The Moving Story Of A Filmmaker Who’s Protecting The Voiceless, One Stray At A Time.

In the recent past, we come across various instances of animals being treated brutally for no apparent reason.

There have been gruesome instances of animal cruelty in Hyderabad and Chennai. Festivals bring celebration to us but are a cause of brutality for the animals. Sometimes the animal is saved due to sheer luck. But most times, the hapless animal ends up being gravely injured.

 

During Diwali, Kuljeet Chaudhary, an IT professional, responded to a distress call from an animal lover. When he arrived on the scene, he found that a dog had been critically injured because some callous residents in the neighbourhood had tied firecrackers to its tail and then lit the cracker chain.

The same day, Kuljeet attended 28 such cases where animals were intentionally and maliciously harmed with crackers. This was just the Delhi region. How many dogs are harmed in small metropolises, towns and villages across the country?

Kuljeet decided that just tending to these injured animals was not enough. He had to do something proactive to change the mindset of people and not limit himself to only providing aid to stricken animals.

 

Kuljeet’s passion to bring about a larger change in society was triggered by YES FOUNDATION’s YES! I am the CHANGE initiative.

YES! I am the CHANGE is a 101-Hour Social Filmmaking Challenge which empowers youth like Kuljeet to make 3-minute social films that act as a catalyst for social and personal transformation while creating invaluable communication resources for Non-Profits.

Kuljeet’s film on animals in distress was among the top impactful films of YES! I am the CHANGE 2014. His experience of working on the film motivated him to do more for the cause he cared so deeply for.

He started a WhatsApp and Facebook group for the mission and it gradually developed into a full-fledged operation known as “Samarpan”. Today, Samarpan is equipped with an animal ambulance and medical services and rescues animals in distress. It also has a large online presence and mobilizes volunteers on a big scale.

 

What started as a small single-handed rescue mission one Diwali day, has increased to a 1600 volunteer base for Kuljeet.

“Animal welfare is not just about helping animals. It’s about creating a peaceful environment for both humans and animals.”

Kuljeet also resolves conflicts between animal activists and housing societies. Our society needs more people like Kuljeet because he believes that humans and animals can live in harmony, in shared space and is working hard towards making that goal a reality. YES FOUNDATION recognizes the efforts of changemakers like Kuljeet and provides them support and empowerment to bring about India’s social transformation. The Foundation also honored Kuljeet with the YES! I am the CHANGEMAKER award in 2015.

 

In 2015, YES! I am the CHANGE emerged as the World’s Largest Social Film Movement with over 5 lakh individual participants across 2500 cities and towns pan-India.

YES FOUNDATION has now launched the fourth edition of the highly successful YES! I am the CHANGE 101- Hour Social Filmmaking Challenge with multiple categories of participation. This year, the Foundation has also introduced two new challenges: The YES! I am the CHANGE International Social Filmmaking Challenge for the Indian diaspora and the YES! I am the CHANGE 101- Hour Social Photo-story Challenge where individuals will narrate stories of change through 5 photographs.

 

To be a part of the largest social filmmaking challenge and become an agent of social change, register online at http://yiac.yesfoundation.in/

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This article has been brought to you in association with YES Foundation