Rakesh Shukla (animal welfare activist)

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Rakesh Shukla, Founder and CEO, TWB and VOSD

Rakesh Shukla is a Bangalore-based entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and animal welfare activist who runs a home for over 700 rescued dogs.[1][2][3][4] He received a Bachelors of Engineering degree Electronics and Communications, then a Masters n Business Administration degree, and then worked in various telecom companies[specify] in India, the US, and Singapore before becoming an entrepreneur.[5]

Entrepreneurship

Shukla pioneered technology content creation[6] by creating The Writers Block (TWB) in 2006 and grew his bootstrapped personally funded company[7] into a worldwide leader. He went on to create the first content automation solution in India and led to TWB to become the largest India-based pure-play technical publications vendor.

Philanthropy

Through TWB, Shukla has focused on creating opportunities for women in the workforce[8] by employing a large proportion and speaking for them. He later institutionalized health care and opportunities for rural women through his non-profit VOSD (Voice of Stray Dogs)[definition needed] for People.[9]

Animal welfare

Labeled "The Dogfather of India"[10] or “Dog father”,[11] he set about creating VOSD after the press reported the death of a two-year-old boy named Sandeep in July 2011, reportedly killed and eaten by stray dogs.[11] Alarmed by calls to cull what are lawfully protected animals since 2001,[12] Shukla carried out independent investigations including a second autopsy, and came away with evidence that shifted the blame away from the dogs.[11] These were first published on the VOSD website in July 2010,[13] and since then VOSD has conducted hundreds of investigations[14] leading to the closure of rogue NGOs. Shukla resigned from the board of the Animal Welfare Board of India in 2012, citing pressure from within the board to change many investigations carried out as a member.[15] With the eventual death of Cookie, a paralyzed St. Bernard found in garbage in Bangalore in September 2012,[16] he set about creating the largest rescue of its kind in any city of the world.[17] To ensure that no pressure is brought by government agencies to kill or remove dogs, VOSD is not funded by any government agency directly or indirectly.[4]

Recognition

Rakesh Shukla was named one of Bangalore's Heroes in 2013.[11] He speaks on behalf of dogs on television, radio, Internet radio, and newspaper interviews, including the BBC,[4] Al Jazeera,[18] CNN IBN,[19] NDTV, and TED.[20] Shukla features in the book Real Inspiring Stories by Pradeep Khare.[21]

One of the recent VOSD campaigns, called "Patriotdogs",[22] providing homes for dogs retiring from the Indian security and military forces, got widespread support from celebrities like Virat Kohli[23] and Soha Ali Khan Patuadi,[24] and it was featured in publications including the Times of India,[25] the New Indian Express,[26] Sportstartlive,[27] MTV India,[28] and the Deccan Chronicle.[29]

References

  1. ^ "TWB gives chance to rewrite your success story". Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  2. ^ "Meet Rakesh Shukla: From a techie to being Bengaluru's dog rescuer". The Economic Times. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  3. ^ "Dog Activists Afrakesre 'Bitch', Ergo..." Bangalore Mirror. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  4. ^ a b c "The man who looks after 735 dogs". BBC News. 19 December 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  5. ^ "Rakesh Shukla, Founder & CEO, TWB_". LinkedIn.
  6. ^ "Young Turks On The Road Bengaluru Episode 3 Part 1 - The Writers Block". YouTube. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  7. ^ "The story of self-funding an enterprise". franchiseindia.com. 26 May 2010.
  8. ^ "Employers seek out stay-at-home moms - Livemint". www.livemint.com. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  9. ^ "VOSD for People". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  10. ^ "In Pics: One Man is Giving Retired, Old Dogs a New Lease of Life". The Quint. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  11. ^ a b c d "The Dog Whisperer - Bangalore Mirror". bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  12. ^ "ABC Rules 2001" (PDF). awbi.org.
  13. ^ Datta, Sravasti (2015-11-02). "When man becomes a dog's best friend". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  14. ^ "AWS Bangalore on 8 Sept 2011: The killing continues!! - The Voice of Stray Dogs". The Voice of Stray Dogs. 2011-09-09. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  15. ^ "Resignation from the Co-opted member status of AWBI". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  16. ^ "This Cookie refused to crumble - Bangalore Mirror -". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  17. ^ "The Dog Father - Indian Man Takes Care of 735 Dogs That Nobody Else Wants". www.odditycentral.com. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  18. ^ "AJ+". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  19. ^ Rakesh Shukla (2013-12-17), CNN IBN 'India Positive' features 'The Voice of Stray Dogs', retrieved 2017-09-30
  20. ^ TEDx Talks (2017-08-03), Success, Wisdom and Dogs | Rakesh Shukla | TEDxICTMumbai, retrieved 2017-09-30
  21. ^ ) Pradeep Khare, Maj. (Retd (January 2014). Real Inspiring Stories by Maj (Retd.) Pradeep Khare. ISBN 9788184302905.
  22. ^ Ketto.org. "Help VOSD bring home 100 #PatriotDogs! by The Voice of Stray Dogs (VOSD)". Ketto.org. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  23. ^ Kohli, Virat (2017-03-30). "Help @VOSD1 bring home 100 #PatriotDogs! They spend their lives serving us, it's time to do something for them". @imVkohli. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  24. ^ "Instagram post by Soha • Mar 13, 2017 at 6:20am UTC". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  25. ^ "A sanctuary where patriot dogs spend autumn years - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  26. ^ "#Patriotdogs look for shelter and game of fetch". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  27. ^ "Kohli, Gayle support campaign for retired army dogs". Sportstarlive. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  28. ^ "Retired Patriot Dogs have no adopters". MTV India. 23 March 2017.
  29. ^ "Patriot Gains in Pooch land". Deccan Chronicle.
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