Dogs in this Gujarat village are millionaires. No kidding!
In Panchot village of Mehsana, Gujarat, some 70 dogs are millionaires. How, you ask? Because of an old local tradition of donating land to animals. The informal 'Madh ni Pati Kutariya Trust' controls about 21 bighas of land donated to dogs. Notably, land prices shot up in the village after the construction of Mehsana bypass towards Radhanpur, thus benefiting village dogs.
Finding this information hard to digest? Here's an explanation
The concept of setting aside a share for dogs finds its roots in the tradition of having compassion for animals. Rich families donated land to the Trust, which set aside the entire income for dogs. Now, land in Panchot costs Rs. 3.5 crore per bigha.
A practice started decades ago still benefits canines
Over 70-80 years ago, few Patel farmers began the administration of land, and almost all of it came to the Trust. With prices soaring, the donations reduced. However, no donor came back claiming their land, which has now become profitable. The Trust's President said, "It is considered taboo to feed off the land which has been written off for animals or social service."
The entire village is involved in serving the local dogs
Each plot belonging to the Trust is auctioned annually, and the highest bidder gets tilling rights for a year. The money is used for sustainability. 15 people voluntarily take the responsibility of feeding dogs on a rotational basis; the flour mill owner doesn't charge for flour either. "Twice a month- on full-moon and new-moon days- we also serve laddoos," a volunteer said.
