Stars & Strays Calendar
World For All’s stunning #WhyAStray Calendar 2015 by Sahil Mane has 12 big Bollywood stars in support of stray animals. A must-have for all animal lovers this New Year!
The World For All Calendar is back, and it’s bigger and better than ever before! The calendar last year captured the candid moments of pet parenting with
Ruchi Nadkarni, Soha Ali Khan, Kunal Khemu, Sahil Mane, Tara* Kaushal have fun behind the scenes.
celebrities like John Abraham, Nimrat Kaur and Bruna Abdullah, this year has each celebrity’s reason for #WhyAStray, as closely related to their public personas as possible. And kudos to the lovely animal-stars who’ve come out in support of the #WhyAStray cause: Vivek Oberoi, Imran Khan, Kalki Koechlin, Dino Morea, Kunal Khemu, Mandira Bedi, Arunoday Singh, Siddhanth Kapoor-Erika Packard, Shreyas Talpade, Soha Ali Khan… does it get any bigger than this?
Celebrity photographer Sahil Mane, who has worked on the project with Tara* Kaushal (the producer and art director of the project), says he hopes so. “By making the calendar bigger every year, we’re just doing our bit to spread awareness and raise funds for the movement Because we have six Indian breed babies of our own.”
World For All works towards the adoption of stray animals from Mumbai’s streets, through ongoing efforts and at the annual Adoptathon. Ruchi Nadkarni, who co-founded it along with Taronish Bulsara in 2009, says: “We still encounter reservations and misconceptions about strays, and a campaign like this—with star endorsement, a product we are proud of, the support of big brands and the media—will make a huge difference to on-ground perceptions.”
Dogs & Pups too shows its support for the cause, and brings you some exclusive pictures from the calendar and the excitement behind the scenes! While the star-studded launch of the calendar is at The Leela on the 27th of November, you can pre-order the calendar now at worldforall.co/store.
Stars in the calendar tell us their reasons for #WhyAStray
Imran Khan
“They’re Unique”
No two stray animals are alike, unlike those bred for uniform looks and characteristics. This makes each one of them unique and distinctive. They come in all shapes and sizes, in a whole range of colours, hair lengths, and, of course, personality types.
Imran Khan’s family has always adopted strays. His first pets when he was a toddler were a dog called Luke and a cat (who he imaginatively) named Kitty. Over the years the family, where animals are always “multiplying” (now: six cats and three dogs), has found ways for the dogs and cats to grow happily together. The new dad to little Imara also says he has always wanted his kids to grow up in a house with animals—they develop a sense of compassion. “Adopt a pet and make it a part of your family.”
Mandira Medi
“They’re Desi”
The stray animals on our streets are as uniquely Indian and ‘sons of the soil’ as they get! Mandira Bedi celebrates their Indianness, as she does through her eponymous brands of sarees.
She narrates a beautiful story about her first dog, who she got with husband Raj Kaushal. Buster was old and ailing when Mandira was pregnant, and she bid him farewell before leaving for the hospital for her C-section. “I was told later that he died half an hour before my son was born… I like to believe his soul is still with us and that he’s Veer, he’s my son!” she laughs.
About strays, she says, “Like Narendra Modi, I am proud of our country and its heritage.” When the whole world is acknowledging the greatness of all things Indian, should our great Indian street animals be far behind?
“They’re Simply Magical”
Vivek Oberoi
Vivek Oberoi believes that stray animals “are able to reach out deep inside the human inside us and bring that human out.” The crazy dog lover elaborates: “The kind of smile that automatically comes on your face when you see a little puppy, the sense of urgency and care that even a child feels when he sees a puppy trying to dodge vehicles to cross the road…”
The dog at his farmhouse was a stray, and he describes their connection. “She just walked in and decided she would be part of the family. She was just incredible. ”He finds strays sharp and street smart, perceptive and communicative.
“The relationship they build with you—that is pretty special.” He believes that when you rescue a stray, it is your life that fills with magic.
“They’re Strong”
Arunoday Singh
Animals on the street have undergone the process of natural selection over thousands of generations. As a consequence, they have incredible immunity, and are generally healthy and resilient. In addition, being indigenous makes them most suited to the conditions in our country. This makes them live, on an average, longer than all breeds, greatly reducing your worry and vet bills.
Arunoday Singh, who has had animals his whole life, also believes that strays sense that you’ve gone out of your way to give them a home and are grateful, making for a stronger bond with you and the home. “It’s just that there’s a lot more love,” he asserts. “It can’t be explained, you have to experience it to believe it!” he says of the “amazing thing” that is adopting a stray.