Kindness – The Universal Language of Love

TISB student, Chandani from Grade 11, has been recognised for her work with her organisation ‘Kindness – The Universal Language of Love’. It is an organisation that aims to spread empathy towards animals and raise awareness about their plight. Last year Chandani was selected to become the youngest 'Ashoka Young Changemaker' in 2019.

“Kindness The Universal Language of Love is an initiative born right from my heart. I have always been an ardent animal lover” - Chandani, Grade 11.

But Chandani's asthma initially acted as a obstacle and detergent for having pets at home. As she grew older and her condition improved, she got her first puppy on her 7^th birthday. As she started walking her dog, the community dogs caught her attention and she was moved by their plight and constant struggle for food. “I wanted to make a difference, and this was the start of a new journey. From feeding, to medically looking after them to playing with them became a regular feature in my life”, explains Chandani.

As she started taking care of the dogs, fights in the neighbourhood disappeared, the strays started looking healthy and – above all – people in the surroundings started participating. In 2018, at the age of 14, Chandani started a ‘Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre’; a shelter for strays, abandoned and ailing animals.

Her experiences from the shelter allowed her to gain experience and understanding of the situation, and decided to change direction. Chandani explains: “A few months into my venture I realised that the most important thing needed was to sensitise people and spread awareness about the strays.” And so the organisation ‘Kindness – The Universal Language of love’ was born. The organisation aims to change society’s attitude towards the strays through the various drives, initiatives, mentorship and social platforms, including feeding drives, de-worming, sterilization, vaccination, adoption and putting out water-bowls.

Currently the 'Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre' hosts 75 dogs; and 'Kindness – The Universal Language of Love' has over 4000 people associated with them from across the world. The organisation has a core of 16 people, including teenagers, animal lovers and helping hands. A few of the initiatives are: ‘One House One Stray’, ‘Systematic Sterilization’ and ‘Expressions’.

In the future Chandani is hoping to go digital: “I am currently working on an app, for the betterment of animal and animal lovers. My future plans are to be able to get more people involved, and therefore be able to change the attitude of more people towards animals”, says Chandani.

For more information about Kindness – The Universal Language of Love, visit their website and find out ways that you can get involved.