...exclaimed Neha, absolutely overjoyed!
So around 2 weeks back, the authorities shut the Juhu beach 24x7 to arrest the spread of Covid. It was a bit of a setback for most of us who went to the beach in the mornings to stay fit, but I reckon the government has to make decisions that are in the best interest of the citizens. A couple of days later, I messaged Neha ( if you have read my post around Sheba, the three legged dog, I had mentioned her then - link to the post in comments) to ask her if she could notify me if and when she came to know that the beach had reopened. I used to see Neha & Sheba daily morning so I knew if the beach reopened, they'd be the first to know.
"Sure, I will let you know. I hope it opens up soon, Sheba is struggling a lot" she said, sounding distressed. Sheba is a 13 year old dog and is an amputee. She also suffers from arthritis & a spinal disease. Due to these conditions, she can only walk on soft sand and not on hard surfaces. The beach shut-down had stopped her walks and exercises and that was worsening her mental and physical wellbeing, Neha told me.
Yesterday evening, I again checked with Neha if the beach had reopened. While I got to know it is still shut, Neha was ecstatic to share that Sheba had got a permission from the police to walk on the beach! "How??" I asked her, intrigued. "I had heard that ACP Sudhir Kudalkar is an ardent animal lover & so I approached him with Sheba's predicament. He immediately connected me to Senior Police Inspector Sudhakar Shirsat at Juhu police station who very kindly gave permission to take Sheba to the beach so she can get her exercise therapy" she added, excitedly, like a little girl who had just found her long lost favorite doll back.
While I still wait for the beach to be thrown open to the general public so that people like me can resume their daily morning routines (especially all the wonderful senior citizens who are seen doing their fitness regime daily morning), the news that one of us, Sheba ( probably the grittiest of the morning visitors at the beach) was atleast able to get back to the beach was lovely to hear. She probably is one of those who needed the beach back the most and thanks to the compassionate police officers and her mom Neha's persistence, she finally got back the access to the beach before us all.
Thank you ACP Sudhir Kudalkar, Inspector Sudhakar Shirsat and Mumbai police for your big heart and love for our animals.
With deepest gratitude from Neha & her beautiful warrior Sheba!
P.S.: As mentioned in my previous post, Neha is not present on any social media and hence I am unable tag her.
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