KUALA LUMPUR: For Puvaneswari Narayanasamy, her birthday on Dec 3 has always been an opportunity to help others.
This year, the dedicated animal lover is taking it a step further. Through her personal initiative, #Bald4ThePaws, she will shave her head on Dec 7 as part of a fundraiser for PapanSouls, an animal-rights NGO close to her heart.
Donations from the fundraiser will be used to build a shelter for the 350 or so stray dogs that currently live on the Papan landfill in Ipoh, Perak.
“Every time I visit the landfill or even hear updates from the ground, it breaks something inside me. These dogs have nothing, no shelter, no security, no certainty of surviving the night – and yet, they still look at us with trust,” Puvaneswari told FMT Lifestyle.
“Going bald is my way of standing with them. It’s me saying, ‘Your suffering matters. Your lives matter. And I am willing to give up something deeply personal to show that.’”
Puvaneswari’s hair will be donated to Persatuan Pink Champion Perak to be made into wigs for cancer patients.
Founded in 2020 by Keshturi Sivam, PapanSouls is a group dedicated to caring for the strays of the Papan landfill, a common dumping ground for unwanted dogs. Puvaneswari was one of the pioneer feeders alongside Keshturi, helping to cook for and feed the strays at the site.
“I’ve rescued so many of them – the weak, injured, terrified – and brought them into my home, nursed them back to health, and found them families who love them. Each one of them has left a mark on me,” said Puvaneswari, who is deaf and a cochlear implantee.
The planned Papan Sanctuary aims to be a dedicated, permanent home for the dogs of the Papan landfill. The goal is to provide them with shelter, medical care, food and rehabilitation, so they can recover from injury, trauma and neglect.
“Alongside my journey, I’ve also watched Keshturi’s,” she went on. “Since the very beginning, I’ve seen her struggles up close, the nights she couldn’t sleep, the days she was stretched thin, the heartbreaking moments when she lost a dog she fought so hard to save.
“And yet, she has never once given up.”
She stressed that #Bald4ThePaws is an entirely personal initiative that is not affiliated with any of the positions she has held or organisations she has served. Her personal goal is to raise RM100,000 for the cause.
This is not the first time Puvaneswari has undertaken such an initiative. In 2017, she shaved her head to raise funds for the paediatric oncology ward at Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun, collecting RM8,450.
In 2020, alongside Kembara Kitchen, Puvaneswari shaved her head again to raise funds for Sabah Covid victims. After reaching her personal target of RM3,000, she continued fundraising for PapanSouls, raising over RM10,000.
Puvaneswari revealed that this would be her last year carrying out a head-shaving initiative. She hopes the public will help support the fundraiser, as it would give these animals a fighting chance at life, love and dignity.
Puvaneswari will be shaving her head at Triple Hair Studio in Ipoh this Sunday, Dec 7. The event will be livestreamed on social media. Also follow PapanSouls on Instagram.
