Internet unites to help Bengaluru cobbler 'Ramayya Uncle' who shares his tiny shop with 3 dogs and a kitten

Social media users were so touched by the story of a Bengaluru cobbler who shares his tiny shop with three dogs and a kitten that they banded together to raise funds for him. Ramayya Uncle, as the cobbler is affectionately known, sits out of a tiny shop in the tech capital of India where he looks after at least three stray dogs and a kitten.

His story first gained wider public attention in December last year after a popular Instagram account called “Leia the Golden Indie” shared his video online. The account is run by Susan Sunita Kuruvilla, who told HT.com that 60 people contributed to the fundraiser for Ramayya Uncle.

“This sweet old cobbler has a tiny shop outside Decathlon in Whitefield, Bangalore,” Kuruvilla captioned the video that inspired the fundraising effort.

“If you ever pass by there, I hope you'll take a second to look at what real love, kindness and generosity look like. In that tiny space where he works to repair old shoes, you will always find at least 3 dogs sleeping warmly and a little kitten playing.”

The account, and hundreds of viewers thereafter, praised Ramayya Uncle for sharing his little space and food with stray animals, noting that lack of means did not stop him from being generous. In fact, people were so moved by the kind-hearted cobbler that several viewers asked how they could help him.

Susan Sunita Kuruvilla then oragnised a fundraiser for the Bengaluru cobbler. The fundraising page noted how Ramayya Uncle not only fed the strays but even took them to the hospital when they were sick or injured. Dozens of people contributed to the fundraiser and the funds were delivered to the cobbler last week, who was moved to tears by the gesture.

The money raised was delivered to him with a card containing the names of all those who contributed to the fundraiser.

On receiving the funds, Ramayya Uncle explained that his wife had died four months ago and he had been struggling to raise his daughter alone.

The woman behind the Instagram account explained that half the money raised would be transferred to Ramayya Uncle’s bank account so he can use it for “anything he needs or wants.” The other half would be used to sponsor food for stray dogs in the area.