Having grown weary of the hustle and bustle of city life, Abhinav Krishan (30), a dog trainer from Rohini, decided to move to Barwala—a small village near Dehradun—in November 2020. It was only a few days after relocating that Krishan’s dog, Mia, escaped from his residence. Mia’s disappearance left him perturbed.
Over the next four months, Krishan reached out to several people, including the police, for help, but his efforts were largely in vain. In February 2020, right before the first lockdown, Krishan decided to connect with Asha Arun (35), a Gurugram-based animal communicator. “In a call with Arun, I stated my dog’s name and location, and mentioned how she [Mia] got lost,” says Krishan. Over the next 15 days, Arun and Mia engaged in a series of conversations, telepathically.“When I spoke to Mia, she told me that she wanted to come back. She started giving me clues about her whereabouts and told me that she is nearly 30km from Krishan’s residence,” explains Arun. After 13 to 14 such sessions—while this was a pro bono case, Arun charges* `1,500 for sessions via WhatsApp—Mia shared that she was near a bridge.
Arun passed on this detail to Krishan. The next day, Krishan found Mia near the exact same bridge that Arun had mentioned. “Telepathy is like destiny. Jo aapki kismat mein hota hai, woh aapko milta hai (You only receive what you are destined to receive). You just need to believe in it,” Krishan says, affirming his belief in animal communication.
It’s all about the energy
Mia’s reappearance through animal communication is one of the many cases Arun has handled in the last five years. Through her practice, Arun communicates with pets telepathically to “strengthen the relationship between the pet and pet owner”. The process is stimulated through the power of energy.
“Animal communication is about learning to recharge innate abilities of telepathy. We become aware of what is happening around us and welcome the message the energy reveals,” explains Arun, who works full-time as a human resource professional.
These communication sessions with pets—they usually take place via text, phone call, or video call—helps the owner know what their pet likes, dislikes, or desires. To communicate with the pet, the animal communicator will need an image of and basic details about the pet they want to communicate with. However, communication is also possible without pictures and details.
Understanding pet psyche
Patrons also get in touch with animal communicators to address their pet’s behavioural issues and seek answers to routine questions. “Pet owners communicate with their pets on a regular basis. Sometimes, owners want to know when they have to feed the pet or what their pets like. I come in when there are specific questions that need to be answered,” shares Ashwiinii Salve (28), a pet communicator from Pune, who has been a practitioner for eight years and charges* `1,800 per telephonic session.
Animal communicators are often approached by those who want to gauge sudden behavioural changes in their pet. “I recently got a case where the owners complained that their pet seemed healthy but was behaving differently. I communicated with the dog and he mentioned experiencing discomfort in his stomach and that the pain would become unbearable at times. The family was clueless. The dog told me that he needed a vet visit. After a check-up with the vet, the dog was diagnosed with pancreatitis,” shares Salve.
Since telepathic communication is fostered through energy, communicators add that they can also speak to deceased pets. “Pets don’t look at life and death the way we do. Communicating with a pet that has left its physical body and communicating with a pet that has a physical body is the same. Often, it helps families get closure,” Salve concludes.
Delving into the field
Both Salve and Arun affirm that telepathic communication can be practiced by anyone. “Anyone can do this [telepathic communication], it is not like only a select few gifted people can do this. We do it unknowingly without realising it,” says Arun, who learnt the practice from Akshaya Kawle, a Mumbai-based practitioner, and Manjri Latey from Pune.
Arun also conducts classes and workshops for those interested in the practice. “The beginner certification course is a four-day workshop along with one-month of guiding practice, wherein students can take in cases and reach out to me if they need any help. Apart from this, I also take two-hour workshops for those interested in knowing more about this branch,” explains Arun, who has taught telepathy to about 40 students till date.
Animal communication sessions usually start from Rs. 1,200 and may go up to Rs. 4,000. However, communicators such as Salve and Arun, also take pro-bono cases for rescued pets or strays. The practice, though rejected by science, has found great acceptance among those who believe in telepathy.
Addressing this discord, Salve concludes, “The success of my practice depends on communicating with the pet. Everyone has their own beliefs, so it is fine. As long as I am having a conversation with the pet and it helps the pet and their owners, I am content.”
*Session fees may vary