Amala Akkineni was educated in Bharathanatyam at Kalakshetra, Chennai, and is married to Telugu actor Akkineni Nagarjuna. 

She is a prominent animal welfare activist and founder of Blue Cross of Hyderabad, a non-government organization which works for the welfare of animals and preservation of animal rights. She is a vegan and an environmentalist. She also teaches Yoga for women, and promotes communal harmony. 

Amala Akkineni shares with Marie Banu her passion for animals and her guidance to those who seek to volunteer.

What inspired you to launch Blue Cross of Hyderabad?

As a professional aspiration, I had never planned being an actor. But, it was a very good profession as far as financial stability is concerned. Once I achieved this, I wanted to do something that appealed to my heart. I made a clean career break. I got married and moved into my husband’s city.  

I went back to classical dancing and I started rehearsing with Jyotsana, my friend from Kalashetra, who also lived in Hyderabad. I would go to Secunderabad for rehearsals and en route found sick and injured animals. I started rescuing them—taking them to the local vets, looking after them at home—and after a month or so my husband came back from work one day and said, “Our house is like a zoo. There are injured animals in every nook and corner including a buffalo with a broken hip in our garage. You really should do this in a more organized way.” It was his idea! Till then, I was just responding to needs. He donated me the first ambulance and that is how Blue Cross started. 

Blue Cross has extended help to over 300,000 sick, injured and abused animals and birds till date. Did you envisage this reach when you launched Blue Cross?

It is interesting you ask. I had a wonderful experience. Initially when I saw all the suffering I thought, ‘Oh God! How am I going to do all this?’ If you have helped one you would see another 20 waiting for treatment.   

One night, Rukmini Devi (athai as we would call her) appeared in my dream. I had a lot of love and regard for her and had interacted with her when she was alive. In my dream, she was taking a group of students from my dance class and walking briskly around Kalashetra campus. She had her hands sweeping and showing the entire vast expanse of Kalashetra, the classes, the performances, and the theatre. She had a twinkle in her eye and she told me, “Do you think I thought about all of this when I started Kalashetra? Do what you believe and the universe will help you!”  

I woke up that morning feeling absolutely sure that what I was going to begin was something that the universe needed to be done and I was just an instrument. I don’t think of this as my work or my doing. There are so many wonderful people and animals whose energies have gotten together. This to me is the expression of best of human qualities—compassion and service, joy and love. I am happy to be part of it!   

Some people are paranoid of stray dogs even though they would have been sterilized and free from disease. What is your advice for them? 

There are all sorts of people. On the one hand, there are people who fear animals because of some traumatic experience that has led them to feel that way. On the other hand, we have certain psychotic or so called animal terrorists who are socially misfit and they use animals to cause a different kind of terror in the community. One has to have a fine balance.   

As far as I know, every reputed organization working for animals has a good education program which reaches out to the community and exposes people and their children to understand animals and how to behave with them. The Blue Cross education program has a specifically designed slide show presentation for school children. It addresses exactly that—how children need to behave with animals; why a dog bites and how to avoid getting bitten; how to overcome fear; how they can understand animals better; and what is the body language when a dog is playful, angry, sick, etc. What we understand, we share with the children, and they love it.   

Your organization has been promoting the adoption of indigenous mixed-breed Indian dogs as part of your mission to bring down the number of homeless animals. Can you share with our readers your experience?   

We want to reduce stray and homeless animals so we sterilize animals and give homeless puppies for adoption. We promote adoption of Indian homeless animals from the hundreds of puppies, kittens, cats, and dogs abandoned on the streets. We believe everyone can help by adopting a homeless one and not just by buying fashionable pedigreed animals.   

When an animal becomes part of your family it is like a child. Sadly in India, most of our pedigreed animals are inbred and unscientifically bred. All of them have some kind of genetic flaw. At three or four, a Dalmatian can die of kidney failure; at three or four, a German Shepherd could get hip dysplasia; and at one or two years of age, a Great Dane could suffer from liver failure. A pet lover who begins to love their animals like members of their family goes through the trauma of disease and then death of a pet. 

I had both my young Dalmatians die in my arms due to kidney failure. It was deeply disturbing as they were adorable wonderful creatures. Whereas, the Indian dogs, and I have had many of them along with my pedigreed dogs, are so hardy and naturally designed for our climate that besides their annual vaccination and sterilization operations, they never fall sick. I never had an Indian dog have health issues like the pedigreed ones. They are affectionate, loyal, and excellent guard dogs too.   

Which of these roles would you like yourself to be identified with: Dancer; Actor; Animal welfare activist; spouse of a leading Star; all of them?

I think we all have different roles at different times. I work with about 12 reputed organizations on different issues. It could be animal welfare, environmental protection, widow empowerment, orphan education, or HIV awareness. Each issue is very dear to my heart, but there is something about animals that is dear to me. From the age of five I have been rescuing injured birds and animals. That is definitely part of my personality and it will be in any role I play. Whether I am the superstar’s wife, or a dancer, or an actor, that animal rescuer will always be part of  my psyche.   

Your guidance to those who seek to volunteer?

One must have a very strong ethical code of conduct. Unfortunately, in most welfare movements there is so much of negativity and politics where people are insulting each other to get a better name or position  in the name of the cause. One must focus on the work and avoid the negativity. Secondly, you would need strong commitment. If you say that you feel strongly for children, then make an appointment in your diary and say when you will go out to do it. Stop talking, stop thinking, but go and do it!  

The first time you help you will learn. When you attend a course on the issue, or volunteer or intern with an organization by offering your professional skills you will get a deeper understanding of how you can help. But, make that commitment first!

I would say that three hours of volunteering in a week is enough to start. If you are able to keep that appointment, then at the end of the month you would have not only increased your confidence and understanding, but you would have also connected with a lot of people who are already doing that work, increased your network, and at the end of the year have a very impressive report of what you were able to do. 

That is how the three lakh animals came about at Blue Cross. You make that commitment, and before you know you would be well on the path of social work. 

There is so much to do and so much to learn, so all the best!

“When an animal becomes part of your family it is like a child. Sadly in India, most of our pedigreed animals are inbred and unscientifically bred. All of them have some kind of genetic flaw.”