Filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s daughters pay tribute to dad by feeding strays in Kolkata

KOLKATA: In a unique way of paying tribute to their father, filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s daughters decided to feed stray dogs and cats in the city. A day after he passed away, daughter Alokananda Dasgupta got in touch with a shelter home for animals and organized to sponsor the feeding of 1,000 strays.
Alokananda said, “My father believed it is important to take care of animals and the needy. I believe that feeding strays, which are more helpless during the pandemic, will really make him happy wherever he is.”
The filmmaker himself was very attached to animals.“He loved our dog, Jinu. She was a German Shepherd. Baba used to take care of her like his baby. I was also obsessed with her. She was very protective of me. Baba would never scold me. Once in a while, just to tease Jinu, Baba would team up with my mother and my sister and pretend to scold me. That would just be to see how protective Jinu was towards me,” she said. Memories of such moments crowd her mind now that he is no more.
On Thursday, Alokananda spoke to her sister, Rajeshwari, and decided to take this opportunity to feed strays across the city. She got in touch with Titas Mukherjee, who along with Somak Chatterjee, runs a shelter home-cum-hospital called Animal Rescue & Care Kolkata. “This is the first time we came across a bereaved family that paid homage to the departed by feeding strays. For this purpose, we fed strays in Joka, Burma colony, Thakurpukur, Diamond Park besides those at our shelter home in Thakurpukur and Burdwan on Friday,” Mukherjee said.
The next such drive will be held on Monday. “Both our parents had a huge heart. It is very difficult to accept their absence. Baba would always support me when I wanted to feed strays. We had so many discussions on how important it is to speak against cruelty towards animals, the meat industry and the need to adopt strays. That’s why I am finding some peace by doing this,” Alokananda said.