24 February,2019 07:48 AM IST | Mumbai | Sumedha Raikar Mhatre
Girgaum resident Aruna Pendse who put Manzar Premis online, on Facebook. Pic/Ashish Raje
Cancelling all appointments, Behere drove back to his Thane home to attend to Jimu who was in labour. In the cozy curtained master bedroom, where the Beheres and their house help were present, Jimu gave birth to three kittens (later named Ina, Mina and Dika). This was not the first delivery they were midwifing. After ensuring arrangements for the newborns and their mother, Behere resumed court two days later. "Being besides Jimu, in the crucial hour, was a joy and a duty I did not want to adjourn," recalled Behere, 54, when he interacted with fellow cat lovers at the Manzar Premi summit in Thane. He possibly cannot attend all the summits (like the last one in Pune or the next in Ratnagari), but the group (formed online three years ago) is his way of spreading feline love and keeping his hypertension in check.
High Court lawyer Rajesh Pratap Behere at his neighbour's home with Kuku, whom he has been socialising with for three years. Pic/Datta Kumbhar
Manzar Premi is a loosely formed assemblage of 3,000 diverse professionals based in Mumbai, Pune, Nasik, Sangli, Ratnagiri, and other parts of India. While there are members in the US (36), Canada (8) and France (1) and even Iraq (1), who contribute online about their stories of cat rescue, the offline meets have so far taken place only in Pune and Mumbai. Mumbai-based academic who once taught political science, Dr Aruna Pendse, took the lead in solidifying Manzar Premis on the Facebook platform.
She laid three conditions for joining the group. First, fancy foreign breeds will not be promoted (selfies with exotic cats not encouraged), whereas the focus firmly on care given to desi homebred cats or rescued stray cats. Second, members induce zero tolerance towards cat cruelty in their neighbourhoods, they do not relay the graphics of brutality; third, the group is not treated as a commercial platform for vets or vending cat food or advertising cat shelters.
Vasai resident Ramesh Shenai manages some tricks with his four cats Kajol, Twister, Shubhra and Kajari
Manzar Premi is a non-competitive intimate space in which humans regale over the cats that bind them. The feline lovers spare their weekends for the bonding, but don't parade the cats. "Our cats, being immensely private by nature, wouldn't have even allowed us that indulgence. We merely celebrate our cats, play cat-themed fun games, and circulate informed opinions on cat upkeep," says Pendse, who feels the idea has evolved in positive and unexpected directions. For instance, Ratnagiri-based Dipti Musale, 33, who attended the last summit, has offered to host the next gathering in her home.
"Our cats are such an affirmative trigger for us that we don't need any other conversation starter. We can easily live under one roof talking about our cats' goings on," says an excited Musale, who is nailing down the dates for the next session and prepping for a cat quiz designed around the names of Manzar Premi's cats. At the last meet, Thane-based music teacher Tanuja Alavani, 54, honored senior Manzar Premi Sheila Sirur, 65, by presenting her cat-themed terracotta collectables. It was a token of group appreciation for Sirur who had come from Manipal to attend the gathering.
Sirur can be called the uncrowned commander of the Manzar Premis, bringing with her years of experience in fostering injured cats. A retired banker, now mothering 10 cats in her residence, Sirur supports around 30 cats in the gated community she lives in. In fact, stray cats often connect with her instantly and many temporarily use her home as a maternity ward. "To allow a stray cat to give birth to a new life in your home is a joy that is beyond words. I am also blessed with a family which doesn't mind sleeping in the guest room while making space for the cats in the master bedroom."
Sirur is the go-to voice on cat vaccines and sterilization; she narrates a colourful story of carrying four-month-old Linen (female kitten) in a Mumbai-Mangalore Air India flight, seeking a special permission from the pilot!
The group acknowledges the unrecognised support system provided by cats. Pune-based Kshitija Edavi, 38, a single mother living with her 12-year-old daughter, says her male cat Veer fills her home with good vibes. After a member alerted the group about a pet shop's unfair practice of selling an Indie kitten for free along with an overpriced Persian cat tagged at Rs 12,000, Edavi landed at the shop and adopted the kitten. Ever since, Veer has grown into a responsible member of the household, who also helps her raise two stray kittens. Endocrinologist, Manisha Kulkarni, 47, defies the popular myths about aggressive cat fights. "The peaceful coexistence of a male cat along with two dogs in my house sensitizes me to the positivity cats bring with them. When I see them taking turns for drinking water, they look like doting siblings."
Sumedha Raikar-Mhatre is a culture columnist in search of the sub-text. You can reach her at sumedha.raikar@gmail.
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