Copyright © Pallavi Gogoi 2020

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Kalu

Kalu looked around to see if Tommy was around. She liked him though he did harass her at times. The problem with her was that she liked the new stud from the other locality too, who tried to come close whenever Tommy was not around. What to do? God had made her quite fickle; if there was a God. It was Ironic that when you read the letters of ‘God’ backwards it referred to her and all the others of her species who lived on the streets. Kalu was a stray dog and she was quite a thing of beauty, if she said so herself. She was obviously black but her coat shone under the street lights with a healthy sheen. She had seen and admired her reflection many a times in the big puddles of rain water that accumulated in the pot holes on the road. She had merrily barked away appreciating her inky black eyes, thin face and shiny coat of hair. She faintly remembered her mother, a thin creature with many puppies. She was always irritable and snapped at anyone who dared to touch her puppies. They had lived near the rickshaw pullers’ colony, feeding on the scraps thrown to them and foraging in the garbage dumps. She hardly remembered her siblings; all greedy dogs who tried to gobble her share when her mother was not looking. One day a little boy around ten years old had seen her when she had ventured out on to the main road and had pestered his dad to take her home with them. She had eyed them suspiciously, but had been won over when the boy had offered her a biscuit. Before she could bark her appreciation she was scooped up by the plump little fellow and taken to his home. All the time his father kept saying something which sounded like this “Maa’re dibo”, which she later deciphered as “your mom will be angry with you” in Assamese.

At first Kalu missed her mother and whined away. The boy’s mother was almost hysterical when she dirtied the place with puddles of urine. What did they expect, scaring her like that! She was hastily taken outside and a rope was tied around her neck and the other end was tethered to the pole on which hung the clothes line. The little boy who was called Babu came outside and gave her a plate of rice and milk which she hastily gobbled. All that adventure had really made her hungry. He spread a piece of sack cloth on the grass and placed her on it, lovingly patting her sleepy head and calling her…Kalu. The name stuck. Kalu she remained. She stayed at their place for around a year. During that period she became familiar with the Deka family; the mother who was unpredictable, reminding Kalu of her own mother, sometimes loving and sometimes a yelping creature, the quiet father and of course Babu. Slowly she stopped missing her family and accepted the Deka family as her own. Sometimes she did wonder if ever they would accept her wholeheartedly and christen her as Kalu Deka, but that was not to be. Soon there was a new competitor vying for Babu’s attention, a puppy of pedigree, a Pug or bug or something which sounded equally disgusting. She was horrified to see that arrogant dog being carried by Babu’s mother no less. He was called Prince. It was ridiculous especially because his face looked like a tin which had been smashed by a heavy car. He was allowed to stay indoors and whenever he ventured out she made it clear that if he was the prince of the house she was the princess of the courtyard. Babu rarely took her out on walks after his arrival. She knew that they kept her because she did a wonderful job of guarding the house at night. That silly little dog was a real coward. One day when she bit that irritating dog after a fight, Babu for the first time hit her with a stick and scolded her. That was it. She was fed up of living such a life suffering humiliation and indignity. In the evening when the driver forgot to close the gate after him, she stealthily went out and then she ran as she had never run before. Her ears flapping and her tail held high, how she ran. She ran and ran until she reached a street which was well lit by street lights. She stopped for breath near a massive garbage bin. She was hungry. She half hoped Babu would come looking for her, but it was not to be. She looked around wondering what to do next. Her stomach growled as it was dinner time. She tried looking inside the bin but it was too high. Drat the idiots who had made such monster bins! Idea! She climbed the footpath and then rested her paws on the side of the bin and looked inside. It was a banquet fit for a dog if not a king. There were rotis, rice, chicken along with the usual rubbish. She looked across the street and saw a row of small eating joints dotting the road. What luck! With a small heave she was in the bin and having the time of her life eating a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Finally she jumped out, shaking the scraps which stuck to her body and went to the drain for a drink of water. Now what should she do, sleep of course. She gently sat down and was soon asleep in a semi-circle with her nose touching her legs. For the first time she felt free and…. grown up.

Next day she surveyed her surroundings. When she had walked a bit she saw another dog looking at her. He barked a greeting and came closer to sniff. She barked her disapproval and asked him to maintain his distance. He said he was a local who had been staying in that area for quite some time and she was welcome to stay. What cheek! As though she needed his approval or permission to stay. Anyway as she was quite cultured she told him she was someone’s pet who had come looking for a break. After a few months she would return. He gave a woof of approval and shook his tail. What a fool! He seemed totally besotted. He called himself Tommy as the people who ran the hotels had nicknamed him thus. She soon found out he was quite reliable and a good watch dog. He would guard the bin and would not allow any dog to venture near the bin or her. Sad, as she did fancy that brown dog which lived in one of the lanes. Still she was happy. The only thing that bothered Kalu was the itching. The Deka family had always given her a weekly bath. She had never really had any fleas on her body, but soon staying outside and Tommy’s proximity resulted in an itchy body. How she itched and scratched. Days passed and summer turned to winter. It was getting colder. Tommy and she would often lie down near the smouldering fires lit by the vendors or sometimes the owners of the eating joints. After the fire had died down and the ashes were nice and warm, it was wonderful to lie on them and sleep. Ah bliss! She often wondered what had become of Babu. To tell the truth she missed him, his hugs, and the way he would race with her and secretly feed her biscuits and other goodies when his mom was not looking. Two years passed. Kalu was now the mother of four handsome puppies. She was now as irritable as her mother had been, looking after the puppies and feeding them. Tommy was lying across the street fast asleep. What a lazy dog! All the puppies were snuggled against her sleeping. She lazily looked up and saw a fat little dog being taken for a walk by a tall, lanky boy. She looked closely and was surprised to see it was Babu. How he had grown! He had shed all his puppy fat but he was still the loving boy who had given her a home. She scampered to greet him. She wondered what his reaction would be. Would he hug her or be angry with her for running away? Babu abruptly stopped while Prince barked at her and recognising her tried to pull at his leash and run away. She was stunned when Babu picked up a stone to shoo her and hurriedly went away. He had not recognised her. She gave a loud cry of pain which woke up the puppies. Hearing her Tommy also came close to enquire about the cause of her sorrow. When she explained he gave a bark of disgust and left. What else did she expect? She sadly lay down unmindful of the puppies that once again snuggled against her. The passers-by crossing that area only saw a black stray dog with her puppies lying near the trash bin and whining irritatingly. No one could feel her pain. It was after all a dog’s life.

Mrs. Pallavi Gogoi

gogoipallavi6970@gmail.com