First Posted: 2/24/2015
MEHOOPANY — Indra Lahiri can talk to animals. And she thinks you can, too.
The director of Indraloka animal sanctuary in Mehoopany will take her talents to the Wellspring House on Tioga Street in Tunkhannock beginning March 1 through a series of four classes to teach people how to better communicate with their animal counterparts.
Classes will start with comparisons of Native American stories, which display ancient knowledge of animal communication and human-animal relationships, with modern scientific research revealing similar information. Lahiri will show how the recent research is merely confirming what Native Americans have known for a long time.
She will then take techniques being displayed from both ancient and modern perspectives and work on them during the classes. Students will get homework assignments and will be allowed to practice at the sanctuary if they prefer.
Sessions will be multimedia and include photos, videos and possibly animals, providing the animals want to attend.
Lahiri supports a holistic approach to communication that encompasses all senses, intuition and being aware of thoughts as well as a technique called visual perspective taking, the ability of a person or animal to picture what another person or animal is seeing when the first being’s view is blocked and gathering information from that perspective.
Most importantly, Lahiri wishes to teach people how to learn about animals from the perspective of the animals, rather than from a human perspective. “We need to approach learning about animals the way we approach learning about cultures,” she said.
Despite her lifelong affinity for animals, Lahiri never intended to make a life caring for them.
At one time, she worked as a consultant to corporations. Having a PhD in organizational psychology, she would teach people how to change their organizational culture to increase productivity and how to be ethical leaders.
While she was working on a dissertation for a second doctorate in anthropology, Lahiri had a chance encounter with a Native American medicine man, named Ogemaa, at a corporate event. The two became friends, and Ogemaa introduced Lahiri to his people, the Anishinaabe.
Lahiri was interested in the storytelling of the Anishinaabe from an anthropological perspective but began spending more and more time with them and learning their traditional ways of communicating with animals.
The Anishinaabe became fond of Lahiri and adopted her into their tribe. They told her that she “was a storyteller and a friend to the animals.”
What Lahiri learned from the Anishinaabe and over the course of 25 years rescuing animals has made her a renowned professional in communicating with animals and consulting people who wish to resolve behavioral challenges with their animal friends.
Lahiri was born into an animal-loving household and was only an infant when she had her first meaningful bond with an animal.
Her family dog, Punda, took care of and protected her. Punda fetched Lahiri’s mother if she was hungry or needed to be changed. The dog would keep the child from falling down stairs or opening cupboards.
“I didn’t cry until I was 5 years old,” said Lahiri.
Being cared for by a canine nanny moved Lahiri to return the favor. As soon as she was old enough, she began finding animals that needed help and taking them home. Her parents supported and encouraged her behavior and allowed her to care for her wards until she could return them to the wild or find them a home.
Fast forward a few decades. As owner of and Indraloka Animal Sanctuary (which means “heaven for the Gods), Lahiri provides a home for over 200 animals, including a Scottish Highland cow, three Holstein steer, a 6-month-old calf named Mookie, one goat, six horses, 11 pigs of various sizes and personalities, several sheep, turkeys, chickens, ducks, a peacock, a peahen, a recently-rescued goose who is the newest resident of the sanctuary and a Rottweiler named Isolde (Izzy for short) who monitors the farm with love and a watchful eye.
Lahiri founded the sanctuary 10 years ago with a three-fold mission. She aims to rescue farm animals that have nowhere else to turn and provide them with “heaven on earth” for the rest of their lives. She hopes to inform, inspire, educate and empower her community, especially children, about ways to be kind to animals, the environment and ourselves and she advocates for a compassionate lifestyle that allows for that kindness and protection.
Lahiri manages the sanctuary with the help of Johnny Braz, of Clarks Summit, who has worked with her for the past five years. Braz is a filmmaker and photographer, but serves fulltime as co-director and creative director at Indraloka.
Braz’s attraction to the place is apparent, as he noticeably enjoys all interactions with the animals, radiating enthusiasm and appreciation with every task. He noted that the animals are so fond of the place that the smaller ducks, who can fly away if they wish, will fly only a short distance before returning to the grounds.
Over 2,000 children have visited Indraloka and learned about making responsible and considerate choices, and the sanctuary has held several benefits to accept donations for improvements and expansion.
Space in the animal communication classes can be reserved by visiting www.wellspringwell.com or by calling 570-836-1711. Lahiri is also available to do private consultations at the Wellspring House for people who are experiencing difficulty managing their animals.
For more information about talking to animals or about the Indraloka Sanctuary, Lahiri can be reached at [email protected].
