Bowrampet, Hyderabad, India
AASRA was founded in 2019 by Gowri Vandana, a passionate writer and dedicated animal activist, with a vision to create a team of compassionate philanthropists committed to making a difference.
Agglomeration aims to combine and strengthen individual knowledge, skills, and experiences. This unified effort is intended to focus and efficiently channel resources toward achieving meaningful and purpose-driven goals. To begin with, an experimental project was to study the impact of urbanization on stray animals.
Our launch took an unexpected turn when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The streets were emptied, and food sources for stray animals vanished as restaurants and food courts closed down. Survival became a daily struggle for countless animals. Recognising the urgency, we launched an emergency feeding program during the lockdown, ensuring that over 2,500 animals received food every day.
This initiative not only helped feed the animals but also opened our eyes to their other pressing needs—medical care for the injured and sick, and shelter for the terminally ill, paralysed, and elderly animals. With limited resources, we expanded our efforts to address these challenges. We organised vaccination drives, collaborated with private hospitals to treat injured animals, and partnered with government and private organisations to provide ambulance services.
As we gained experience, it became clear that more permanent solutions were needed. We established our own shelter, which now houses over 90 dogs, offering care for animals with special needs. This shelter provides not just temporary relief but a lasting solution for animals who need extended care and support.
Our journey doesn’t stop here. With every step, we are learning and growing. We are now expanding our focus to address the broader ecological impact of urbanization on both flora and fauna, as well as the human-animal conflict that arises in urban environments. Our comprehensive approach aims to restore balance—not just in cities, but also in surrounding rural areas, open lands, and forests—where human activity has a bad impact on the ecosystem.
To create a harmonious ecosystem in a given geographical area for sustainability of life.
To create and implement effective scientific procedures and methods for urban and rural setup and to safeguard the habitat of both flora and fauna from deterioration and coexistence in their ecosystems.
AASRA is guided by an advisory panel that brings professional expertise and a shared commitment to animal welfare to our work.
Advisor
Telugu Film Actor and Advocate
B.Com., LLB, PGDIRPM
Santhosh has spent over 23 years in the Telugu film industry and more than 16 years in legal practice.
He is actively involved in AASRA’s fundraising and animal care, bringing a deep commitment to the welfare of animals in need.
His work reflects a blend of cinema, law and service to society.
Advisor
Product and Technology Leader
B.Tech, IIT Madras; M.S., University of California, Davis
Tej brings more than three decades of product and technology development experience across the United States and India.
He recently launched PAW, an Android app that helps people report and discover animals nearby that need help.
At AASRA, he is actively involved in fundraising and animal care, and guides our work on technology and scale.
Advisor
Entrepreneur
Founder, Aurra Jewellery, Aurra Fashion Studio and Healthy Choice
Bindu Indra is an entrepreneur, best known as the founder of Aurra Jewellery, Aurra Fashion Studio and Healthy Choice.
She is a strong advocate for women’s empowerment and is actively involved in AASRA’s animal care, rescue and welfare work.
Her compassion for animals and commitment to community service reflect her wider goal of creating a positive impact in society.