Chunnu, the dog

Dear Readers,

These days I seem to remember Chunnu, our landlords' pet dog in Kachiguda, Hyderabad where we used to stay during the 1970s.

I still remember a young boy bringing a pair of pups, both black, wrapped in a handkerchief. Our landlady whom we affectionately called 'behenji' (which means elder sister in Hindi), came out to inspect the pups on offer. she saw whether there was a male pup and selected one and named him Chunnu. Until we vacated the house after 10 or 11 years we grew up with Chunnu.

He had a jet black coat with small patches of gold and white just above his eyes which made him look so beautiful. And the tail which would wag and wag upon seeing us sisters!
If he were sleeping and heard a sound, he would open his eyes and raise just one eyebrow to convey he was not interested in anything except to get his quota of beauty sleep!

As a pup he would sleep in the same room as us whenever our landlords traveled out of town for a few weeks. Invariably he would sneak and cuddle next to us, yelp when he felt hungry, scratched any exposed head and there were feud heads! We had fun chasing him around the house.
I enjoyed observing all the emotions that flitted across his face - fear, joy, lethargy, mischief, curiosity, real anger, ecstasy. Whoever said animals were dumb creatures needed to retract that statement.
I knew I was his dear friend as I would play with him the most, imitate his barks and try to play the fool with him.

All this ended when our landlord's adopted son, a relative working in the military started coming during his vacations.
Chunnu would be so afraid of him that he was sure to be hiding under a huge bed and never dare come out to even eat for fear. In the beginning I would think it strange and would joke that he was acting like a shy bride!
Then one day to my utter shock I found out why Chunnu was petrified of that son. (He was in his twenties then, we sisters would never thought fit to talk to strangers so we would never cross his path at all). He would be lazing around house, smoking and ordering Chunnu to 'sit down'...

The landlords had gone to Uttar Pradesh, while we were also gone out most of the day as all of us were studying at schools and colleges. On one such day, I got home earlier than usual. Our kitchen used to be on the 2nd floor with an open terrace from where we a good view of the backyard of the landlords house on the ground floor. There were huge trees on the fringes of the compound wall from where I would observe the squirrels, crows, other birds go about living their lives. At times I would imitate their calls and we would have fun interacting for hours.

On that fateful day when I went to get something from the kitchen I was shocked to see our dear Chunnu hanging from the tree and struggling meekly. And down below this son was having fun, smoking and joking at the plight of Chunnu. A servant boy to keep this brute company in all this.
This sight made me so sick that I just shouted at the son to let loose Chunnu at once though that was the first and the last time I spoke to this man in my life. Luckily he asked the servant to bring Chunnu down from the tree.
I remember how I just rushed down and rubbed Chunnu's neck gently for a long time.
My feelings were so deep for our Chunnu. Then I knew what has been going on in our short absences while this sadist was at work with an animal which was so afraid of him ever.

The next day, the servant took Chunnu and left him near Charminar which is quite a distance away from Kachiguda, hoping to shake the dog off forever. But a day later Chunnu had walked back home from that long distance to more trouble.
It was a revelation that Chunnu knew only this house even though his life was in danger with such a criminal minded saddist around. He would refuse food for days on end. He ate later, only when Behenji arrived from her native village.

These memories from my childhood linger even now. I was in my teens then. Such incidents have always touched me and made the person I am today. We all go through so many experiences and these invariably shape our lives in some way. Those were the days when my mom used to take us for those religious discourses held in the Keyes Girls' High School, Secunderabad where the good and the bad of life would be conveyed through interesting little stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Subtly we were told to differentiate between the good and bad way of living.

I thank my mamma for taking us along and exposing us all to such things at a young age. Those discourses on the Hindu mythology did help and continues to help to this day. Constantly we absorb, we are emboldened to ask questions when something is wrong like on the day Chunnu almost died hanging by the tree.

God bless his soul. He was alive but very weak when we left that house. I hope he died peacefully when his time came.
On my last trip to Hyderabad I heard that the adopted son also died young many years ago. May his soul rest in peace too and may god forgive him for his misdeeds on earth.

