During Delhi’s hard winters, a few city good samaritans made it their goal to provide a safe sanctuary for stray animals.
This time of year, in the dead of winter, Delhi had its worst cold snap, with lows of five degrees. The majority of people stayed warm and cosy inside, but many stray animals—especially dogs—suffered throughout the harsh winter months. For stray dogs, the months of November through February can be particularly challenging because they are without blankets or clothing to keep them warm during the bitterly cold weather.
During these times, a few citywide good Samaritans deemed it their duty to provide a safe haven for wanderers. Among them is Gurugram native Jagjit Singh (54). Singh says he finds motivation from those who devote their lives to similar humanitarian endeavours. “The stories I have heard are nothing compared to the 26 stray dogs I currently house at my factory. He says, “I am in awe of a woman who regularly takes care of almost 1,200 strays; I know her commitment.” Singh is committed to improving the lot of homeless people worldwide. In order to accomplish this, he started Stray Talk India in 2021, a community project that constructs shelters for strays. Singh creates and donates dog houses in Delhi-NCR via their Instagram profile, @straytalkindia.
Furever Happy Spaces
For the past three years, a committed Singh has been building shelters out of empty fibre wood barrels. He routinely imports raw materials in fibre drums for use as a paint producer.”The drums become useless as soon as we empty the materials. In the past, we would sell these to a scrap dealer. The idea for a shelter came to Singh when she saw a stray dog in the plant, curled up in one of the barrels, she says. The dog seemed so at ease that he became curious and decided to try this out on several stray dogs who lived close to his house. In order to make the dogs more comfortable, he left four drums outside his house and lined them with mattresses. The following morning, he saw that all four shelters were occupied. Ever since, Singh has been creating these shelters on a regular basis and giving them away for free to many Delhi-NCR residents who are on the lookout for stray dogs.
Simply Pawfect
Up to 1,700 shelters have been built by Singh and his team, which consists of his manufacturing employees and other collaborators, between October and the beginning of February. “Seeing the rush every Sunday morning astounded me. He remarks, “So many people arrived with these shelters in their cars and little trucks.
He also said that individuals had come to pick up his dog house from Meerut. “I would also get to interact with the people who would come to collect the shelters, which is a good thing about Sunday,” he continues.
He remarks, “I think the people who came to collect these houses are doing more than me in terms of stray rehabilitation,” in reference to the commitment of people to aiding stray animals. I exclusively build these dwellings. It is incredible to witness how many caring folks will drive for hours in order to retrieve it and assist the stray animals.
Singh also uploaded a do-it-yourself video on the Stray Talk India page, which will help people who are unable to travel to Gurugram to pick up these shelters.