When Amy met Cheeky

If not for my friend’s impromptu decision to get a kitten, I would never have set eyes on Cheeky. It was a typical workday – I had woken up late and rushed to work without breakfast. I was starving from the minute I reached and was eagerly waiting for lunchtime. And this is when my friend declares his decision to me – he was going to adopt a kitten. He didn’t want to sleep on it and was sure about the decision. He wanted to adopt a kitten that very day.

He asked for my help since I knew a few animal adoption organizations. So I made a few calls and voila, I arranged a meeting with a lady who was fostering a kitten in her house. So after work, my friend and I were on our way to meet the kitten.

A long ride later, we arrived at the location. It was a bungalow and I could hear a lot of mewing as I reached closer to the gates. We never suspected the house to be a Cat house of sorts. There were cats everywhere and countless number of them. The best part was that the two cat ladies (obviously) who lived there knew the names of each and every one of them.

Anyways, a lot of cat stories later, we were on the subject of the kitten. She brought the kitten for us to see. My first memory of her is that I thought her to be very small, skinny and frail (I would later spend hours obsessing about her weight until she becomes triple her size).

She had white coat with patches of orange and black. Her most remarkable feature was her black pirate eye patch. My friend tried holding her, but she was constantly trying to escape and hide. I was not much of a cat person really. I had dogs at home from as long as I could remember and have always been partial towards dogs. I thought I would give it a shot of trying to calm her. I picked her up. Her claws were out, but she wasn’t scratching. It felt more like she was holding on to me. In short, I fell in love with her the moment I picked her up.

On our way back home my friend requested if I could keep the kitten at my place since he had to ask his roommates’ permission before getting the kitten home. I gladly obliged, but my brother whom I shared my apartment with was tougher to convince. He like me was a dog person through and through, but unlike me he hated being around a cat. A lot of cajoling later, he agreed that the kitten could spend the day in our apartment. I was ecstatic. I remember spending a lot of time with her that night and I noticed the changes in her. She was opening up to me more and running to me when she thought she was in trouble, eating from my hand and so on.

Next day in office my friend if I could keep her for a day more since he didn’t have the time to convince his roommate yet. I couldn’t have agreed more with him. I remember rushing home during my lunch break to check on her and refill her food. By that night I had already decided on her name and by morning I knew I was not going to part with her. I named her Cheeky because she looked the part.

Convincing my friend wasn’t so difficult, but getting my brother to like Cheeky was the difficult part. It did take a long while ultimately Cheeky did win his heart.

It has been months since I have seen Cheeky and there are times when I miss her very much. At those times I think back and relive all those memories and daydream about my next meeting with her.

Animal lovers out there feel free to share your stories about your favorite four-legged babies.

 

Championing the animal welfare cause

There are many out there who go out of their way to uphold animal rights and save abandoned animals. With countries like India, Thailand and Greece witnessing an increase in animal abuse cases, animals in these countries are very much in need of people who champion their cause. Today I will feature a lady I had met in Hyderabad, a city in India, that saw an increase of 50 per cent in the number of animal abuse cases reported in 2013. Vasanthi Vadi is the secretary of People for Animals, a not-for-profit organization based in Hyderabad.

With a bright red collar securely fastened around her neck, Mili looked every bit excited about my arrival at the People for Animals office at Begumpet. Wagging her tail, she was on the doorstep, extending a warm welcome. “Mili has adopted us,” said secretary of People for Animals Vasanthi Vadi. Mili is not a “stray dog, but a free dog”, as Vasanthi puts it. There are many animals like Mili whom Vasanthi Vadi has taken under her wing. Thanks to her intervention in their lives, they live a more secure life.

There are many cases of acid attack on stray animals in the streets of India. What do you think of this?

I don’t believe in the word “stray”. I like to call them free dogs, as the street is their home. I was shocked when I got the call describing the incident. What business does anyone have to throw acid on and kill an animal? There are many such psychos in the City and when one comes across such incidents, you should make sure that you secure the body of the victim so that we will have the proof to fight the case in court. Just like any other crime, one needs the body and witnesses of the crime to be proved. Some time ago, we took to court a driver who dragged a dog to its death. He was issued three months of imprisonment.

 Do you think there is a change in the scenario now compared to how it was at the time when People For Animals came into effect?

