With gratitude, we welcome Miss Sulogna Seal, the Founder of Care For Innocent Paws, Purulia, an NGO that has been actively working for years for the betterment of Animals and making coexistence between humans and animals possible at Purulia, West Bengal, India. We are so grateful to have you, Ma’am, as our first guest for the Solsaga Founder Series. Till now, her organization has done more than 783 Vaccinations and nearly a hundred sterilizations.

We were so pleased to take an interview of Miss. Sulogna Mam, regarding her NGO journey, discusses how she tackles every struggle peacefully yet effectively. During an interview, we asked her a few questions to which she confidently replied with a constant grace on her face. The questionnaires and the whole interview were as follows – 

Q.1 – What inspired you to start your NGO? 

Ans—Thank you for asking this, as it’s close to my heart. The story starts with the female stray cat Pupu, who used to visit my home for food, and one day she brought her kittens, too. Suddenly, she fell sick, and at that time, I was a non-active member of an Animal Organization, and they introduced me to a Paravet, while addressing him as a Vet to me for Pupu (later, I got to know this). He didn’t know how to give saline and gave a prescription, and the same thing happened to me when I visited the Government Hospital. During that time, both were more interested in demeaning each other rather than treating my cat, and this continued for seven long days, and due to this, my cat suffered a lot and died. 

That’s the pain I still carry. I watched her suffering and people’s selfishness for their own sake. Soon, my paths were cleared, and I started acknowledging that the NGO for which I was working had different ideas about animals. There, I took the initiative and Pupu’s death as an inspiration to start my own NGO—Care For Innocent Paws.

Q. 2 – How would you describe your NGO’s core mission in one line? 

Ans- To create a United and Balanced world for humans and other species by upholding their Rights with equal priorities. 

Q. 3 – What Challenges have you faced while running the NGO, and how did you overcome them? 

Ans – I have been facing challenges since the start. I am mentioning a few of them below. 

•  In the first meeting, the first president of CIP, Mr. Siddharth Basu, elected me as a Secretary of the NGO, which infuriated a few people because, a/c to them, this position isn’t suitable for a lady. Several people of my own ngo started backstabbing me, maligning my intentions to remove me from my position, but I stayed rigid. Because of my genuineness, a few people – Mr. Siddharth Basu, Tanoy Mukherjee, and Shukla Mukherjee- always supported me. 
• Puruia is a small town in West Bengal, and several times, whenever I stood up for animals, I was harassed and faced mental, verbal, and physical abuse. Still, I didn’t stop and have filed 26+ complaints against the people for inhumanity. I am always grateful to a few police personnel—Mr. Manas Kr. Sarkar, Mrs. Rumki Karmakar, and Mrs. Mayuri Nandi—for always backing me up. 
• Another issue was the lack of infrastructure, as we still don’t have any ABC Centers, testing labs, or animal X-ray facilities. Even for a minor consideration of animals, we visit hubs like Kolkata, Ranchi, etc., and we’re still fighting hard for this. 
• A significant issue is the lack of efficient medical personnel for injured animals. Several people only use it for business, not the animal’s sake. We correct people to avoid visiting them; otherwise, they might lose their beloved animals.

Q. 4 – Could you share one story of impact that makes you feel proud of your work? 

Ans – One story that is close to my heart is of my Elder Dog’s story – Nini, who, for unknown reasons, got paralyzed in childhood and soon after recovery, a woman hit her brutally and inhumanely causing a long three and a half month battle for survival and recovery. During the treatment, we both got attached emotionally to each other. As survival in the streets would be difficult for her,  I adopted her instead of sending her back to the streets. Her struggles and the journey from street to forever home make me feel blessed. 

Q. 5 – How do you see the future of your NGO in the next 5 years? 

Ans – In the next five years, I want to open a fully equipped shelter with all the modern facilities so that no fur babies suffer due to a lack of treatment and instruments. Furthermore, I will try my best to make it cost-effective so that people won’t have to hesitate before coming along with their pets or furry kids—animals for treatment. 

Q. 6 – What advice would you give someone who wishes to start an NGO? 

Ans – I want to highlight my advice into Points. 

• If you want to open an NGO, go for a trust, not for a society. In trust, four members are enough. Once you finalize the decision, learnt about medicinal and legal issues to prevent the mishaps for the future. 
• We created volunteers for every ward to make work easier regarding medical emergencies, feeding, and temporarily sheltering at their homes.
• From day 1, start working on society’s pain points. Whether you are an NGO for animals or humans, work on pain points like women’s empowerment, animal malnutrition, etc. Connect with local people to use their help as resources. 
• During the initial phase, you will be supported by plenty of people, but the number will decline with time. 
• As an NGO chairperson, I want to highlight one fact: As you lead, several members will try to manipulate you for their own sake, which might result in inner war. Try to stay focused and don’t get manipulated. 
• Most NGOs were shut down due to financial and manpower issues. You should have a plan B for how you want your NGO to be. Don’t shut down; slow down, organize it, and have patience. Remember, good intentions never deprive. 

I want to personally thank Solsaga for providing me with the platform to speak up about my pain points, uplifting the morale of the new NGO, and acknowledging and guiding the people. My Instagram account and my personal Account are mentioned below. 

My Main Instagram Account – Sulogna Seal

My NGO’s new account – Care For Innocent_Paws

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Textual Interview taken by Solsaga’s Content Manager and Writer Siddhant Jain SJ
Follow me on my Instagram Writer Profile – Siddhant Jain SJ – The Writer