In the recently released Housefull 5, there are scenes wherein an AI-generated blue macaw is beaten, slammed against a wall and even sucked into a vacuum-cleaner to get laughs. That such acts of cruelty towards a living creature, even if digitally created, were passed by the Central Board of Film Certification was bad enough, but the fact that the filmmakers, screenwriters, actors and directors also saw nothing wrong with it, showed up an ugly side of India.

That same lack of empathy and compassion is evident as emotions and social media feeds are dominated by the plight of millions of street dogs in Delhi and possibly all over India, precipitated by a Supreme Court order decreeing they all shall be put permanently into what are euphemistically called “shelters". The contradictions, not only on stances on the issue but also national life itself, have been brought to the fore in an unprecedentedly dramatic fashion.

At a time when the market for pet food and accessories is skyrocketing and reels featuring the antics of dogs and cats are routinely going viral, it is not farfetched to assume that India is a nation of animal lovers. But that is obviously a false conclusion. There are loud assertions on the issue of Rohingyas and other illegal migrants around India but the unfairness of millions of dogs being shut up for life due to the acts of just the rabid or vicious ones is wilfully ignored.

The ability of the Indian public to have double standards without the slightest prick of conscience has become starkly clear this week. It is possible for Indians to “love" their own pets and families (especially pampered children) but not have a shred of compassion for other animals and other people, including other’s children. This attitude, possibly exacerbated by constant exhortations via the west to........

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