There’s no count and there’s no end,” she said as the pack of “Indies,” as Indian strays are affectionately known, play in the nearby grass. For a period, a quiet desperation cast a shadow on Varma’s daily act of compassion.

The countless stray dogs that wander India’s capital and environs have been granted a reprieve, after outcry over a court order to round them up.

India’s Supreme Court ordered the release of all stray dogs that were removed from New Delhi streets after sterilization and immunization following an increase in the number of people who were bitten by dogs.