He has no publicist, no brand deals and no carefully curated social media presence. Yet, Aloka has nearly five lakh Instagram followers and a fan base that stretches across continents. On Tuesday, hundreds of animal lovers, social workers and wildlife activists gathered at The Westin in Gurugram for a chance to meet the dog the world has come to know as the “Peace Dog”.
Aloka, whose name means “divine light” in Sanskrit and Pali, is a pure Indian Pariah (Indie) dog, now about four years old, with a naturally occurring white heart-shaped mark on his forehead. His journey, however, is far from ordinary.
In 2022, Aloka was a stray dog wandering on the outskirts of Kolkata when he encountered a group of Buddhist monks led by Vietnamese-American monk Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara. The monks were undertaking a 112-day peace pilgrimage across India. On the sixth day of the journey, Aloka quietly fell into step behind them and never left.
Without any training or encouragement, he walked alongside the monks for more than 100 days, travelling through rural roads and crossing into Nepal. Along the way, he survived a road accident and a serious illness. Deeply moved by his loyalty and calm nature, the monks eventually adopted him and later took him to Fort Worth, Texas, after completing all legal formalities.
Aloka’s global fame grew during the ‘Walk for Peace 2025–26’ in the United States. During the journey, he walked about 3,700 kilometres across 10 states, from a meditation centre in Texas to the US Capitol in Washington, DC. Despite suffering a torn ACL near South Carolina and undergoing surgery, he recovered and re-joined the walk for its final stretch.
Now back in India, Aloka’s appearance in Gurugram attracted visitors who described the meeting as a quietly extraordinary experience. Before arriving in Gurugram, he also met former Union Minister and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi in Delhi, who praised his remarkable journey.
On Instagram alone, Aloka has more than 4.82 lakh followers. Wherever he walks, supporters around the world track his live location and often wait along roadsides to greet him and offer treats.
“Aloka proves that peace and compassion know no language and no species,” said one attendee at the Gurugram event. For this remarkable dog, many believe that message has already resonated around the world.
The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising five eminent persons as trustees.
The Tribune, the largest selling English daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the newspaper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.
The Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).
Remembering Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia
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