THE LIFE OF LOYALTY

                                                                                                      

      

 I was someone that no one gave a damn about.I was lonely and alone and above all I did not possess a family.There were certain reasons for it , maybe I was “desi” or maybe I was diseased. But thanks to God because at this old age I have two friend with me & their condition are also same:without family and diseased.We hang around almost all the day and spend the night together.Its been 5 years now that we stay together in this side of the road.As the winter is approching I feel loved with the rays of the sun.Two years ago we used to get attacked by the nearby enemy but I think he is dead by now, as he does’t comes to terrorize us.

 Whenever I sit beside this Government built road , I feel jealous watching the other dog in my neighbourhood, who is living a life of a “Prince”, with good food and good ride along with a loving family to take care of him.But I think dog lovers are universal. But no, they love their dog and throw stones at us.Is this what dog lovers are? People are becoming biased day by day.They give prefernce to the foreign quality rather than the desi .But I shall not generalize because the lady outside whose house we lay about all day take care of us by serving the leftover: and something is better than nothing.She is a beautiful and caring lady, she used to have three dogs but all of them died one by one.They now possessed two cats and a little dog.

     The other day when I was strolling with my friends in and around G.S.Road, we happened to cross a pet shop and listen to people bargaing about a puppy. I was totally surprised with the price of the puppy: 25000/-.

People were trading these puppies, for mere green paper.Does they ever think about what the mother of the puppy is going through? In that way I was too lucky, atleast I was not separated from my puppies when they were born but now I really miss them as I don’t know where there are.Are they dead or alive?

     I think about the days when I was young and healthy, I had a master name Joe: we were a pair with all those happiness around, we lived in a quarter in the rurals of Jagiroad.Actalluy Joe’s dad used to work there and I was found by him in the nearby road when he was a kid. I don’t remember much but before Joe used to tell me that when I was a puppy I was lost in the road amidst the big vehicles and suddenly he found me and brought me home, & literally we both grew up together.

I still remember how happy & excited I used to become  whenever I saw him returning from the school.After he would freshen up we used to go out and play with his buddies of the other quarters.In the same premise there was used to be a huge and tall water tank  and in around it there was a attached stairs ,the kids used to bet on that and the one who climb till the second most top level of the tank,would be the bravest boy of the colony.Joe never made it up but he’s the bravest boy I’ve seen in my life,I knew it from the time when he first picked me up from the road despite of his mothers dissatisfaction.

After some years he left me and when to study outside, and soon after that his mother died of cancer.When he returned, he was not the little Joe I grew up with.He became a tall & handsome man like his father but he still loved me.He told about his life & how he miss everybody, he wanted to take me but his lifestyle there was very different to what it used to be here.

We strolled about those lanes & recollected the memories we created together once upon a time.He knew that I was a part of his childhood and he became very nostalgic, but to me he was a part of my life. Now it was different, his friends had shifted from there: some of their’s father had retired or some of them have transfered.

And the day came when he had to return to his work & I was again alone with his father. Suddenly one day I was send off to his relatives house in Guwahati .I was reluctant to go but I was just a dog, it was the saddest day of my life, I stopped eating because I didn’t want to live but a thrist to see Joe kept me alive.And one fine day I tried to ran away to my masters place, but it was a stupid thing that I did, which I realized later. Now I miss the least chance to meet Joe and I was totally lost.

I was lost in the middle of the road and vehicles were passing right, left & around me. After I manage to cross the road I saw a little lane,I prefer to go there and decided to spend the rest of my life until joe comes to rescue me. I was fortunately given shelter by some locals & they were kind enough to give me something one day ot the other to eat, I stayed there for four years and gave birth to eight puppies but Joe didn’t came to rescue me.One winter night some dogs came and attacked us claiming the place we were staying as their territory but then my puppies were not yet grown up, to fight back. So we have to change our location to a government office garage .But the saddest thing was I lost six of my puppies in the garage fire in one of such winter nights.

            I was miserable than, but still I took up courage to live for my remaining two puppies and my wish to see Joe for only once. Time flew bye, they grew up and one day left me. Now I’m old and diseased but I will be ever grateful to my buddies who is still with me in the last times of my life in the this road of Happy-villa where I reside now. I don’t want to go to that previous place because it reminds me of my puppies but Joe is living in my memories & my memory will die with me.But Im just a dog and Guwahati city is a huge puzzle for me to go in search for my master.I did tried but I failed repeatedly .I’m too old now my hairs are all worn out and there are different size of wounds in my body, it bleeds occassionally and as the weather is chilly, the cold wind peirces through my body.Two of my limbs are badly hurt and are not taking the name to recover.Im hurt ;all over, mentally,physically & my soul is bruised .I just want to sleep now, a deep sleep because I don’t have any promises to keep but just a wish to see Joe.

                                                                                                       …………………………………       Moramee Das

                                                                           18^th December 2011

(PUBLISHED IN The Sentinel’s Sunday supplement “Melange” 22^nd Jan 2012)

(Words: 1,206)