On a rainy day in 1959 when Captain Sundaram couldn't bear to walk away from the two pups struggling to stay afloat on a flooded road near his home in Madras. He took them home. In short order, his residence in T-Nagar became an animal shelter hosting 60 cats, dogs, goats, bandicoots and even a pair of baby mongooses rescued from a snake charmer.

With support from his family (his wife Usha and the children built the first few kennels with their own hands) he was soon rescuing and sheltering animals from all corners of the city. His friends and colleagues, many off-duty pilots from Indian Airlines would help drive animal ambulances to rescue animals in distress.

An informal group - Animal Aid Association (AAA) was formed. The Captain, his wife Usha and his three children Suresh, Chinny Krishna and Vijayalakshmi, were soon joined by Daivasigamony, the then Secretary of the Indian Football Association. The activities of the group slowly increased and the name of the group was formalised as Blue Cross of India, Madras and registered in 1964 with nine founding members.

A movement was born. A movement that is today a household name in the city of Chennai and widely known all over India and in the animal welfare ecosystem globally.

BCI - Mount Rushmore
The Founding Fathers of Blue Cross of India