Swapnil Soni has followed a fixed routine for the past 17 years. He wakes up at 4 a.m. every day. His wife prepares around 1,000 chapatis with the help of two neighborhood women. She also cooks rice and mixes it with buttermilk (chaas). Swapnil then carries all this food to the outskirts of Narol in Ahmedabad.First, he feeds the stray dogs with the rice and chaas. Thereafter, he goes into the forest, where hundreds of monkeys wait for him. They sit patiently until Swapnil opens the boot of his car and takes out the food. One by one, the monkeys come forward and pick rotis or fruits from his hands. When asked if there is any snatching or scratching by the monkeys, Swapnil smiles and explains that wild animals are actually quite scared of human beings. They are always on alert and get very frightened when vehicles pass by. However, since the monkeys recognize him, they come, take the food, and run away. On being asked whether they ever harm him, he says that monkeys can be a little naughty. They are wild and not very friendly, but sometimes, if there is a delay in feeding them, they may lightly slap. Swapnil seems to have a deep attachment to and understanding of animals. With a very compassionate heart, he feels their emotions.
When asked why and when he decided to feed animals regularly, he shares that he used to live in old Ahmedabad earlier. His family was impoverished, and he did not even own a bicycle. However, everyone in his family loved animals. His mother and two elder brothers would always feed animals with whatever little food they had. From them, he developed this kindness and compassion.Swapnil recalls that there was a 107-year-old man in his neighbourhood whom he often saw feeding animals. The man used to feed bajra rotis to stray cattle, monkeys and birds. Swapnil loved watching him and was deeply inspired. Gradually, he too began feeding animals and made it a regular habit. He started feeding birds, ants, cows, and dogs. The year he began doing this, he felt that his life started changing in a positive way.
At that time, he lived in a rented house in old Ahmedabad. He would often visit a small shop to get photocopies done, where his wife used to work. That is where he met her, and eventually, they got married.Later, they moved to New Ahmedabad, which was developing rapidly. Swapnil began his career in real estate, taking advantage of the high demand for sold and rented properties at that time. Gradually, his work picked up, and his life improved significantly. He believes that all his success came as a result of his good deeds. Today, he has two to three people managing his work, which allows him to spend more time caring for animals.
Swapnil also runs an NGO called Shri Thakur Ji Seva Parivar, which rescues injured birds, gets them treated, and then releases them back into the wild. His wife and two children fully support him and often accompany him to help with his work. He also spends a part of his income helping the needy. From orphanages to old age homes to feeding the hungry on the streets, he can be seen lending a helping hand wherever required.
Swapnil, who has suffered three heart attacks, strongly believes that he survived each time by the grace of Vanar Raj (the monkey god). A devoted follower of Lord Hanuman, he feels that his acts of kindness have protected him from the hardships of life.What began as pure love for animals has now turned into a deep belief that kindness is always returned by the universe. The care that Swapnil has shown towards animals, he believes, has come back to him as blessings from God.
