Partha and his puppies

(This is a story of a person who laid his life in the social and economic upliftment of the downtrodden among dogs. For this noble cause, many came and went but one who undoubtedly stood steadfast was this great man.)

Outcasted by the society in the early childhood for his unconventional love, he decided to submit himself at the mercy of his puppies, the bare touch of whose used to bring tears in his eyes. Such was the obsession that during visits to a temple, he often used to give alms based on the species to which one belonged. There were times when he had a real fight with those who used to abuse others by calling them dogs. The youngster in his early childhood sensed the prevalent malaise and started taking efforts to eliminate it.

And this was further heightened when he was gifted a pair of puppies on his birthday. He couldn’t have thanked the mother of those puppies anymore!! He named them: Puru and Paro.

Time moved on and Puppies of Partha grew up. The former became mature but the fatherly love of Partha remained pure, unadulterated but immature. In fact he started caring them every now and then. The grownups started getting embarrassed and wanted him to take care of his own matters. The relationship got seriously affected when Partha started peeping into their love lives and keeping a watch if they are crossing the lines. This was completely unacceptable to both as they argued what right he had when he did not have any such life of his own. This shook Partha completely and tears kept flowing out on that long night.

Disillusioned by his growing insane deeds, Puru, the elder one decided to search a girl for Partha. Though he knew what he was getting into, yet there seemed no way out. He asked Paro to persuade her friends’ masters to consider this proposal for this kind hearted person.

Interestingly, Partha was quite a celebrity in their community and it was eagerly looking forward to repay for his love and affection. In fact, he was respected to such an extent that all the new born puppies were supposed to take a hug by him within the first week of their birth. And all the tears that used to come in his eyes were distributed as Prasada. And as if this was not enough, any swear that is taken in his name needs to be honored or else the poor fellow was given capital punishment!!

With most of the young girls sharing a strong relationship with their puppies, it seemed that Partha would finally find his love of life. But great people have their own style and attitude.

Thanks to Puru’s efforts, offers were raining in Partha’s house and for a moment, it seemed that the obedient son will finally get success. But Partha blatantly refused to accept the offer. He was deeply touched by his dog looking for a bride for him and could not handle the societal shame and ignominy of sharing his love with a human; for which a different species has been given the exclusive rights.

Time further moved on and today he is an 80 year old person. I, Ashish, a human being is deeply touched by his sacrificial life and has almost completed the interview. His story should be a lesson for those who cannot love “out of the box” and remain cocooned in their age old customs. He has vociferously fought to get them recognized for their unconditional love and has even given lectures in various Universities in the field of humanization of dogs (and vice versa). After gathering some courage, I asked him a last question.

“Do you see a dog in you?”

To this, he passed a contemptuous smile and I sensed him taking considerable pride in answering in affirmative. He answered it with a surge of emotions.

“While I can see the sharp sarcasm in your question, if I wish I do not need to answer. However, it is this ingrained pro-human thought that has kept me forlorn all my life. You see, the humanity has been so Machiavellian that it has coined the most cunning ways to malign the image of a community that has worked assiduously for ages. While we have laws that send you to jails if you mistreat any human being, we are found highly callous when it comes to this very community. (For next sentence, his voice started shaking) At the same time, while the government brings so many pro poor reforms, it shoots the stray dogs.”

Seeing me completely absorbed in making notes with a smile that was getting longer and longer, he stopped. At this, I thought to give him some more fodder for my article and asked him what he will like to inscribe on his graveyard. After a long thought, he said,
“One who spoke for those who barks”
My disappeared smile reappeared.

While interviewing him, I was touched by many dogs and puppies and some even dared to lick my face. Sensing a strong urge to take a bath, I left for my home and hence, I put my pen down here.