Desicritics Category: Culture: Pets - Dogs

Fiction: Dismal Reveries

Diya sengupta — Wed, 9 Jul 2008 08:41:10 EDT

The beautiful golden retriever’s coat almost gleamed in the sunlight. He seemed to be in immense hurry as he tugged hard at his collar, but some how his master seemed least concerned. She was tired of her shoots and had no intention to be punctual. she was also tired of people screaming her name all the time. ‘Katrina Kaif’ might have become a brand name- but she just didn’t care. All she craved for was some peace and serenity.

As she walked on, she became lost in her reveries. She though of all the things she had- the cars, the money, the beautiful clothes- she had it all. And yet she felt that she had been a happier person seven years earlier. During those days her feet might have adorned Hawaii chappals instead of Gucci and yet she longed for those care free times. Also, she missed her mom and dad so much. Her dad might have been a humble clerk, but the compassion contained within his heart simply surpassed anyone she had met till date; except of course her darling mom. She might not have had been a great cook- she still remembered those half burned chapattis- but she was a great mom and even a greater human being. They had not been too well off but they led a happy and contended life. But she obviously yearned for more. Like all other misled youth, she also believed that luxury could buy happiness. She so wanted an A/C and looked on at the almost ancient table fan with contempt. And it was due to all these expensive wishes that she had decided to become a model and eventually an actress. Five to six years down the line, she had achieved her goals and all the goodies that came with it. And like all busy actresses, she too had no time for anything else except her work. And soon she saw less and less of her parents- the two people she cared most in the world about. She still remembered those mid shoot calls of her mom, which she had to unceremoniously reject. She tried her best to keep in touch with them, but in spite of her efforts, it became more and more difficult to do so.

Then one fateful day, they were gone- two wonderful human beings effaced from the face of the earth due to someone's reckless driving. When the news of their accident reached her, she was shaken beyond wits and it took her almost two years to recover from her grief and guilt of being away from her parents during their last days. Even their thoughts made her cry till date.

Suddenly she stopped, to shake off all the unpleasant emotions that had taken over her for a moment. She then checked her watch and realized that it was almost past eleven and decided to return home to get ready for her shoot.

As she entered her apartment, she was greeted by a fruit basket, which invariably made her smile. She knew that it was send to her by her gym instructor, who was always advising her to eat healthy. As she nibbled at a papaya and got ready for her shower, her thoughts trailed towards her upcoming movie. It was a typical masala mirch film - the type she was weary of. The movies she really wanted to do seemed so out of her reach. There had been a documentary she had seen recently, which was about young Muslim boys and how even in their tender age, they were made to parade around in AK-47, in the name of jihad. That documentary had chilled her heart and she really wanted to make a movie on the topic. But when she presented her ideas to a famous producer, who also happened to be the director of the movie she was enacting in, he had been too busy to even consider the idea. He had more important things to think about, like the song which was supposed to be shot at the locales of France, and for which they were to leave soon on his private jet, which happened to be a Boeing 747. Anyways, she already knew that there was no producer who would take her seriously- to them she was just an air headed actress who also happened to be famous.

She checked on the time once again and decided it was time to buck up. So she chucked away all her unwanted thoughts and got ready for her refreshing shower.

Aamir Khan Blogs Shahrukh

Deepti Lamba — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:47:42 EDT

An Indian blog that gets about 1288 comments belongs to a fellow called Aamir Khan and the latest post is about a dog named Shahrukh! Before you jump the gun- the dog isn't Aamir's nor did he get to name the dog.

Now, before you jump to any conclusions let me add that Shahrukh is the name of our dog. And before you jump to any further conclusions let me add that I had nothing to do with naming him. In fact Shahrukh is the dog of the caretakers of our house. When I bought this house it came with the caretakers and their dog! Apparently Shahrukh (the actor) was shooting for a commercial in this house a few years ago, and that very day the caretakers bought a pup…, and named him Shahrukh. What are the chances of me buying a house which comes with a dog called Shahrukh!!!

Aamir is a precocious fellow and there is supposed to be some kind of uneasy rivalry/acquaintance between Shahrukh Khan and him. In fact, if we are to believe the Bollywood rags, Aamir told his child prodigy Darsheel Safary not to overact like Shahrukh and had the wounded Khan reply 'I thought we were friends'.

It seems this time round, Aamir has ensured that the new gossip came from the horse's mouth.

There are a number of celebrities, actors and even anchormen who have blogs maintained by their PR people and treated as sites where their official statements are made:

I am sorry I showed my coochie (paraphasing Britney Spears)
I am sorry I have to go to prison, save me from imprisoned she-men (para-phasing Paris Hilton)
I'm what hot stuff is made of ( Premiere SRK says it all without SRK having to say a word)
I'm about making a difference and like Huffingtonpost its my name but others write ( para-phrasing Anderson Cooper 360)

The Celeb List goes on, and yet the websites of most celebrities don't give glimpses into their lives except when deeply effected like Paris Hilton (I couldn't help that one).

Aamir Khan's blog, like Neil Gaiman's, is a novelty since he lays his life somewhat open for others to read and observe. Aamir's blog is his personality and in many ways his life. He is a hardworking man with an impish sense of humor and while the google news is buzzing with words like - Aamir's dog's name is Shahrukh, Aamir is having a ball acting like a cat amongst the pigeons.

