Very often, we hear about incidents of cruelty towards animals, esp. stray dogs. I, being a dog-lover, find it extremely disturbing when I read about the plight of these mute creatures, who get stoned, attacked with knives and even poisoned by some heartless  humans of our society. On the other hand,  I also hear about the kind-hearted samaritans, who care for these furry babies who fall victim to human torture. My heart sends a prayer for these caring souls, who believe that this world is not just for us humans, but for every living being created by God. Therefore, I was immensely happy to meet two such gentle souls from my family, who, with their kindness towards our four-legged friends, strengthened my belief in the goodness that exists in our world.
              A week ago, I hosted my two young nieces on Christmas Eve. As we met after a long time, the girls, who have grown into teenagers, had a lot to share with me. Anecdotes about their college life, differences of opinions with their mum – my cousin sis. But, most of all, they had interesting stories to tell about their pet-sister, Tuffy. They did confess that they had actually come to meet Chikoo, my pet son and their pet-cousin! And, they were so looking forward to swapping stories about Tuffy, whom they picked up from the street.

             Now, these are just a couple of teenaged girls, but the kind of maturity and sense of responsibility they displayed surpasses the levels of these virtues in many an adult of our society. A generation infamous for being self-centred, selfish, materialistic and lacking sensitivity also has as its members some very gentle, empathetic and compassionate souls who are considerate towards the less-fortunate ones! Isn’t that heartwarming enough for us adults, who often wonder what sort of devils we have brought into this world?!
          Such sensitivity amongst youngsters who, in their own little ways are trying to clean up  years of dust and grime that has settled over our society needs to be applauded and  encouraged.  Saving stray pups and caring for animals may not really seem revolutionary to many among us, but it definitely makes our world a much warmer and cosier place to live in. It gives hope that all is not lost. The ability to share our world with every living being , irrespective of class, creed and race is a virtue rarely found in today’s selfish times and one which will definitely go a long way in giving hope for a better tomorrow.