Saving The Donkey | 101 Heartland

Meet the people who are determined to convince you that donkeys deserve your love, too.

For thousands of years, donkeys have been society's beasts of burden. 16 years ago, Geeta Sheshmani founded Frendicoes, an organisation that aims to change people's outlook towards this gentle creature. Their ambulances rescue wounded or abandoned donkeys in and around New Delhi, bringing them back to their farms for treatment. Here, they are given medical attention and treated with love and affection to nurse them back to health. In other countries, donkeys are treated with care and respect. But in India, they seem to be nothing more than a beast of burden. The team at this farm are toiling day and night, hoping people become more aware of the cruelty towards an unsung animal.

Outside the metros and beyond the urban jungle live the sons and daughters of India’s heartland. This series tells their stories. 101 Heartland celebrates both unique communities and individual tales of hope, struggle, and reform. From the village of Bouncers just outside Delhi to the fascinating story of Ram Kumar Tyagi, once a wanted man but now a coach for aspiring female wrestlers, 101 Heartland tells stories for the heart, from the heartland.