A Blind Pomeranian

Rajen Nair — Sun, 2 Mar 2008 08:05:10 EST

One day our otherwise quiet neighborhood was rocked with a dog's whining and barking. Curiosity grew better of me and I ventured out to investigate. No sooner had I done so than our neighbor opened her door and I was greeted with the deafening sound of a dog barking. I looked around, following the barking, and found a cute Pomeranian dog curled up underneath a lounge.

The sudden thought of my getting a dog bite, and the painful needle treatment that would follow, gave me goose bumps. Taking precaution I moved safely behind my neighbor.

The Pomeranian actually belonged to her friend. Her friend was traveling and had left it in her care. Then she broke the tragic news that dog was blind. It sounded unbelievable. I had a close look at the dog's eyes and could see that the pupils were covered with a white layer. I felt repulsed with anger and sadness at nature's cruelty.

It brought back memories of my father who in later life lost his eyesight from glaucoma and lead the life of a blind man. I could imagine what the dog could be going through having seen closely my father's suffering. We always associate blindness with human beings. That an animal such as this cute Pomeranian dog could be a victim of blindness never crossed my mind.

I dug out the story of this dog and wanted to share her tragic tale with the world.

This cute blind dog's name is Roshi. She is perhaps at her last stage of life having completed 13 years. Roshi's parents, Vicki and Venus, long dead, had belonged to the circus. They were adopted by our neighbor when they were small. Roshi's grandparents were great circus performers and would entertain and regale the audience with their acrobatic jumping through a ring.

I had the opportunity to play with Roshi's parents. Both Vicki and Venus were great entertainers, exhibiting the same skills as their ancestors. I am told Roshi in her heyday was equally acrobatic. It runs in the family. Roshi has her mother Venus' handsome looks of fine curly silky hair and cute muzzle.

Three years back Roshi was diagnosed as suffering from cataracts. The veterinary doctor who treated her suspect that Roshi had diabetes. Subsequently she completely lost her eyesight. Due to old age she also has a slight limp when she moves around.

The once playful and cheerful Roshi has become subdued and quite. She whiles away her time seated in a corner with a melancholy appearance. The only time she springs into action is when she senses the presence of strangers. Her ears prick up and she breaks into barking. Despite her handicap Roshi gives her owners little trouble. She eats her food in a timely fashion without any fuss. Her food is simple, consisting of cooked rice, which has to be served with fish. She still follows the toilet training she is accustomed to, going to the toilet whenever the need arises with little help from others.

Roshi was parted from her sister and brother when they were adopted by other dog lovers. Nobody knows their whereabouts. Perhaps Roshi is the last of her lineage belonging to her illustrious ancestors of the circus world.

Photo Essay: Puppies and Mummies in Lucknow, India

Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 07:29:36 EST

It is amazing, whenever I go to Lucknow that there are some puppies somewhere around in the neighbourhood, and this visit was no different. I heard about a litter.

They are behind a fence

barely few days old

sniffing a roti, but not very sure if that is palatable.

Seems to be a bit more interest from one sibling.

Still sniffing away!

Got tired and went back to sleep

Some hours later, we all came out to the side of the road.

Mommy came to check

and do a sniff

Its tiring business, this mommy thing. I think I will take a little pause and sit down.

Hey!!!!, I think mommy's back!

mommy is more comfortable than siblings

mommy checking on others!

Hey, that's a great idea, I will join creamy to be on top of mommy

Hey, I want in as well!

I dont want to be left out either!

Now the entire litter is on top of mommy!

We saw the puppies so ran to get our mommy. We are the tiny munchkins wearing pink haring down the middle of the road.

Now mommy with a baby is looking at another mommy with babies.

Technorati Tags: Photo Essay

Man Marries a Dog

Mike Ghouse — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:21:39 EST

A few months ago, a man married a goat in Ethiopia, as a part of the atonement for his sin with the goat, he was ordered to marry the goat. The moment we hear the word wedding or marriage, we tend to think in terms of conjugal relationships, but that does not seem to be the case in this instance. The wedding vow, Selva Kumar took is different "I will take care of it until its death." at the wedding ceremony. Taking care of it sounds really good, and the word "it" to define the gender is interesting when in an earlier sentence it used the female gender of the dog.

It is more of a union of two lives to take care of each other. Couldn't he take care of the dog without getting married? What was the purpose of the hoopla? What was the need to make it public? Is it a confession? Is it an acknowledgement of the guilt, hoping it would wash away? It is indeed a way of praischit (repentence). I hope the man feels freedom from the pain from this formal public acknowledgement. We can laugh at him or ourselves, the choice is ours.

On the other hand gratitude for friendship with a dog or a cat is expressed in terms of grand burials and wills. This year, some where in Arizona, a lady left $200 Million in her will to her Dog and the New York Queen Helms left $12m to her dog. Americans spend thousands in taking care of the friends; Cats and Dogs. It is amazing how the human mind works, there is one thing for certain, when you wrong some one, until you square that out, there is going to be conscious or subconscious pain or imbalance that you have to live with. Depending on how you go about handling it, it might get aggravated instead of subsiding. But a sense of Justice has to come about at the end.

Every day, we do one kind of Praischit or the other at home, office and other places. We are naturally inclined to seek balance, most achieve it, some fail.

As long as we are aware of who we are, and reflect upon it daily, we will keep that balance 'fairly' intact.

Reference with pictures: Here and here.