Today, I joined a silent protest in Pune in support of the Delhi strays and against the recent Supreme Court order.

This was going to be the first time I’d be part of a protest.
I was excited… and nervous.

Excited by the thought of so many people coming together for a common cause — something they deeply believe in.
Nervous because I wasn’t sure if the excitement I saw online — the posts, videos, and comments — would actually materialize on the ground.

If it didn’t, I feared I’d be staring into the dark mirror of 21st-century humanity — overexcited in the virtual world, but absent when action calls.

But I’m thrilled to report:
My trust in humanity is retained.

People showed up — in good numbers, with energy, with heart.
Posters were everywhere — witty, raw, emotional, and thought-provoking. It wasn’t silent in the literal sense, per se. People shouted slogans with gusto.

I have to acknowledge — the group made a commendable attempt to raise awareness among the masses, and we generated enough content to show our support online.

I was delighted to see so many people turning out in support of dogs.

Personally, for me, dogs have meant the world.
They’ve been a source of unconditional love —
pure magic, requiring no common language to communicate.
They’ve been a comfort and even an inspiration.

A friend once asked me,
“Why do dogs rank higher in your value hierarchy than humans?”
I had no answer then, or rather, couldn’t express it in words.

But reflecting later, I remember reading somewhere… and it made sense to me…
“It’s easy to love Gods — the perfect ones. But to love imperfect, flawed humans? That’s the harder path.”

I’m a hardcore atheist. So I’ll say this instead:
It’s easier to love dogs than humans.
They are the purest embodiment of unconditional love I have ever known.

Here are a few snapshots from the march.

With hope in my heart, I go to sleep tonight —
hoping to see the Supreme Court’s order reversed,
and with renewed faith in people —
to stand for what matters.

May sanity prevail.
And may we remain deeply, fiercely humane