Aloka, the mascot of peace

Monday, 12 January 2026 04:51 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Endearing images of Aloka, a dog, as he traverses the United States of America with a group of travelling Buddhist monks have gone viral on various media platforms, including dedicated social media ones. Aloka and the monks are on a mission for peace. The monks who are from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Centre in Fort Worth plan to walk for some 120 days until they reach Washington DC. En route, they will walk across ten other states in the USA. Theirs is a message of peace, compassion and unity. Aloka, which means light, complements this message with his presence. He is seen trotting purposefully almost always at the head of the line of monks, the resolute look on his face a firm commitment to peace.

Aloka, it appears, happened upon the group of monks when they had been on a similar walk in India. He had started to walk with them to various Buddhist sites and had covered nearly 3000 kilometres. Since then, Aloka, who is about four years old, has not left the side of the monks.

Aloka’s fortunes changed after his meeting with the monks. The story goes that until then, he was a stray, roaming the streets of India. He had no collar and had been nobody’s dog. Invariably hungry, thirsty and neglected, the lot of a street dog is not to be envied. For Aloka however, his street life is now becoming distant and a memory. He has been cleaned and spruced up and is handsomely dressed. He is assured of regular food and drink and will never go hungry again. He has a place to sleep and is secure in the care of his guardian monks. Aloka gets pampered with massages and a lot of petting, acts of love that are alien to a street dog. When he gets tired of walking, he can give his weary legs a break with a ride in a motor vehicle. Aloka’s future is looking rosy. It is unimaginable that he will have to return to the streets at the end of the peace walk.

It is befitting that Aloka has become a mascot of peace, not only because he has a heart on his forehead but because of the trajectory of his life which has seen hopelessness turn to hope. War, armed conflicts and invasions destroy lives. Populations which until then had families, food, shelter and everything else suddenly find themselves left with nothing. Their fortunes are changed in a fleeting second.

Aloka’s story of light at the end of a tunnel of despair must resonate with the thousands of victims of countless man-made disasters who are left without hope. But as hope returns, they will piece their lives back again. There are others who will never make it.

Aloka meanwhile continues his journey with the monks, every step he takes bringing him closer to the finishing line. It will be day 79 of his walk today. He has already crossed six states. Aloka is oblivious about his global stardom and that he has become not only a peace dog but also a symbol of hope.