It often happens in life that an incidence that seems common place to many, may count of great value to one specific person. It may occur in any field of life. I have got a neighbor. A long tenure of his life he has served in merchant navy. By the blessings of god ( as well as of his hard job,) he is well off. He fathered two kids. One daughter, happily married and in the house of her in-laws. The son working at a good post in multi Nationals company, settled in a metropolitan city of Southern province of India. In a nutshell, this old couple is living a happy, peaceable life in my this Himalayan foot hill city.
Long back, when this city was a quiet and slow pacing one and cost of land was quite reasonable, my this neighbor had bought a sizable plot of good measurements and had erected a nice, palatial single story house upon that. When he was to take retirement from the service, just prior to that, he added one more story on the top of the existing ground floor house. A good looking, fancy house with all amenities he maintained. For he was well off, hence he never planned to rent on any portion of the house. Although house is palatial one but its lawn was considerably very small. Besides, he had bought some lands at the outer of the city, just at the foot of a pluvial river near a jungle. There he constructed a farm house over there. A good destination for outing adventure to him.
To assist in the house of city, he used to procured the help of regular domestic staff. I occasionally happened to come across to him. Being senior in age to me, he was in habit to call me on phone to visit his place and have some drinks and chat over current affairs. Recently, he rung me on and suggested, “make a visit and have a sitting along with.” I often also remain free of all sort of load of works, hence I arrived at his place. After the exchange of formal greetings he asked, ” what will you have?” Since it was the summer season and hot mid day, hence I said, ” any sort of cold drink will do.”
He suggested,” why to take synthetic cold drinks. Let’s have some lemonade drinks. It contains the mild degrees of alcohol as that of beer only.”And without waiting for my opinion he went inside and appeared with two small bottles of lemonade and some snacks. We began with little swigs directly from bottle. In between I noticed, his pet German shepherd dog “Cimba” was not visible. Prior to this sitting, whenever I happened to visit him, I always found that dog beside him. Then a second thought came to my mind, may dog be lied at the upper story of the house. This dog Cimba was utmost beloved pet of my this neighbor.
I ever found my this neighbor offering him some thing to eat. Had dog been here, he just would have thrown some pieces of snacks to him to munch either. The dog was like a pampered boy to him. By this over eating, the torso of the Cimba dog had transformed into a barrel. The smart angular body cuts of a German shepherd dog were no where present on his body. The dog looked like a “Labrador fatty dog, if you ignore the fur. This dog was just about four years old but due to overweight his natural agility had been diminished. Whenever I happened to talk about his dog, I used to call him as “Cimba barrel.”
In between the conversation and session of drinks, I inquired, ” where is your Cimba barrel today? He is not visible!” Suddenly , he became grave, his face darkened and a moisture appeared into his eyes, ” my Cimba betrayed me. He left me forever…” He said in heavy voice.
“But yet he had not attained his adulthood properly. So shortly? Dogs happen to survive about twelve years of age and he was hardly four years old only.” I responded in stunned voice.
“Yes…. You are right. It all happened suddenly and owing to my fault. I am responsible for his untimely demise.” He spoke in gloomy voice. After a short pause he continued, “To say I am an educated person, who as sailor traveled to so many countries of the world. But when I decided to tame a dog, never I gone through the literature ‘ how to raise a dog,’ properly. Even I didn’t try to learn that, whilst plenty of stuff about this on internet and social media was available. I inadvertently remained ignorant of that kind of literature. It was my carelessness.
I didn’t know, dog should not be given all kinds of stuff to eat but in deep affection, I kept offering him whatever stuff as a man I ate. Later on, persistent offering of food developed into him a glutton tendency. And I was a sheer stupid, I kept giving him even those edibles which were nor suitable for his bodily constitution. It resulted into sudden collapse of his system.” He rose to his feet, went again inside the house, when came back, he again had two fresh bottles of lemonade and a file of papers along with. The file on it front was inscribed with name of some vet hospital.