We started our first animal welfare organization in 1990. When we had started, there was a huge vacuum; people and cops were blissfully unaware about animal rights. When we went to the cops and spoke about the PCA act, they asked if it was something about corruption. They had to be told that it is the Prevention of Cruelty Act. However, the State has undergone a tremendous change. Cops are aware about these laws today. Another area where there is a change is in circuses, where one cannot take big animals anymore. There was a time when people freely took along bears in the City. Bears are actually a schedule 1 animal, which means it is very highly endangered and dealing with this animal in any manner is a strict no-no. My husband and I have rescued many bears on the street during that time. People were unaware about the law and they had to be told about it. Similarly, I got a call from a man complaining that his neighbors had cut down a huge tree and many nests bearing a lot of little birds were on the ground. We arranged for rescue operations, however, we could only save 50 per cent of these birds. Having said that, the fact remains that someone who saw this incident felt moved and decided to complain. I get around two or three calls each day from people informing about animal abuse cases. This means that many people are aware about animal rights and are prepared to stand up for these animals.

 If anyone is interested in adopting a ‘free’ animal from the streets of India call, Vasanthi Vadi at 011919849027601.

For the love of paws

The passion some of us share with our furry friends is legendary. Babies for us just happen to be covered in fur and walk on four legs. There are many in Tinseltown who share similar feelings for their pets. These stars use their fame to go above and beyond for animals and inspire others to follow suit. Here are some celebrity do-gooders who champion the animal welfare cause.

Animal adoption

Adopt us

1 – Bubbles (Soi Dog Foundation, Thailand)
2 – Kitten (Blue Cross, India)
3 – Greek Cat Rescue, Greece
4 – Jackie (ARF of Rincon, Puerto Rico)
5 – The Voice of Stray Dogs, India

Cheeky

Cheeky — Cutest cat

Pedigree dogs or money-minting machines?

Giving birth to puppies each time they come in heat, pedigree dogs are taken for money-machines by most of the breeders who run kennels.

 

Have you ever wondered where your purebred pedigree dog came from? If their eyes could talk, they would have interested you with a long, disturbing tale about their birth – long hours their parents spent in cramped cages without exercise or love and the torture they went through every six months they came in heat.

 Thanks to the demand and popularity of pedigree dogs, many breeders treat these animals like money-minting machines. More often than not, these puppies are brought from various puppy mills, facilities that operate purely for profit. For these breeders, it is more like a road to riches where all the work is done by the dogs and they get to sell off the litter at an exorbitant amount.

 What’s more, these animals are at times kept in cramped cages, tied up with no exercise or love. Every time they come in heat, they are made to go through the same drill. Since it is in the breeders’ interest to make sure that the animal is healthy, as they need healthy pups, they do take care of the dog – taking these animals to the vet and also getting them the required medicines. However, making the dog go through the entire process of giving birth every time it comes in heat is very taxing for the animal. After giving birth consequently for a few times, the animal tends to get unwell. By the time she is five, she is way too old for any more pregnancies and since her purpose is served, she is left to die or is killed.

Rather than supporting this practice where in hundreds of dogs are tortured for money, adopt a puppy from a shelter or a rescue home.

 

Looking back

One whole semester has come and gone. One thing is certain — I stand at a very different place from where I was, a few months back. Come to think of it, I had many misconceptions about public relations and corporate communications before my course at Centennial College began.

Having come from the field of journalism, I have met communication professionals regularly – they were present hobnobbing with the elite when you got lucky and got invited to a talked-about event, they were dining with the most famous when you were at a wine tasting event and what’s more they never ceased to turn heads with their dashing sense of style. It did seem like they were having an amazing life.

A few months into the course, my bubble got burst. No, the life of a communication professional was not just about attending events. It was more about tight deadlines, a lot of group work and thinking on your feet.

My course got underway and before I knew it was struggling with coursework and nearly meeting the deadlines. Weekends were spent working on assignments; group meetings took all the free time and more often than not conversations at cafeteria centered on studies.

The surprising element was that I was enjoying this phase and could see myself doing this for a long time to come. I enjoyed working under pressure and after a few hiccups and late nights in the beginning I was getting the hang of it.

