A bow-wow moment for the stray dog

Time of India

5 days ago

HighlightsRamesh Narayan is leading an initiative to rebrand Indian street dogs, aiming to elevate their status from social outcasts to desirable pets, similar to the popular Vodafone pug. The campaign features a coffee table book titled 'Missy's Musings' and a two-minute film starring actress and filmmaker Pooja Bhatt, promoting the message 'Don't shop, adopt an Indie'. Narayan's mission seeks to challenge historical stigmas associated with Indian street dogs, stemming from colonial influences, and foster a more inclusive narrative for animal welfare in India.
Ramesh Narayan recalls a story that dates back to the 2000s. His son, Ishan, then a spirited 12-year-old, made an insistent yet surprising request. 'I want a pug,' he declared, the words hanging in the air, oddly discordant with the family's firmly established canine preferences.
After a pause, the father shot back: 'Do you want a dog or a brand?'
Ishan, momentarily baffled, was dispatched to consult with his mother. The next day, he returned, resolute. 'I spoke with Mom,' he announced. 'I want a dog.'
Nearly two decades and three
Indie dog
adoptions later, Narayan is going where no ad man has gone before: To leverage the power of branding and elevate the status of the Indian stray dog.
Ammo for this rebranding comes through a coffee table book and a campaign featuring actress and filmmaker Pooja Bhatt as an ambassador for the adoption of pets, and the might of five NGOs to amplify the message.
What makes a good dog?
Narayan is dreaming of a day when the
Indian street dog
, which is currently labelled a 'social outcast', will be embraced with the same enthusiasm as the iconic Cheeka, the Vodafone pug.
Two decades ago, when the Narayans opted for a dog over a brand, they adopted an 'airport dog', a term given to strays found at airport zones, unable to be returned to their original habitat due to safety regulations, making them the most vulnerable of animals. This exchange would become the genesis of a quiet yet fervent crusade for Narayan, a mission to redefine what a 'good dog' truly meant in the Indian household.
At the time, the pervasive notion was that a dog's worth was measured by its lineage. Opting for an Indie, the ubiquitous Indian street dog, was Narayan's subtle rebellion against the inherent preference for foreign breeds.
Even today, an Indie on a leash remains a rarity in many Indian cities. While pedigreed breeds parade on promenades, the streets teem with their uncollared, often overlooked, counterparts. 'Every dog on a leash is an imported breed,' he observes, 'and every dog running stray is an Indie.'
A history lesson
Narayan's research into this phenomenon unearthed a discomforting past. The Indie boasts of an ancient lineage, with skulls found in the Mohenjo-daro ruins dating back 2,500 years. But in the 19th century, the British, seeking to undermine local breeds, introduced imported dogs to India.
The colonialists repurposed a Tamil word, pariah, meaning 'social outcast or untouchable', to describe the native Indian dog. This linguistic branding, deliberate and insidious, stuck, says Narayan. The term 'mongrel', implying mixed and impure, further cemented the stigma.
'Don't shop, adopt'
The need to make a decisive change to this mindset prompted him to action. The first step is a glossy coffee table book, Missy's Musings. It's a tale about Missy, a charming Indie captured in stunning photographs, her expressive face challenging preconceived notions of beauty. The text subtly weaves in this campaign's central appeal: 'Don't shop, adopt an Indie.'
Working alongside the book is a two-minute film, championed by Bhatt, which further spreads the message. The film, a collaboration with the advertising agency
VML
, follows the journey of a street dog and culminates in a powerful plea for adoption. Narayan has secured five different edits of the film, each to be distributed by a different NGO, to ensure wider reach.
The objective of this initiative is to ensure that each animal welfare NGO will leverage the campaign to boost awareness and rebrand the street dog from a pariah into the more respectable descriptor, Indie.
Narayan says the campaign isn't just about dogs; it is also about recognising intrinsic worth, fostering compassion and building a more inclusive narrative for India itself.
Once he's through, he hopes that unlike Ishan, Gen Alpha will hopefully ask their parents to bring home an Indie.