Why Can't They Live On Their Own?

Every morning I wake up with a desire to have a cup of smoky hot coffee or tea on my bed. But as I’m living on my own in a two bedroom small apartment, the desire only can be fulfilled if I would’ve bought a packet of milk previous day and duly boiled it, or I go to the kitchen with heavy eye-lids, clean the dirty utensils piled in yellowish wash basin, boil water with powder milk (which is a tricky and daunting task), and most of all pour tea-leaves and sugar in such a proportion, that it would be edible! I tried a few times and emptied it ultimately in basin. Anyhow, I prefer to walk to the nearest tea stall and have a glass of hot tea, though not smoky; and a cold vajji.

The distance is less than half a kilometre and in general, I choose my sky blue I-Pod as my trusted companion, but sometimes a few four-legged 'dudes' give me entertaining company with their street smart moves and crazy barking, and rarely adorable rubs. No doubt, I like that. It reminds me my wife (don’t get it wrong perverts!!), staying 2000 kilometres away  and who’s an ardent lover of canine species. I remember my first days with her in Kolkata. Her house was less than 250 metres from nearest bus stand. But I was totally taken aback, when for the first time she invited me to her home, to meet with her family and friends, I remember a total 30 of them! Two were her parents, and rest were dogs! She gave names to every street dog and knew the likes-dislikes of everyone. She gave food, shelter, human touch to them, and most of all, love they craved. In return, I felt the highly protective instincts in their eyes towards her and unbound gratitude. Sometimes she used to come back home at late night, but then these abandoned street dogs used to guard her from bus stand! Cool. Huh!

Nothing such ever happened to me, here in Trichy. But I’ve noticed that most of the canines in street acknowledge me, may be in favour of my decision to fall in love to a dog-lover! I carry a packet of biscuits in my pocket and when they come dangerously close sticking out their tongues I offer them biscuits, as if bribes, to stay away. But I like them.

That day was different. I was returning after having tea. Suddenly I saw a dog, who once did an acrobat to grab a biscuit or to please me(!), was running like a mad. He was frightened and his barking was sharp, heart touching. He ignored me while passing like a rocket, with his tail squeezed. First I thought, it was a gang war, but then I noticed the municipal workers with dog catch poles in hands running behind him. A van was following them, and when it came closer, I saw a bunch of my known faces inside the van cage, sitting quietly or helplessly, with horrifying bloodied faces. I stood petrified. I knew I had to do something, but I knew also for sure, it would all go in vain. This is a human society, and dogs have no right to roam freely. A canine friend, who recognised me outside the cage, barked twice with broken sound, hoping I would help her; but I stood silently with biscuits in my pocket and probably, a drop of tear in my eyes. And then I heard another sharp bark and a cheer among crowd. Humans have caught another beast.

I don’t know, what happened to those dogs; but I surely know they were thrown up in unhygienic dirty pounds at the outskirts of the city, from where maximum would never return. Till few years ago, to control the canine numbers, municipal corporations in India used to murder street dogs in full day light. The cruelty was unbound and medieval. They were buried alive sometimes. But later, some modified cruelties were invented in the name of dog catching holes and pounds. Dogs are caught ruthlessly and dragged brutally by these catch holes to cages. And, in the process, most of the dogs receive severe trauma and wounds. Next, they are thrown in pounds, away from civilised eyes, where weaker ones are mauled by stronger ones, no one to protect them; diseased ones are left to die painfully without medicine; and the small overcrowded cages are filled with dog’s excreta and piss abound, nobody cares to clean. There may be other places like this. Hell or Nazi’s Concentration Camps.

Like in developed countries, street dogs should be treated as abandoned and traumatised animals. They should be protected by laws, to roam freely where they have been born. The right of birthplace is applicable for both canine and human. And except the psychologically disturbed ones, most dogs behave as good and trusted neighbours of humans. But the opposite is not always true. Humans don’t consider dogs as their neighbour, despite being continuously benefitted by their presence.

My wife didn’t make me a dog lover, and still I’m not an ardent dog lover. But I believe strongly that this world is as much a place of other animals or plants, just as humans. We can’t forfeit an animal’s birthright, even if they are innocent and rather helpful. In broader terms, it’s equal to the slaughter of Shias by Sunnis in Iraq or minorities in Pakistan.

Now-a-days when I go for a tea from my apartment to tea stall, I notice new faces on road. They don’t know my face, but obviously they recognise the language of love, and appreciate the same. I don’t know for how many days they will be on road, their place of birth, because humans already claimed that; but I know for sure they will not stop loving their neighbours and protecting them from intruders.

Extra Time:

My time in Trichy has come to an end. The much awaited transfer to Delhi obviously makes me utterly happy and my future quite predictable. The victims of arbitrariness of Central Government, who had to come all along from North Indian states to this coastal state of Tamil Nadu for sake of employment, resulting a detachment with their own cultures, relatives or friends and establishing their new hamlets inside walled staff complexes, are still suffering. I feel the uncertainties lying ahead them and agony of their family members. And I’m sure, though cliché, I will obviously miss the guys I’m leaving here, with whom I’ve spent the last four years, good or bad. And why I shouldn't miss, if a group includes guys like smiling Ganicus Anup, symbol of brotherhood Sumit, the fat guy Ardhendu, the dark minded witty cook Ranajit and ‘wonder-why-everybody-loves-this-guy’ Shailabh! Everybody is simply best in their own terms and has a best plan for themselves. Everybody hopefully will be ‘free’ in a matter of time. My best wishes are always with them.

See you in a new city. Ciao.