She does not understand what the term `animal rights activist' means. But kick a stray dog or whip an horse and you had it. Animals are her true friends and the paan-chewing Sara-bi houses 150 of them in three tiny rooms at Karad's Guruwar Peth. These include dogs, cats, eagles, goats, monkeys, cuckoo, squirrels, ducks and even pregnant scorpions.

She has no regrets that she allowed her daughters Sabina and Reshma to study only till Class VIII or has a daily verbal spat with her husband about the caretaking of the animals. On her list of priorities, her pets come first. ``It's so unjust. Just because they cannot speak, they have to suffer cruelty at the hands of people,'' she says, recalling the time when she stopped eating food as afive-year-old because her grandfather sold the family goat.

A strong believer in the motto Hamare jaanvar hamare saath hai (Our animals are with us), it isn't surprising that her `stinking' abode draws only a handful visitors.

Her `extended' family hails from the streets. Whether a whimpering kitten or a screeching owl, Sara-bi is always at their beck and call. She spends nearly Rs 500 per month on food - milk, grains and meat for her animals. Her truck-driver husband makes just enough to meet the family requirements and Sara-bi struggles hard to make ends meet for her 150 `children'.

She's most willing to skip a meal so far as it saves enough for a check-up by the veterinary doctor.

Holding a grouse against the care-a-damn attitude of the local municipal council officials, Sara-bi even went on to complain about them to none other than animal rights activist and chairperson of People for Animals Maneka Gandhi. The Union Minister promptly extended her help and urged Sara-bi to join her campaignagainst cruelty to animals.

Extensive as her family may be, Sara-bi refuses to pinpoint her favourite members. ``All are the same for me,'' she says, however, admitting that she has a soft corner for the sheep, who was affected by gangrene but did not hesitate to drink the dog's milk, or the diseased horse who she nursed for over ten hours splashing water on his infected body.

Thirty dogs, 25 cats, countless goats, hens, cows besides the mischievous monkeys and chirpy parrots form the centrestage of Sara-bi's life. ``I have no sympathy for people,'' she says, adding a soulful plea, ``Please don't exploit the silent animals''.