The One-Eyed King!

Writing about Lucky brought back memories of another pet 'Raja, of our childhood days.' He too came into our lives on a rainy day, lying bundled in the staircase of our building that housed 16 apartments. All our attempts to shoo him off were in vain. We noticed that his left eye was hanging out of its socket.

Our fears turned into pity and we wanted to keep him, much to the annoyance of the elders in the building. After deliberating on several names, the children decided to name him 'Raja.'

Raja's day would begin at 5.30 in the morning, hopping on everyone coming from the milk booth and upon the milk vendors. Nobody would have the heart to deny his share of milk. There was a huge stone in front of the building which became his dining table. Of course, such an outward expression of his love did send a few to the Dr., for he would forgetfully leave his nail imprints.

8.30-10 would be a hectic time for Raja too, for he would accompany every kid and adult till the bus-stand. In the evenings when the children play in the ground, he would hang around till they return back home.

He was a boon to the ground floor Aunties who till then had to sit watching their papads and chips in the afternoon. But with Raja around now, they could fearlessly have an afternoon siesta as he would watch over their papads. It would be a sight to see him chasing crows and hanging onto the tail of a cow with the poor one struggling to get rid of him from her back.

Our worst moments were the times when the corporation van used to come to pick up stray dogs. It would be a tough task to lure him indoors with biscuits and eatables and keep him there till the van leaves. He, on the contrary, would be curious to know the reason for the barking of so many dogs from the van.

Come Diwali, and Raja would abscond somewhere for a week. That was the only time when he would not respond to our call of 'Raja.' This behavior led credence to our assumptions that he must have lost his eye due to an accident with crackers.

How much everyone had developed a liking for him, nobody realized until one fine morning when Raja while playfully chasing a young goat, accidentally bit him. (just a small gash on the animal's leg). The owner's of the goat from a nearby slum came in a big group with the intention of stoning Raja to death, ignoring our pleads to spare him. Sensing our attachment to the dog, they realized they could bargain for a huge sum. Finally, all the residents pitched in and a fat sum was paid. After the mob left nobody complained about the money they had to spend, but instead everyone was relieved that they could save Raja.

How affectionate Raja was, became evident, when one of the residents moved into their own flat in a neighboring locality. One morning when they opened their balcony door, they were surprised to find Raja waiting for them and wagging his tail when he saw them.

He was a very intelligent animal too. When the ground floor residents were away he would come upstairs and scratch on one of our doors reminding us to give him food. Also, during rainy days he would come to our house to cuddle up comfortably in the cozy little bed my father used to make for him.

It was six years since Raja came to our building. The eye that was dangling initially had fallen during the course of time and the scar had also healed. But as all good things must come to an end, one night an auto-rickshaw which came to leave a visitor accidentally ran over his leg. Though there was no visible wound outside, after 2 days the sweepers of the block found him lying on their way. It was an usual habit with him, but would generally move away when told to. But that day he did not respond. He had passed away in his sleep.

When the news spread, every resident came rushing down. A pit was dug in the area adjacent to the building. One resident filled the pit with salt, Raja's body was lowered into the pit. Before it was closed, the ground floor Aunty came rushing with a glass of milk and poured it into Raja's mouth with tears in her eyes. (as it is customary among some people to do so when someone dies in the family)

Everyday we children would go and see the fresh mound of earth. We continued the practice for sometime. As time heals all wounds, Raja was slowly forgotten. But during certain conversations, Raja would be remembered and a silence would prevail for sometime.

Raja was not lucky to be with us, Instead we were lucky to have known Raja. He taught us a lot of things. Foremost, he brought all of us together. The residents of the block were of different religion, backgrounds, spoke different languages and followed different customs. But everyone loved Raja the same. He taught us the power of love that could overcome all barriers. He taught us the art of tolerance. If we could tolerate the pranks of a stray dog, we could tolerate the short comings of fellow human beings too.

Raja brought happiness into our lives. Happiness that comes by doing a good deed everyday. By feeding, protecting, and loving a stray dog all of us were doing something good everyday.

He lived the life of a Raja! He was an one-eyed King, indeed!

Lucky!

The low pressure in the bay was creating a heavy downpour. The stillness of the stormy night was broken by tiny snivels. Going by the direction of the sound, we located a plastic bag amidst thorny bushes in a vacant plot opposite to our house. Five 'just-born' puppies presumably abandoned within minutes of their birth. We were on time to save only two. Already home to 2 dogs and a cat, our house was overflowing with 2 and 4-legged occupants. Not having the heart to leave the puppies to their fate, we brought them home.

One of our neighbors, were constantly asking us for a male pup, if our pet dog litters. So, the male pup was happily given to them and we decided to keep the female pup until we found someone interested in taking her. A week later my brother who dropped in at our neighbors place, came back with a morose face. The pup had been abandoned at a tea-shop, as they could not cope up with the constant feeding, cleaning, and whining of the pup. They hoped it would survive licking on the milk strewn around. He had rushed to the shop only to be told that a small white pup was run over by a motorcycle as it was running amuck in the road without a sense of direction, petrified by the sound of traffic.

Who was more cruel? They who abandoned the pups minutes after their birth or they who abandoned after showing one a hope of life, or we, who were so impatient to give it off hurriedly? All of us were, the difference being only in the degree of manifestation.

We decided to bring up the other, I christened her 'Lucky' as she was the only one fortunate enough to survive amongst her siblings. My brother named her 'Buxsie' which according to him signified ' a little tough guy.'

A year passed by. Lucky grew up to be a very affectionate dog, as though she owed her existence to us. Her eyes conveyed much more than any words could have done. Our pets had a very soothing effect on all of us. They helped us find our best and truest self.

But thrown inside a thorny bush, exposed to the vagaries of nature, and deprived of her mother's care, all had a telling effect on the health of Lucky. She was easily susceptible to infections, skin rashes, and so on. We tried our best with supplementary foods and medicines. But Lucky, developed serious skin infection. The vet put her on a staggering list of antibiotics, creams, and injections. He advised not to let our other pets mingle with Lucky.

A separate enclosure was created for her in the terrace under the water tank. Feeding her, giving her medicines, constantly wetting the gunny bags in her enclosure to keep it cool, required a good deal of mental preparation, hard work, and pointed attention on my mother's part. In the evenings, Lucky would come down the stairs and sit at the gate. After dinner she would silently climb back the stairs and turn to look at the last step.

Four months passed this way. She would let out a painful whimper when touched. The medicines did not seem to help. We realized that her luck was running out. One afternoon Mom who went to feed her found her lying still. When called, without lifting her head, she opened her eyes to look at her. Mom raced down to tell us that she had a gut feeling that Lucky would not survive this time. By the time we reached, she had already breathed her last.

Though upset by her death, we were completely at peace with ourselves, for we were not guilty of any lapses on our part. We had tried everything within our means to help her survive.

Our neighbors dropped in to express their concern for our lost battle of helping Lucky survive and on our spent money and wasted energies. They hinted that they were worldly wise in abandoning the pup at the right time. But, little do they realize there are some defeats more triumphant than victories.