Prayers for all of us.
Mahalakshmi

Babies 2

Mornings are busy at the kitchen. By 10am I have to finish cooking for the day. As we live in the ground floor flat and have an open passage, birds, cats come and look through the net door as if to say hi to me!

Especially crows. We have always watched our elders feeding the crows first with hot steaming rice, a bit of cooked dal and some ghee since we were very young. I am following that tradition wherever I have lived. We believe in feeding the crows (our ancestors come in the form of crows?) before we eat each morning.
I offer the rice at 9.45am and the crows come exactly around that time everyday to eat! Its been a ritual for many years now. The crows get impatient, even if for some reason the feed is delayed by a few minutes. What gives me more pleasure is to see the older ones bring their very young ones. The way they feed and take care is seen to be believed. I have so many real crow stories to share with whoever is reading my blogs!

The young ones are taught to caw caw for food near our kitchen door at the same time each morning. I would feel bad whenever I have to lock the house and go for some outstation work. I keep thinking of the crows which may have missed the food.
What I have noticed in all these past years is that they love the rice steaming hot! If there are some leftovers and we try to put that anytime after the morning time slot, I find they have left it untouched. They come back the next morning for the fresh feed only! They are so very sensitive and don't seem to like old stuff. Is it because we feed them only fresh and hot rice each day at a particular time? I think its true. But makes me wonder when they are found rummaging carry bags for food in the garbage bins. I would always joke about this to my sons. The crows like variety and go hunting for different kinds of food besides the houses which feed them regularly with a particular kind of food.

They modulate their cries also as if they are requesting in a low volume 'caw, caw!' Turning their heads this way and that to attract my attention! This I notice when the young ones are hungry for more food and the time is noon or evening! I feel their moms teach them that is alright to caw for more at some houses. If I am home and find a young one cawing for long, I just bring out a biscuit or some plain rice as I don't feel like turning away a hungry soul.

Right next to the kitchen is a bedroom where the windows are kept open. The crows 'know' who uses which room and they sit on the window outside and look inside to see whether anyone is there. Two bedrooms were occupied by our two sons and both had crows visiting them when they would be in their rooms until dusk when it would be time for them to retire for the night.

The cats which would keep patrolling our passage from time to time would also peep in and share the hot rice. We would know as there would be louder caws from the crows in protest. Unmindful of the cacophony the cat would lick at the rice until it has had enough.

I will follow this up with the lame young crow's story one of these days.
until then.
Cheers!
Mahalakshmi

Babies

Babies are so beautiful. Whether of animals, birds or humans.

Why do they appear so beautiful in the first place?
They are miniatures of the adults. Secondly they are so helpless and need to be protected and are so dependent on their mothers or fathers in some species.

A smiling baby can melt a stone. A crying baby?

That reminds me of the crying sounds of our next door neighbor's baby. He dint seem to stop for a long time. He just kept wailing at a high pitch. Then came a tuneless song from his aunt. His wails and her song to comfort him, competed with each other making a very odd pair of tunes. I was waiting with bated breath to hear who would give in first!!
It was the baby! He just stopped after a while and perhaps was keen to listen to this new tune. He may have forgotten his own hunger or pain or whatever.
I thought its so rare these days to hear someone sing to a baby.
I have sung for all the babies in our family since I was perhaps 5 or 6 years old. I was a good singer too imitating Lata Mangeshkar's songs.
I still remember my cousin's daughter falling asleep to my favourite song, "ehesaan teraa hogaa mujh par, dil ..." from Junglee. Saira Banu, the beauty queen, sings this song while our hero shammi kapoor peeps from behind. What a song and what melody in the song.
And there were many more I used to sing not just to put babies to sleep :D. Songs would uplift my mood and that of others around me from a very young age.
I loved singing a variety of songs. Due to age and no constant practice my voice croaks at high pitch but even then I do manage to sing the Lalitha Sahasranaamam and other slokas as an offering to the divine.
Some other day about songs and music.
The time is 1am and I am nodding off.
Until next.
Cheers!
Mahalakshmi