This doesn’t mean that it is all rosy now. Learning how to work in a team is a tricky lesson. It is essential to understand the group dynamics to be a successful team player. Each person works differently and it is imperative to understand this. Group work is a platform where you set aside your pride and focus all your energy on completing the project and also in the best possible manner. What one needs to accept is that he/she is a work in progress.

Another realization for me was that my writing needs a lot of improvement so does my presentation skills. I never had to stand before people and give a presentation as part of my job and mastering this trait is crucial for being a good communicator.

Despite this, I think I can succeed as a communicator. I firmly believe that the practical approach taken by the college in teaching various aspects of communication will help better my communication skills. During the first semester, we organized a fundraiser, crafted an employee plan and developed a business plan for a business client. I am trained in developing news releases, media pitches, media alerts and media lists. We were taken to PR firms — Edelman and Strategic Objectives where we had professionals giving us a lowdown on the responsibilities and duties of a communications professional.

Furthermore, we had guest lecturers from different fields giving us insights on the various aspects of communication. The guest lecture I particularly liked was that of Louroz Mercader, a politician. His talks made us realize opportunities for communication professionals in electoral campaigns. The lecture had many of us in the class vow to volunteer and take part in an electoral campaign.

All in all, this past semester was a roller coaster ride for me and as it draws to a close this week, I look forward to yet another demanding learning experience next semester.

 

 

Time to please yourself

In the wake of Columbian author Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez’s death, social networking sites were inundated with his enlightening quotes. The one that received most number of shares was, “Always say what you feel. Do what you think….” Simple from the outset, this is one thought that many of the most successful vouched for.

One of them includes Steve Jobs who urged one and all to listen to your inner voice in the commencement speech he gave at Sanford University way back in 2005. This was a time when he was diagnosed with cancer and had won his first battle. His exact words were, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

As simple as this idea might seem, it is something that we humans struggle with each day of our lives. People view their lives through the eyes of others. As a result people’s opinions about you take precedence over your own inner voice. This explains humans’ desire to put their best foot forward on social networking sites. You go the extra mile to get a good picture of yourself, take out time to edit it and make it look perfect. All this just so that you get a lot of likes on Facebook. How do the opinions of Facebook friends matter to you?

Consequently, we get stuck in the rut, living our lives for others and justifying your actions to all and sundry. We tend to forget that even by explaining your actions to the person in question, it is unlikely that that person shares your point of view. In the words of author Paulo Coelho, “We don’t need to justify our dreams – they belong to us.” And another brilliant pearl which conveys a similar view, “Don’t waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear.”

This seemed to be the mantra Steve Jobs lived by. Till the time of his death, he stood by his beliefs, inspiring many to follow by his footsteps. He was living by example showing the world that following your heart and intuition can take you places. For him, it was the fear of death propelled him to listen to his inner voice. “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart,” he said during the lecture.

You don’t have to wait for an imminent threat to life in order to bring about changes in the way you think. There are sure to be many stumbling blocks during the start of this journey, however, once you get the hang of it, pleasing yourself rather than others will come naturally and before you know it you will be on the path to happiness.

---

 

Green all the way

Imagine nodding disbelieving at your professor as she tells your personality traits and to your utter surprise she gets all of them bang on.

 When I was given the True Colours questionnaire, I must admit I didn’t think much highly of the assessment thinking it to be no different from other numerous tests flooded on the Web. The result said that I was a ‘Green Planet’, I was happy because green has always been my favourite colour. It was after attending the True Colours Team building workshop that I realized how similar I was to other Greens in my class.

I don’t give up on tasks until I have done them to my satisfaction. I do get bogged down when faced with a hurdle but I have always risen up to the challenge and surprised myself with the result. I have been a planner from ever since I could remember. I plan everything well ahead in time. I feel strongly for various causes and make a conscious effort to dedicate my time for those close to my heart. I am constantly looking for ways to improve myself and be better than how I was. However, I do have trouble in keeping up with the schedule since I am not that organized enough. I lack the tenacity and structure that will help me bring a project to completion. I have been rebuked many times by family and friends for not listening to them. This is because I think I already know what they are going to say but it is not always right. This was who I was, though I hadn’t acknowledged some of these qualities to myself until this workshop. This experience also gave me an insight on areas I need to improve on while working in a team. As a team member I think I am good at planning and evaluation but have to improve on my listening and organizational skills.