He flipped open the file and showed me whatever good kind of treatment could be afforded, he managed to get Cimba recover from the ailment. Then he showed me the bills of expenditure. In that short duration he had expended about rupee eighty thousand on that medical treatment but of no help. Cimba couldn’t be saved. With the swigs of second bottle of lemonade, his emotional level intensified. Remembering his dog Cimba, he began to cry literally, ” Cimba was just like my child. About four years ago when I was on my morning walk, in another colony, his first owner had taken this puppy dog on morning walk. He was behaving cruelly with the puppy.
That scene made me hurt and offended. A strife occurred between the owner and me. I challenged him, if you can’t nourish your puppy lovingly better give it to me. On which he became furious and said he bought it in rupee five thousand. Looking at the pitiable condition of the puppy I gave him an offer of rupee ten thousand. He at once conceded to the offer. At that time Cimba was a tiny, cute puppy, but ever he chose to remain adhere to me. Though Cimba was given his separate bedding but in day time, whenever, he found my bed empty he would have occupied that. He was given to lay on my bed. He felt my body smell on my bed and somewhere in his mind he enjoyed my company in my absence.”
I could very well understand the mental situation of my neighbor. Firstly, the grief of separation of the pet dog, secondly the presence of less or more quantity of alcohol in the stomach was enough to exaggerate the emotional bout. Thirdly, his own children were at a far distance from the home. The psychological issue of loneliness too was worth counting. Under such conditions, pet animal becomes a great emotional support as a companion . Now, he was under the emotional bout of memories of “Cimba barrel” and was weeping disconsolately like a child.
I was stuck in an awkward situation . It was beyond comprehension to me, how to console him. “Sobbing’ he continued, ” I wished to bury my “Cimba” here only in my lawn. I had a plan to construct a concrete grave of his here only, so I could remember and adore him daily. But my wife didn’t concede to that. She said. lawn is already smaller in size. Then I decided to get his burial at my remote Farm house location. I rung to my Farm house caretaker. He suggested me get dead Cimba’s body carry there. He will manage to dig a grave in the forest side near the Farm house.”
Now again he was wailing like a child, then he collected himself. He recovered his smart phone and displayed some footage to me. In one footage, in a jungle beside the river he showed the grave where Cimba had his burial. Heavy weight boulders were put on the rough soil to avoid the untoward exhuming of grave by other wild creatures in the forest. In the next scroll, he was there with some people from village side and a Pundit. The grave was adorned properly with marry gold flowers. On a side a holy fire kindled. A fire ritual were being performed to console the soul of dead Cimba by Pundit ji.
It was a long video. In that video, folding his both hands, with tears in eyes and with emotionally choked voice, neighbor was apologizing before the grave. His voice was clearly audible, “forgive me, my child Cimba. I am responsible for your untimely demise, since I made you to eat unwanted edibles. Oh My child! Fore give me, if you can!” What I said at the beginning of this blog. This footage may sound cynical and uncommon to many or hackneyed one, but it had specific value for the neighbor.
After a long, he resumed to his normal condition and spoke, ” sorry dear, I too spoiled your mood. But I was helpless. Such a deep affectionate bond I had had, one can have with a pet, this I too learnt at this inflexion of age. But I vow, I won’t tame a dog again in life. The separation of a pet is so grieving and painful.” I bade goodbye to him and retreated to my home . After two months, I chanced to meet him on the road at the evening time.
This time he was walking with a Siberian husky puppy in leash. I greeted him, he nodded and said, ” I had decided never to tame a dog again. But you know, once you become habitual to a dog, it becomes harder to live without a dog.” I extended him my greetings for new dog and walked ahead. This incidence made me recall the quote of an English writer about pet animals, ” pets are our most agreeable friends, because they don’t ask the questions.” Perhaps because of this we are inclined to love our pet animals. May there be so many other reasons. What opinion you hold? Penned by — Vinay Pharasi —–
