Rimjhim Joshi Shende, a delicate soul from Indore, has at all times possessed an unwavering compassion for stray canines. A former educator and an energetic participant in native animal welfare communities, her affection in the direction of avenue animals became a robust supply of inspiration after a heartbreaking incident.
In 2015, Rimjhim awoke to horrible information. An aged, ebony-hued canine, a well-recognized face within the neighborhood, fell sufferer to a careless collision. “It was darkish, and he was laborious to identify. His decrease physique was badly injured, and even after individuals tried to assist him, he couldn’t make it,” Rimjhim tells The Higher India.
“The one who by accident hit the canine didn’t achieve this on goal. We have been informed that he tried to assist after the accident, too. However he didn’t see the canine in the course of the evening and he was guiltridden,” she provides.
Pushed by this expertise, Rimjhim discovered a option to handle this challenge. What began as a easy want to make roads safer for animals and other people alike, has now became Pawsitivity — a profitable enterprise targeted on manufacturing QR-enabled reflective collars for stray animals, all made by a workforce of underprivileged ladies.
A easy resolution with a huge impact
When she began making the collars in 2016, the idea to design a reflective collar that could possibly be worn by stray animals to make them extra seen to drivers at evening was easy. Nonetheless, creating this collar required an perception into the trade that she, as a instructor, didn’t have.
Nonetheless, when she began making the reflective collars for Pawsitivity and interacting with the canines that Rimjhim and her husband Tushar would maintain, she softened a bit. “I realised that I used to be incomes a major quantity each month by working for these animals. It was solely honest that I gave some love again. So, I started befriending and feeding them. Some individuals won’t prefer it, however I do now,” she shares. “Due to didi’s (Rimjhim’s) firm, I used to be in a position to work in fewer homes, and will spend extra time alone.”
She lacked the data of the place to supply the supplies or who might manufacture the collars. It was Reena, her home assist on the time, who stepped in. She advised the place they may discover the mandatory supplies and talked about that she had some fundamental stitching expertise that would come in useful. “So we labored collectively, and the very first batch of collars that we made, we made along with her assist,” Rimjhim says.
Reena Dhanak, 35, from a small settlement close to Indore, has her personal distinctive journey in animal welfare. “To be sincere, I used to be at all times in opposition to having canines loitering exterior my home — not as a result of I didn’t like them, however as a result of I used to be scared,” she laughs.
Rimjhim, who was greater than happy to assist any individual so near her, then determined that since their very first worker was a girl who might use a bit of push, they’d completely work with underprivileged ladies. Though it took three years for Pawsitivity to change into a self-sustaining enterprise, by 2019, that they had grown massive sufficient to supply coaching and machines to those ladies, enabling them to make money working from home.
The ladies, who have been as soon as depending on low-paying jobs, now had the chance to earn nicely. “We pay them per piece, they usually often earn wherever from 15,000 to 18,000 rupees per 30 days, relying on what number of collars they make. Throughout the festive season, the demand will increase, they usually earn much more,” Rimjhim shares.
At the moment, there are 12 ladies working with Pawsitivity, and the organisation plans to develop. These ladies obtain coaching, compensation, and the dignity of steady employment, which has had a profound impression on their lives.
QR enabled collars
The flagship collar in Pawsitivity’s vary is a QR code-enabled collar that addresses a number of key points. By providing important details about the canine, together with its identify (if it has one), supposed age, vaccination historical past, medical historical past, and placement, the collar serves as a lifesaving ID. It may be scanned by anybody who finds the canine, enabling them to entry essential particulars concerning the animal’s well being and assist reunite misplaced canines with their feeders.
The corporate additionally conducts vaccination drives, providing the QR code collars as a part of their efforts to advertise well being and security for avenue canines. “The QR code permits feeders to trace vaccinations and sterilisations, to ensure that the animals are nicely cared for with out pointless duplication of medical remedies,” Rimjhim explains.
Many particular person feeders needed to assist the animals they cared for, however the monetary burden of offering meals and medical care usually made it tough to afford further prices, comparable to protecting collars. Contemplating these details, Rimjhim and her workforce present these collars at a comparatively reasonably priced worth of 40-60 rupees per piece. As she places it, “Our aim was to ensure that, regardless of the circumstances, animals can have entry to one thing so simple as a reflective collar with out including to the monetary pressure of their caregivers.”
Studying as you develop
Within the early days, Pawsitivity confronted a number of challenges. One recurring challenge was that folks would steal the collars off the canines. To handle this, they designed an anti-theft buckle that made it a lot more durable for anybody to take away the collar with out the canine’s belief.
One other problem arose when individuals requested collars for puppies. Nonetheless, as Rimjhim explains, “Giving collars to smaller animals can show to be harmful. As a result of after the photograph op is completed, what are the possibilities that any individual will keep watch over the animal because it grows up? So, we determined to solely present small collars to recognized NGOs and volunteers who we knew and trusted, who might monitor and replace them as they grew.”
Seema Tank, a 43-year-old Animal Welfare Officer from Maharashtra, speaks out of her personal expertise of working within the discipline. “We see that in the course of the festive season, firecrackers trigger lots of panic and disorientation in canines. So these QR collars actually assist in reconnecting the misplaced animals to their caretakers or NGOs,” she shares.
Seema’s group in Navi Mumbai depends closely on these collars, as they’re a lifesaver on highways. “With out them, many canines could be invisible to drivers, and accidents are inevitable,” she says.
Tushar Shende (39), Rimjhim’s husband, has been a vital a part of the Pawsitivity journey, dealing with the executive and operational features of the enterprise alongside along with his personal job. Tushar, who was as soon as petrified of canines, now understands their wants and the significance of spreading consciousness about accountable feeding and animal interplay.
Collectively, they each have been conducting faculty consciousness programmes to show youngsters learn how to safely strategy stray canines and behave round them. “A lack of awareness can result in both the kids hurting the animal or getting harm themselves,” Tushar explains. “What we try to do is educate youngsters learn how to safely and respectfully work together with animals, creating constructive experiences for each the animals and the individuals.”
These programmes are a necessary a part of Pawsitivity’s mission, guaranteeing that youngsters develop up with a greater understanding of avenue animals and a better sense of empathy in the direction of them. With Rimjhim’s connections as a former instructor, they’ve been in a position to entry varied faculties and run workshops that sensitise younger minds to the wants of stray animals.
Whereas Rimjhim and her husband have confronted many challenges, together with monetary difficulties in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, their ardour for animal welfare has by no means faltered. “After I was pregnant throughout COVID, issues have been particularly tough,” Rimjhim shares. “However we received a giant order from an NGO that saved us going. It was throughout that point that I realised how a lot help we had from the animal welfare neighborhood. Our pal and supporter, the late Meenakshi Mahapatra, was really an angel and helped us after we thought we must cease the work.”
Pawsitivity has seen vital progress, with income reaching Rs 56 lakh in 2023 and projections for 2024 set at Rs 77 lakh. The corporate has served over 1.5 lakh clients, together with animal feeders, NGOs, and pet house owners seeking to higher the security of stray canines and different animals.
Rimjhim’s focus stays on offering reasonably priced, high-quality reflective collars to those teams, whereas additionally empowering ladies and supporting broader animal welfare efforts. The corporate’s pricing construction has made the collars accessible to many feeders who would in any other case discover it tough to afford such merchandise.
Edited by Arunava Banerjee; All pictures courtesy Rimjhim Joshi Shende