As part of our course, we have been part of many groups and we have had to work closely with various people. I must admit that there were many times when the question why a particular person was like this had crossed my mind. It was after we took part in group activities with other colour members that it I got to know more about their personality traits and understood why they behaved in a certain way. These activities brought to focus the predominant personality traits of the colours. And it helped me understand people better which can be useful in our group projects. I do understand that these results are not the ultimatum and as humans we are constantly evolving and changing. However, I think these are the colours that represent us sduring the current phase.

My experience with working with other colours taught me that I gel well with Blues and not so much with the Golds. I find Golds to be dominating and difficult to manage while working in a team. However, a team comprising Greens and Blues cannot bring out a satisfactory product. Team also needs the structure-loving Golds and creative Oranges to take the project forward. There are negative traits in all colours and this includes Greens too. It is up to the team members to understand the weaknesses and strengths of each other and work together.

If I am given the responsibility of choosing my own team members, I will have representatives of all colours to get a perfect mix. Blues who are good listeners will act as a glue between team mates, Golds whom you can rely on will create a structure and system in any calamity, Oranges the havens of creativity who will think on their feet will provide you with answers and of course Greens the logical lot who will give you the easiest way to reach your solution. I think that a group of Greens can get the job done but it wouldn’t be as satisfactory when compared to a group of mixed colours. In order to ensure the project’s success, Greens will have to work extra hard on the creative elements of the project. Greens will also have to make an effort to stick to the schedule so that everything is done in a systematic fashion. Since Greens are not good listeners, it will be helpful if one can facilitate a system in which each of the team members can write emails to inform of the project’s progress as opposed to face to face conversations.

We are constantly using project management concepts in our lives. For instance, when you are arranging a surprise birthday for your mother, you unknowingly wearing hats of a project manager, financial analyst and so on. When looking back, I have put many of the project management concepts into play at my previous work place. I was in charge of page called College Diaries and I had my colleagues writing stories for the page and sending them to me. At the end of the week, it was my responsibility to compile these stories, pick the most appealing ones and send to the editor for approval. My work also involved updating my colleagues about the latest happenings in colleges so that they can come up with ideas. Unknowingly I was using many of the project management tactics as part of my work.

If True Colours was a movie, I would think it will be similar to The Incredibles. The movie emphasizes the importance of not denying your talents and working together in spite of differences to attain success. I will rate it 4.5 on 5 since the workshop gave insights on the personality traits of other colours and made me understand how they are similar and different.

Why public relations?

My reaction after meeting Ranbir Kapoor, one of my favorite Bollywood actors, for the first time — starstruck and tongue-tied. It took me some time to get over my initial inhibitions and make sense of what he was saying. When I started my career as a lifestyle journalist, I thought I was doing my dream job. I had to interview celebrities, write book reviews and watch movies for a living. All I needed was a controversial bit of information about a celebrity to get a byline on the front page of the tabloid.

Fast forward two years, I am still working as a features writer getting my ideas rejected for they were not ‘glamorous’ enough and chasing celebrities. It was evident to me that I had hit a roadblock. I was no longer starstruck when in the company of celebrities, there was no joy in writing snippets about parties that I hardly attended and I had enough of the yelling and screaming at work when a deadline looms near.

I knew it was time to shift gears and as a step towards this direction, I quit my job and joined work in a different newspaper where I was given the freedom to write stories on subjects I was interested in. This got me thinking. The only thing I was clear about was that I did not want to write about celebrities anymore. It was during this time that I started filing stories on the plight of street animals and issues faced by women and I realized that I can visualize doing this for the rest of my life.

I can see myself working for a cause. It was not the volunteers that these not for profit organizations were in short of. They were in need of public support. Not many are on the same page when it comes to welfare. And passing the message across to the public becomes all the more difficult when most of the mainstream media consider some of these issues as more of a joke than anything else.

That’s when the idea of corporate communication and public relations came to mind. I wanted to be at the other end of the system where changes are brought into effect. I researched colleges in India offering a similar course and was disappointed to find none. I heard from friends about Centennial College and before I knew it, I was applying for the program.

Then came the time to take the decision that would eventually change my life forever. I had to resign my job and get back to school and the most importantly start from scratch. It was a point of no return. I must admit the decision was tough and second thoughts popped into my head gazillion number of times. But here I am in a different country, studying a course that I think I am perfect for and my reaction — ecstatic.