Rubaiya Ahmad

Those who love dogs are ostracised. Many who otherwise felt neutral about dogs are now against them. And why wouldn’t they be?

Are we willing to pay this pet tax? Absolutely not.

This was nearly a decade ago, when we set up Obhoyaronno, the country’s first animal welfare organisation with a mission to end dog culling in Bangladesh.

On August 12, 2020, the Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh declared that he will remove some 30,000 dogs from Dhaka city. There have been massive protests in response to his statement from both local and international communities.

On July 7, I was in the auditorium of the Bangladesh national parliament house, holding my breath, squeezing my colleague’s hand, and bursting in excitement when the deputy Speaker took votes and passed the new bill. From the time the cabinet approved the draft

A few months ago, I was under fire for mourning a death. My favourite celebrity Anthony Bourdain had died. I fell in love with Bourdain in my 20s — long before I became a vegan or even a vegetarian, and long before I entered the field of animal welfare.

My two year old nephew, who I hoped would grow up to be a vegetarian, if not vegan, is neither anymore. He started off on a good note with eating miso mashed potatoes and date brownies, but slowly he learned to *ask* for food.

I “discovered” fasting at the age of 40. The number 40 has great significance throughout all the holy books. It represents transition or change; the concept of renewal; a new beginning and apparently has the power to lift a spiritual state. I felt rather special and “chosen” by this sudden change and decided to embrace the new me. The old me, who grew up in a very religious home, would be dragged out of bed to eat sehri at 3 am, go out during the day with