Meowmbai: Mapping mumbai’s feline citizens.

How Sudarshan Birla turned a simple habit into a community platform for street cats.

Every city has its quiet residents who slip through unnoticed. In Mumbai, street cats lounge outside tea stalls, curl beneath scooters, and wander into housing societies as if they belong. While most people smile and move on, Sudarshan Birla, a 25-year-old IIT Guwahati graduate, chose to pause, photograph, and remember them. That small act eventually grew into Meowmbai, a digital map dedicated to the city’s cats.

What began as a personal archive quickly transformed into a community-driven platform. Users now contribute sightings, share adoption details, and even report injured cats in need of help. For Sudarshan, this shift revealed the deeper potential of his idea, technology could connect rescuers, volunteers, and animal lovers in ways that make a tangible difference.

Birla’s journey wasn’t straightforward. Though he studied civil engineering, his interests expanded during college to filmmaking and product design. He credits filmmaking for shaping his creative approach, teaching him storytelling and attention to detailskills that now influence how he builds digital products. To him, designing software is much like directing a film: every interaction matters.

The most striking part of Meowmbai’s creation is its speed. Built in just two weeks, Sudarshan relied heavily on AI tools, using what developers call “vibe coding”, rapid prototyping with AI assistance. He believes this approach has lowered barriers for students and creators, proving that ideas can be turned into reality without waiting for funding or perfect plans. His advice is simple: start building.

The platform’s reception surprised him. Messages from rescuers and feeders highlighted how Meowmbai could support real-world animal welfare. Some even suggested features to reunite lost pets with owners, though Sudarshan insists such sensitive additions must be handled carefully. For now, his focus remains on Mumbai, ensuring the platform solves problems deeply before expanding elsewhere.

Underlying Meowmbai is a philosophy: the best products are built around people, not just ideas. Sudarshan listens not only to what users say but also observes what they truly need. That mindset has kept Meowmbai rooted in community, evolving from a fun project into a meaningful tool for animal welfare.

Looking ahead, Sudarshan envisions Meowmbai as a community-first initiative, where sustainability will follow naturally if it continues solving real problems. His journey reflects a broader lesson-curiosity, creativity, and accessible technology can turn even the simplest passion into something transformative.