Dogs' Breakfast

Two milkman brothers nurture Delhi’s population of strays / Communities

- Ahan Penkar

Late one night this June, a worn down Hyundai Santro made its way through the deserted streets near South Extension in Delhi. A large polythene bag was perched rather precariously on its roof. As I followed the car in a taxi, a number of shadows emerged from the dark. The streets began to come alive.

Once we came to a halt, dozens of stray dogs converged on the car. Some weaved their way through parked cars, others jumped over drains, but the ones who knew best were already waiting in anticipation of their nightly treat. A well-built man, over six feet tall, emerged from the car and was immediately surrounded by 20 dogs. It was enough to frighten me into keeping my distance, but Rohit Prem greeted them with a wide smile. They were old friends. He reached for the polythene bag, which was full of boiled chicken, and began feeding the dogs and playing with them.

Rohit is a 39-year-old milkman who, along with his brother Rahul, feeds over fifty cats and around four hundred dogs on the streets of south Delhi every day. Throughout the two hours I spent following him, I never saw him without a smile. The brothers inherited their love for animals from their father. He was also a milkman, who started out feeding a stray dog he had encountered on his morning route. The brothers have two cars—the rickety Santro and a shinier i10—but their father did his rounds on a humble scooter.

Our next stop was a gated colony near Uday Park, where the roads were truly empty. Rohit let out a few whistles, strolled up to a parked car, got on  his haunches and held out a piece of meat between its wheels. A couple of tiny black heads with yellow and green eyes darted out and snatched the meat out of his hands. These cats were not nearly as sociable as the dogs had been. Feeding the cats was a different game, Rohit told me as he held out another piece of meat. “They don’t come out so early. They’re usually out much later.”