COVID-19: Bollywood director Farah Khan's daughter's unique initiative to save stray animals earns praise from Twitter
Anya sketches pets to raise money to feed strays during #lockdown in India
Dubai: Bollywood director Farah Khan’s 12-year-old daughter has raised Rs70,000 (Dh3,360) to feed the homeless and stray animals during this pandemic, and social media users are all praise.
Anya has managed to raise the money by sketching people’s pets for Rs1,000.
Farah Khan took to twitter (@TheFarahKhan) to share her daughters initiative, and uploaded a time-lapse video of her making a sketch with the caption: “So my 12-year-old old Anya has raised 70,000Rs in five days, by sketching your pets for a Rs1,000 a sketch.. All the money is being used to feed strays and needy... Thank you all the kind hearted people who have ordered sketches and donated”
The video had more than 300,000 views. The tweet had more than 14,000 likes. Many people, including celebrities praised Anya for her initiative.
Online reactions to video
Bollywood celebrities including Dia Mirza, Sophie Choudry and Riteish Deshmukh commented on the video.
Deshmukh @Riteishd tweeted: “She is amazing - god bless her - such an inspiration for everyone -to do their bit.”
Dia Mirza commented (@deespeak): “This is so amazing …”
Alia Bhatt’s mother Soni Razdan (@Soni_Razdan) tweeted: “This is so amazing and what a talent! Wow it sure runs in the family.”
Tweep @renukash posted: “How heartwarming @TheFarahKhan you are truly blessed to have a kind hearted daughter like Anya.”
Many others called her gesture “noble” and told her to “keep up the good work”.
Coronavirus in India
India has 14, 378 cases of coronavirus and 480 deaths as of April 18. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended the lockdown till May 3. While the rest of the population stays home, the section of the community most affected are the poor and needy has they struggle for food and basis amenities. Stray animals are also struggling to eat.
Last week, a viral video of a man sharing spilled milk form a road with a group of stray dogs, went viral, causing outrage among online users. People are taking to social media to urge others to make a difference and help those who need it.
On April 17, Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan tweeted about helping stray animals in this current crisis. He said: “As the world is coping with the outbreak of COVID-19, We must not forget those without a voice. Let's make sure stray & abandoned animals are treated with care and compassion.”
South Indian film actress Varalaxmi Sarathkumar has also fed stray animals and she said she would continue to do so despite the lockdown, in an interview with a newspaper.
The Odisha government has sanctioned Rs80 lakhs to feed stray animals during the lockdown.
Many tweeps continue to urge others to help feed stray animals around the country.