Star Street Teamer: Sumanth Madhav

Ramaiah College student Sumanth Madhav gets an A+ from petaDishoom for taking time out of his studies to rescue animals and participate in demonstrations across the country!.

Name:Sumanth Madhav
Age: 19
Hometown:Bangalore, Karnataka

Q: Tell us about yourself.
A: I am doing my second semester of industrial engineering and management at Ramaiah College in Bangalore at present. I love animals, mostly the creepy crawly ones, and am very passionate about snakes.

Q: So, how did you get into animal rights?
A: I had these pet birds at home, and one day I realised that I no longer wanted to keep them as pets and that they deserved a better life, so I made up my mind to hand them over to an animal shelter that would release them; that’s when I actually got to interact with an animal rescue centre called PFA, which I still volunteer for. I decided that I had to do something for animals and was elated about the fact that PFA primarily dealt with wildlife, so I decided to join them, and then I ended up meeting people who were part of other organisations and started volunteering for other organisations as well.

Q: What did you do as a volunteer?
A: I was in class eight when I started off, so I had to abide by a few restrictions from the home front; therefore I mostly dealt with taking calls and attending to snake rescues, which I absolutely enjoyed. I would accompany the experienced people to the rescues and observe how the animals used to be taken care of – especially the snakes that used to come to the centre in an emaciated state and how they used to be nursed back to health and then released into the wild.

Q: What is your take on veganism?
A: I was always a vegetarian. I have been a vegan for over a year now and am proud that I could actually manage being one for so long. Initially, I dreaded the thought of not being able to have that glass of milk that I was addicted to, but I somehow managed to make the shift and am glad that I actually made an effort considering the number of animals that I am saving by being one. At times I do miss not being able to drink milk, but with so many cruelty-free options available, I seem to be quite content.

Q: Are there any rescues that are close to your heart?
A: One rescue that is close to my heart and one that I will always remember is the rescue of beagles from a testing laboratory, since I was a part of the rescue and it was one of my first full-fledged rescues. I was overwhelmed at the pathetic conditions that the dogs were housed in. Almost all of them were in an emotionally stressed-out condition and had lost their true self. My duty was to get the rescued dogs examined by a veterinarian and to brief the prospective families on how to take care of the dogs. This experience was an eye-opener of sorts that brought me in tune with the cruelty that animals face every second, and it motivated me to do more for animals in similar conditions.

Q. Do you teach children about animals?
A: Not too often, since I have college regularly, but whenever I can, I generally do try to teach children about animals and spread awareness among them about animal welfare and animal rights. I have done a few Compassionate Citizen classes, which I have thoroughly enjoyed, and I do hope to do more classes.

Q: Tell us about the demos that you have been part of.
A: I have been part of a couple of PETA demos – KFC demos are the ones that I have most often attended. We also did a leather demo in Bangalore and an anthrax-scare demo in Chennai. I have tried to attend as many demos as possible and am usually not seen in any of the pictures, as I usually end up as the mascot!

Q: What do you intend to do in the future?
A: I would like to pursue animation as a career, since it highly interests me, but I would definitely have animal rights as an integral part of my life. Someday, I would want to start a rescue and rehabilitation centre of my own.

Q: Is there anything that you have to say to petaDishoom?
A: Keep up the good work. I believe that every pair of hands can bring about a huge change in the lives of animals, and the fact that petaDishoom involves the youth is great – all the best!