Streeties Ki Mann Ki Baat

Time to listen to the voices we are choosing to silence…

In recent months, conversations around street dogs in India have grown increasingly polarised. Certain remarks from the Hon’ble Supreme Court, mostly misinterpreted across social media, have reopened the misinformation around the human-dog conflict. It has  brought a wave of anger and fear with one single goal: to remove our beloved dogs from our streets with immediate effect and zero plans on paper. With negligible preparation and planning, everyone seems to just get rid of “the problem” without even understanding that there are better ways to address this.

In moments like these, it is easier to speak about street animals, street dogs in particular, but it is rarer to listen to them. At Heads Up For Tails Foundation, we feel it is important to pause and reflect for the ones who share their spaces with us, and ask a simple question: if street animals could speak, what would they say?

This thought gave birth to #StreetiesKiMannKiBaat - a storytelling series on our Instagram and LinkedIn channels, where we will respectfully try to understand them and decode their body language - together with you. We are learning, too!

Why we brought #StreetiesKiMannKiBaat?

All of us belong to the nation that reflects on freedom, rights, and collective responsibility for humans and animals alike. So, it just felt right to start the series on the 77th Republic Day, when the Indian defence’s animal contingent made their debut at the Red Fort Republic Day Parade. The series poses a quiet but powerful question: who does the city truly belong to? 

• What does it mean to call the streets ‘home’?

• How does it feel when you are labelled as a threat when you are simply trying to survive?

• How to cope with the uncertainty that comes from coexisting with humans despite years of neglect, relocation, cruelty, fear, and more?

Unfortunately, while the community animal laws are acknowledged in the Indian Constitution, streeties - especially dogs - are often discussed as numbers, problems, or policies. It’s rare for people to consider them as sentient beings who feel hunger, fear, loyalty, safety, and joy as any living being, like you and me, would.

The struggle for basic dignity is loud despite our streeties’ long-standing place in India. We belong to a land where Gautam Buddha preached kindness towards all sentient beings, recognising their capacity for both joy and suffering. Even in the Mahabharat, it was a dog who walked alongside Yudhisthir to the gates of heaven, symbolising a loyalty that outlasted all human ties.

It is a heartbreaking irony that today, these animals live on the edges of our society - at the mercy of our smallest acts of kindness despite having lived alongside us for centuries. They recognise our faces, seek to coexist, and continuously adapt to streets that are rarely kind to them.

Amidst the increasing fear-led misinformation, our #StreetiesKiMannKiBaat campaign aims to gently shift the narrative: from fear and hatred to understanding and empathy. Through this campaign, we share 1 #MannKiBaat every fortnight on Instagram and LinkedIn, each focussing on their day to day survival, different body languages, how they feel when someone becomes a little kind to them, or anything they would want to say if given a moment at the mic. The series nowhere tries to preach; it just reminds us simply of their lived reality and little needs. To not only empathise but also become street smart.

The series acts as a reminder that compassion, too, is a crucial constitutional value.

What we believe and stand for is beyond any social metrics

While digital storytelling helps spark conversation, our work extends far beyond social media and gets to the actual ground work. Born from Heads Up For Tails, a brand that believes pets are family for 18 years now, the HUFT Foundation is what extends that love and belief to animals on the streets and has been:

• Working closely with community caregivers on-ground for food, safety, and hydration of street animals

• Sharing informational content to empower the community

• Conducting pro bono educational workshops in schools, colleges, and corporate spaces to sensitise communities on safe interaction, dog body language, and peaceful coexistence

• Advocating for the legal rights of community animals and their caregivers

We firmly believe that fear thrives more when people choose to spread biases through misinformation. Educational awareness, regular dialogues among ourselves, and chai pe charcha with community caregivers are the only sustainable ways to bridge the gap. We need to start teaching our kids, friends, family, and colleagues that street dogs are not outsiders. They call the streets their homes and are a part of our shared environment. They play a crucial role in ecological balance. Understanding their body language, accepting them for who they are, and learning to coexist peacefully benefits the streets and society as a whole.

Together, it’s on us now…

If the recent conversation has taught us anything, it is that shouting louder has never made anyone actually listen. Through #StreetiesKiMannKiBaat, we invite you to slow down and listen: not to headlines or hatred, but to real life, lived experiences that can be easily overlooked.

We would love for you to watch the stories shared under this series. If it resonates with you, help us share them far and wide. Because before our children borrow our casual biases and misunderstood opinions, we need to start conversations that are rooted in empathy. And if you are a school, college, corporate organisation, or community group interested in hosting our free educational workshops, we would be happy to connect with you. You can DM us on our Instagram or write to us at huftfoundation@headsupfortails.com.

While the dream of a kinder world might look bigger now, we can go a long way each day with patience and understanding. Because streeties have always shared their spaces with us and adapted to us. Perhaps it is time we adapt, too.