A Voice For The Speechless: Odisha Sarpanch Rescues, Treats & Rehabilitates Injured Animals
A Kendrapara sarpanch spends half of his earning to rescue and care for injured animals, runs a hospital where cows, dogs, snakes receive free care.
Published : July 2, 2025 at 1:17 PM IST
By Radhakanta Mohanty
Kendrapara: Not every person feels for the speechless like Shankar Baba does. The name Shankar Baba could evoke picture of a Himalayan ascetic, but no, this man is the same as any human, with the only difference - he feels for animals and birds, not many do.
So when animals are hit, abandoned, or left to die on the roads in Kendrapara, Shankar Baba is the only hope. He is known as the “angel of the voiceless”. But hold on, Shankar Baba also happens to be the sarpanch of Amber village under Khadianta Panchayat. He runs a bakery shop as well that fends for the expenses he incurs in rescuing injured bulls, cows, dogs, monkeys, and even snakes.
"They cannot speak. They cannot call for help. And I cannot see them suffer. Three things aligned and here I am - with any creature which cannot speak. I do not wait for government funds. Nor do I charge a rupee. I serve with devotion as we do to Gods," says Shankar Baba who has built Meera Gaushala, which is now a hospital and a home to hundreds of creatures written off by the world.
Born as Jeevan Krishna Ray, Shankar Baba was rechristened after he survived a snake bite when doctors had given up hope on him. “I was bitten by a cobra but doctors said my revival or chance to survive is low. But I survived and since then people took me as an avatar of Shiva and called me Shankar Baba,” he recalls. The incident however changed his path.
Inspired by Sri Aurobindo, Baba founded the Meera Gaushala and Meera Bakery, on August 15, 2015 with an aim to not just house cows, but to heal animals which are abandoned and broken. People mistake his Goshala as a cowshed but it is actually a complete hospital for animals. "Here we do not milk cows. I have made it a trauma center for animals who are usually not cared for,” says Baba.
At present, any animal in the periphery or on the NH which gets injured is shifted to the shelter. Cows hit by speeding trucks, stray dogs mauled by vehicles, bulls left to die, even snakes rescued from homes, all get treated here and then left to leave or stay.
Though he wants an ambulance for the service he provides, Baba currently relies on a trolley, an open cart, and an electric auto to rush animals to the Goshala. “We couldn’t afford an ambulance but we hope to do so maybe in two months,” he sighs.
He has a team of volunteers, who put in their service as and when Baba needs them. His team ensures, rescue is not delayed. Injured animals are picked up, treated, and, if they recover, are released back to their habitat. But some so not want to go and others resist being shifted.
A small team of two veterinary doctors and three assistants work at the Goshala in shifts to provide free treatment. When doctors are absent, Baba himself administers injections and first aid. A 26-year-old Suraj Kumar Raut, who trained at Kendrapara CDVO and is rendering service at the shelter says, “This place does not wait for profit concerns because it runs on love. Even goats and dogs to bulls and monkeys are all treated for free.”
Sans government subsidy or corporate donation, the work is not easy. But Baba's bakery shop comes as a relief. The shop earns about Rs 1.5 lakh per month. Baba divides it into two - one for humans of his family and the other for animals.
“I don’t wait for grants. That way half of the animals would die. At a time when people splurge on luxury, I do so for animal care,” he says simply.
Volunteers like Bikram Behera, a carpenter, spends time helping in the Goshala without any remuneration. “I consider this a service. If I take money, it will not hold any meaning,” Bikram says with conviction.
As sarpanch of Khadianta since 2022, Baba also does his administrative responsibilities alongside rescue work. He makes sure to visit schools unannounced and also conducts moral education classes, assists villagers with housing and pensions, and even handles grievances from the hospital grounds.
“He is a sarpanch in the true sense. He solves problems on the spot. He made sure my housing benefit was processed fast,” says local resident Pavan Kumar Malik.
Baba’s work has inspired over 10,000 volunteers, who work under the banner of Shankar Sena and across the districts these volunteers rescue bulls, remove snakes from homes, and perform emergency interventions across the district.
“Please do not consider it as one man's effort. I wanted to create a community that values life, be it of humans or animals,” Shankar Baba adds.
With complete surrender to the work he does, Baba however hints at lack of government support. "To amplify the impact, if I get even a small grant, I could expand the hospital, buy an ambulance, and save many more lives,” he says.
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