Getting a hug has been a long pursuit for this 68-year-old man from Coimbatore.
Rewind to two years ago: Sadasivan was sitting in his living room in Coimbatore, reading about the horrific incident of a dog being thrown down from a roof by two medical students. The video affected him so much that he decided he had to see the animal. He carefully cut out every single article about the dog Bhadra from newspapers, and then began his search.
After 2 years, Sadasivan struck one thing off his bucket-list as he hugged the very happy and healthy Bhadra, who couldn’t stop wagging her tail.
This story was published by The Quint on 20 June 2018 and we have received a number of calls telling us how this has brought a big wide smile on people’s faces.
‘It is such positive stories that give us hope amidst all the abuse and cruelty that is happening around us’, said a reader.
Antony Rubin, an animal activist who had helped rescue Bhadra, said, “So many people called me and told me how this definitely shows how there is love in the air. It was nice to know that such a horrific incident was not forgotten and this update actually made their day.”
Rubin received calls from Mumbai, Kolkata and even Pakistan!
The woman from Lahore had a message for Sadasivan:
People go to lengths... to Kasi and Nasik to realise Shiva... but his simple act of kindness is enough to realise Shiva. What an inspiring story.
People have even reached out offering help to take care of Bhadra.
So why is there so much interest in this particular dog? Let me tell you the story.
In July 2016, Bhadra was thrown off the roof by a medical student while his friend filmed it. The video of the cruelty went viral, and while the dog was initially feared dead, she was later found alive. Bhadra was reported to have suffered two spinal fractures, making her limp while she walked. The men who threw her were suspended from college. They were arrested by the police, but released on bail soon after.
I felt bad for Bhadra. It was, after all, a poor voiceless animal and I couldn’t imagine the trauma it went through. It really affected me.Sadasivan
A year back when he visited Chennai, Sadasivan went to the Kundrathur police station to get more information, as the incident had taken place in that area. However, they didn’t have much to tell him.
Being a retired police officer with over 15 years of experience, he decided to put his investigation skills back to use.
Sadasivan figured that the route to Bhadra was through her caretakers. Antony Rubin and a few other animal activists had rescued the dog and given her a new home.
Karthik Dhandapani, long-time Blue Cross volunteer, and his mother had taken Bhadra under their care.
After a few trips to the police station and the post office, Sadasivan finally zeroed in on Rubin’s address. He knocked on his door to find an unassuming Rubin who was trying to figure out whether this man’s request was real.
At 8:30 pm on 18 June, Sadasivan couldn’t contain his joy as he hugged this happy dog to his heart’s content. One ticked off his list.
It was sweet to know that Bhadra was not forgotten in a few months and how much her story has affected people far and wide. It was heart-warming to see how much people care for animals.Antony Rubin, Animal Activist
I was very touched to meet this old man who had come all the way to meet her. I always am so happy when anyone comes to meet Bhadra. I love to share that happiness with as many people.Karthik Dhandapani, Bhadra’s caretaker
Well, this isn’t the first time Sadasivan has gone on such a conquest.
Some time back when he read about a 22-year-old Dalit man, Shankar, who was hacked to death in broad daylight for marrying a woman from the Thevar community, Sadasivan went to Udumalpet to meet the widow.
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