Mr Brownie and his Shravanamasa

We always had a dog in my maternal home. I remember Brownie, a handsome mongrel from my school days. He was very attached to my grannies, as they used to feed him. My grandmother, Sharadamma, was a very busy lady during Shravanamasa. The arshina kumkuma invitations kept her completely occupied during the festive season. Our faithful Mr Brownie thought it was his sole responsibility to take care of her. So, he would tag along with her wherever she went.My granny was hard of hearing, so, on many occasions, he got into the bus with her, to the utter shock of co-passengers. After much furore, he would get off the bus. Once, during one of her festive outings, he entered the premises of a lady who had invited my granny and sat along with the silk-sari-clad muthaideys. My granny was blissfully unaware of the commotion Brownie had created. When the women started screaming, she turned around to see him sitting pretty among the ladies. She was so embarrassed that tears came rolling down her cheeks. Helplessly, she called my mother on the landline, saying, ‘Yaradru Browniena bandu karkond hogi, avanu nan jothe arshina kumkumakke bandidane’ (somebody please come and fetch Brownie, he has accompanied me to the function). For all his antics, our dear Brownie never bit or attacked anyone.Bengaluru reworks on pet dogs policy, canines above 3 months may have to be registered under new lawsWhen my daughter was young, she insisted on having a dog at home. But I was very reluctant. She kept pestering me until one day, as she was returning from school, a frail, undernourished puppy was waiting at the gate to be picked up. She got him inside, gave him a bath and named him Gunda.Gunda grew up to be a great-looking dog with beautiful, bright eyes, which conveyed more than those of an ace actor. He made friends with another dog down the road, by the name of Gowri. Their friendship was a spectacle. Gunda used to eat half of his meal and wait for Gowri to finish the rest. An unspoken, pure affection that is rare to see in human beings. Gunda and Gowri owned the street and happily roamed around together.But lately, the violence around us seems to have embraced the voiceless. Is it the indifference to their existence that is causing strays to behave violently and attack people? We are so busy with our lives that we forget that there are other beings around us.The older generation had a way with animals and were never really intimidated by their presence. In fact, many would feed them as part of their morning routine and hold a small conversation regarding their welfare. Be it dogs, cats, crows or squirrels — what we call Kushaloparisamprata, in short, ‘how are you?’(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.)

Source: Deccan Herald