MUMBAI: In one corner of the Hope Carnival in Bandra’s The Vintage Garden, four Indie puppies, between three and eight months old, waited for people to take them to their forever homes. They wagged their tails and playfully butted one another while bystanders smiled indulgently at their shenanigans.
The puppies were the stars of the Youth Organisation in Defence of Animals (YODA)’s charity event, designed to raise funds for stray dogs and get them adopted: a vital cause, especially after the Supreme Court order on strays. There were game zones, retail stalls by home-grown brands, a doodling counter, food, attractive merchandise and a fortune wheel that gave winners three options: pay ₹250 to sponsor five meals for rescued animals at the YODA shelter at Malad; win cute dog and cat merchandise; and pet the puppies.
The highlight of this pet-friendly charity event, though, was its well-curated thrifting initiative. For this, actress Kyra Dutt and thrifting company Bombay Closet Cleanse got over 32 celebrities to donate their dresses, shoes and accessories for people to buy. The sale profits went to YODA.
The celebs contributed generously. While John Abraham donated a signed helmet, Tabu gave designer outfits. Stand-up comic Vir Das contributed several pairs of sneakers. Rachel Goenka, Meet Brothers, Ayesha Adlakha, Atul Kasbekar and Amrita Puri donated their personal belongings too. “Thrifting is the need of the hour, and if it’s for a good cause, it’s even better,” said Dutt. “I am glad so many celebrities opened their wardrobes for the animals, and many more people, especially Gen Z, showed up for them,” said Dhiraj Tejwani, CEO of YODA.
To enable as many sales as possible and encourage the young to pitch in for the cause, the prices of the products were kept relatively low, ranging from ₹399 to ₹5,000. “We kept it accessible so that a lot of people could walk away with a product,” said Alfiya Khan, co-founder of Bombay Closet Cleanse.
One of the highlights of the sale was outfits from the popular and fashion-forward OTT series Four More Shots. “People started coming in as early as 11.30 am for an event that was supposed to start at noon, just for the clothes from the series,” said Khan, adding that her team had to convince two shoppers, who both wanted the same ensemble, to share it. One took the pants and the other the blouse.
Writer Radhika Trivedi was at the carnival both for the pets and some retail therapy. “I love checking out new brands and shopping, and when it’s for a good cause, it’s even better,” she said while eyeing a golden necklace. Pet parent Ayush Sen was at the carnival for his Beagle Scotch. “This is his day out,” he said, following the lead of his curious dog who pulled him from room to room, eager to sniff everything in sight. “It’s one of the few places that welcomes pets and is for dogs in need, so I had to be here.”
Pet parent and jewellery entrepreneur Shreya Mehta echoed the sentiment. Mehta had come all the way from Delhi as one of the participating retailers at the carnival. “I have just recently become a dog parent and had to be here to support the cause,” she said. “Also, Mumbai is one of the kindest cities to its animals, and people here appreciate and value good stuff so the trip from Delhi was totally worth it.”
By the end of the carnival, YODA had received a heartening 40 enquiries for adoption. The gambolling puppies and other animals at the shelter are soon likely to find their forever homes.