she was given an honorary rank of Sergeant.
As a therapy dog, she became a symbol of overcoming disabilities, sending people the message, ‘you are going to be fine.’ Sam, the ‘unsinkable cat’, taught us the true meaning of ‘resilience’.
Sam was a black-and-white cat who survived the sinking of three warships in 1941. He was always found clinging to a floating plank. Rescued each time from the sea, Sam became a living legend and a reminder to human beings that life persists even in the darkest chapters of history.
Aloka, the stray Indian dog with a distinctive heart-shaped marking on his forehead, emerged as a ray of hope for peace. Aloka, meaning ‘enlightenment’, chose to join a group of Buddhist monks in their mission to ‘Walk for Peace’.
Animals do not ask for medals or material things. They send a powerful message: animals are not disposable. They have shaped our values and kept us emotionally sane. Like Faith, many dogs and other animals survived injuries and disabilities on the streets. Like Sam, they endured the environment shaped by human conflicts. Like Aloka, they formed bonds of love and harmony.
Animals and other species rely on us. We must be the voice of voiceless, and remember that the measure of society lies not in how it treats the powerful but how it treats the weak and voiceless.
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