Good Samaritans Bolt To Rescue Of Matheran’s Horses
By Manu Shrivastava
The COVID-19 crisis crippled several sectors including tourism that got affected the worst. In Maharashtra’s Matheran, located 80 km from Mumbai, the situation worsened after the second COVID wave when local horse-owners, barely recovering from the first lockdown, in the absence of tourists, simply couldn’t afford to sustain their families and horses and found themselves on the brink of ruin. In this hour, a few good Samaritans came to the rescue of the helpless equestrians and how!
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| PRECARIOUS: The horse-owners in Matheran were faced with uncertainty after the second COVID wave (File Picture) |
When Inspector General of Police (IGP), Training, Maharashtra Police Ravindra Sengaonkar learnt of the state of Matheran’s horses, he felt strongly about the issue. He just had to do something about it. So, not just did he donate money to buy bhusa for the horses, he appealed to friends and family members to step forward too.
Only when one understands the love of animals can one relate to their condition. “I realised it was a genuine crisis which is why I promoted their cause.” Mr Sengaonkar’s home is a case in point. His three-year-old granddaughter Sarah shares a special rapport with their German Shepherd pet, Sultan.
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| TRUE LOVE: Granddaughter Sarah's relation with Sultan inspired IG Ravindra Sengaonkar to reach out to Matheran's horses |
"It’s only an animal who can provide unqualified love. At such a time, when they need our help, we must act," he says. Sultan is gentle as ever with Sarah who adores him. Mr Sengaonkar says he can trust Sarah with Sultan much more than he can trust any human in his place.
“The COVID-19 pandemic affected many but, in Matheran, it left the lives of hundreds of horses and their owners in a lurch. After all, they were completely dependent on tourists and now, had no way to fend for themselves. I am happy we could help them at such a critical time,” he adds.
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| GOOD SAMARITAN: IG Sengaonkar |
Chair Professor at Savitribai Phule Pune University Dr (Capt) Chandrashekhar Chitale has never been to Matheran. “I have been to Mahabaleshwar so I know and understand how difficult it is for horse-owners to sustain and take care of their horses, especially in zones like this, when there are no tourists.”
A resident of Pune, Mr Chitale lives in a joint family. So, when he voiced his concern about the condition of Matheran’s horses over lunch among his family members, his daughter Priti Gohad and niece Meghana Chitale too pitched in to donate for the cause.
“We’re all animal lovers in the family. At present, we have two dogs at home,” maintains Mr Chitale justifying the surge in empathy and the swift decision to help the horses.
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| EMPATHETIC: Dr (Capt) Chitale |
“Nowadays, it's difficult to trust people as a lot of looting has been going on under the pretext of the COVID-19 crisis. It’s important to verify the facts of the matter. Fortunately for us, Mr Sengaonkar had already got the details verified,” he feels.
Soon the word spread and help came from all quarters. There were several people in Mr Sengaonkar's 'group' who stepped forward to contribute. "This included pensioners and government workers too," says Mr Sengaonkar.
After collecting Rs 1,63,117 for the horses, “we arranged for wheat bhusa to be brought in through a trader who ordered it from Gujarat, as there is a shortage of the same in Maharashtra at present and transported it to Matheran. Incidentally, one bag of wheat bhusa is sufficient for one horse for 15 days,” he adds.
Retired Pune Police Head Clerk and Mr Sengaonkar’s acquaintance 66-year-old Anil Shejul too contributed to the good cause. "It’s our responsibility to help those in need especially in trying times like these. Yeh sewa ka kaam hai. The horses cannot speak for themselves and if no one steps up to help them, who will feed them?”
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| HELPFUL: Pensioner Anil Shejul with wife Alka |
Pensioner Shejul feels strongly about animals as they “simply cannot fend for themselves especially in times like these.” Wife 57-year-old Alka Shejul and son were supportive and happy with his contribution.
One, he feels, needs just enough to be able to manage two meals a day. “It’s important to give back to the society,” he says. And, although he too has never visited Matheran in his entire life, he says, “Now, I’ll definitely make a trip to Matheran with my wife, once things get better.”
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| DID HIS BIT: Yashwant Pagare |
At a time when huge funds are being diverted to State coffers for welfare relief works, it was a motley group comprising pensioners and retirees who pitched in with their modest bits to form a corpus that saved Matheran’s horses from death by starvation. And, after them, several others followed suit and Asia’s only non-motorable hill station’s horses are back on their feet and all set to serve their masters once the lockdown ends and life returns to normalcy.
