L. Sathishwaran is many things rolled into one. He is a promising table tennis player, ranked 12th by the TT Federation of India; an assistant at Life Insurance Corporation; and runs a start-up Fit-O-Crazy, a training centre that offers fitness with minimum equipment. That’s not all. He is an animal rescuer too.
“So far, we have rescued around 300 animals. We also help destitute people,” says Sathishwaran, who along with two of his friends started a WhatsApp group ‘Anbe Sivam’ in April 2014 to rehabilitate destitute people and animals.
Today, the group has 60 members, a majority of them are table tennis players. “Sometimes, the rescue involves jumping into a well or a septic tank, nurse an injured animal and return it to its owner,” he says.
His love for animals is evident from the lifestyle he has adopted. A non-vegetarian until sometime ago, Sathiswaran has now completely switched to vegan food.
A member of Blue Cross of India, he joined the organisation after he rescued an injured horse with the help of an animal welfare organisation. “I got trained by Blue Cross to rescue animals,” Sathishwaran says.
The group works in coordination with the Blue Cross. One of his most-challenging rescue operations was saving a dog that fell into a well in Guindy. His friends and Dawn Williams from Blue Cross accompanied him. “It was a 40ft well, without enough oxygen inside. I couldn’t breathe after getting into it and I had to bring the sinking dog out,” he recalls.
During the recent deluge, volunteers of ‘Anbe Sivam’ received numerous calls from people about animals that needed to be rescued. He says, “I cannot tolerate seeing animals suffer. Animal rescue is always my first priority, even when it means missing my table tennis practice,” he says, adding that his coaches Annas and Prasad are quite understanding during such times.
As a TT player, Sathishwaran represented the State in the national table tennis ranking championship held in January. “My involvement in sports helps me as it gives me the strength and stamina that are sometimes required while rescuing animals. Also, there is no greater satisfaction than saving a life,” he adds.
