Dr. Mini Vasudevan, the founder of Coimbatore city-based NGO Humane Animal Society (HAS), is a recipient of the Nari Shakti Puraskar, the highest civilian honor for women in India. The award was in recognition of her work in animal welfare.
Even though Mini was brought up in a household without pets, she had always felt a deep connection to animals since early childhood. When she was 11 years old, she turned vegetarian after witnessing a chicken being severed while she was playing with her cousins on a farm. Today, a vegan for more than 13 years, Mini strongly believes that making a difference is as important as making a living, and considers her work with animals extremely gratifying.
The pivotal moment was in the year 2006 when Mini witnessed dogs being treated inhumanely by being confined in inhabitable and filthy kennels, while she was volunteering at the place where Coimbatore Municipal Corporation (CMC) was performing its Animal Birth Control (ABC) program. This led her to founding the Humane Animal Society (HAS) — a non-governmental organization that works for the welfare and protection of animals in Coimbatore. HAS was formed to approach animal welfare with compassion and respect, in addition to mitigating the suffering of animals that did not have anyone to care for.
It takes a progressive thought process and an evolved mindset for someone to view animals through the lens of coexistence and treat them as equal inhabitants of the planet. Today, doing exactly that, HAS runs a shelter as well as a sanctuary for animals in Coimbatore. What started small with a few people is now a big family with 25 full-time staff and over 50 regular volunteers. HAS’s work has, to date, helped at least 75,000 animals. HAS also has an outpatient facility to help those who cannot afford treatment for animals under their care. HAS sanctuary is home to more than 100 rescue animals that cannot be rehabilitated elsewhere, and need care for life. Today, through education and creating awareness, HAS serves as a common platform and touches several thousands of people year-on-year, empowering and enabling them to create a better world for all life that is crucial for the future of the planet.
Mini is extremely grateful for the completely unchartered but deeply emotional journey that HAS has offered her. She says that thanks to all the animals that she has had an opportunity to rescue and rehabilitate, she is certainly a better human being today. “There is no limit to the love animals can give humans” quotes Mini who has also served on the governing board of the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organizations (FIAPO).
In her professional life also, Mini has made significant technical contributions to the field of Telecommunications. She is a recognized inventor with several patents to her credit in the field of Wireless Telecommunication Engineering.
Thank you for highlighting animal welfare as a main stream movement! Appreciate it Very much.