The Masjid in a small nondescript town had been pulled down by
Hindu fanatics about a week back. The town which had long lost its importance
and had become a faded page in the annals of history had suddenly been
catapulted to the limelight. The land long forsaken by the God’s played host to
humans now. However for some strange reason, the humans seemed to be invoking
the God’s using loud speakers. The cacophony consisted of loud calls of “Allah
Hu Akbar” interspersed by “Jai Sri Ram”.
Hordes of people had
arrived prior to the beginning of the vandalism. The triumphant crowd of
fanatics decided to rub salt in the wounds by staying back in large numbers to
show their strength in numbers. The denizens of the small town which comprised
members of the Hindu majority and the Muslim minority suddenly found themselves
in none too likeable position. The numbers on the Hindu side swelled like a
pregnant river with the melting of the snow in the summers. However the worst
off were not the two legged Homo sapiens who had lived like the siblings of
step parents before the act of vandalism. The worst off were the four legged
dogs who used to be the kings of their streets, but no longer. This is the
story of one such four legged dog.
The town which used to already overflow with humans, cows, dogs,
monkeys and garbage was now bursting at its seams. The fanatics had set up
camps around the Muslim localities in order to flex their muscles so that the
Muslims might not conduct any misadventure like breaking the makeshift temple
built over the Masjid which in turn had been built on top of a temple. Ghetto's
soon formed with the youth on each side holding their positions like
battlements. Each side held their ghetto with the military precision with night
watchmen and lookouts posted. Skirmishes were common in the dark of the night
as the "Kattas" or country made guns were common.
Suddenly he became alert, were his ears playing tricks or did he
hear a scurrying sound emanating from across the street corner. Maybe the one
of the Muslims was trying to escape the Hindu embargo forced upon them. Maybe a
good time to test the precision of his "Katta". Maybe the time for
him to return a hero had arrived. As all of these thoughts were swirling in his
mind, he concentrated in the darkness towards the street corner. He was
disappointed when he saw the source of the sound. It was a scrawny looking
impoverished young dog who seemed to be sniffing around the roadside for some
food. On smelling the human, the dog’s ear stood in alarm. But being a street
dog he was used to the kindness of humans who threw scraps at him and sometimes
kicked him when he lingered longer than necessary. Maybe this human would give
some food and with these thoughts it scampered towards the human its tail
swinging from side to side. Ramu breathed a sigh of relief as he relaxed on
seeing the dog. Bored as he was and desperately seeking the intimacy of some
living thing, he welcomed the dog’s friendship request. Searching his pockets,
he found a scrap of the leftover roti from his dinner earlier in the evening
and threw it over. The dog gobbled up the roti and started yelping and wagging
its tail even more. By this time the rest of the night guards had come over to
Ramu's corner to see what the commotion all about was.
The dog suddenly found an abundance of food as each of the people
parted with some food scraps. They decided to play with the dog to while away
their boredom. As the dog playfully jumped around, it endeared itself to the
humans with its doggyness. The dog started showing them all the tricks it had
learnt over its lifetime of 2 years like standing up on two feet, chasing its
own tail, sniffing at the crotches of humans.
For some apparent reason, it felt these humans loved its trick of
standing up on its hind legs maybe it was because the humans walked in that
funny way on their two hind legs. Hanumant one of the guards asked Ramu what
the name of the dog was. Ramu thought over it and said lets first get a string
and a piece of cardboard and we will think of a name meanwhile. Lakhan one of
the other guards was sent away to arrange for a string and a cardboard to tie a
dog tag around the dog. As Lakhan returned with the essentials, Ramu set about
tying the string around the dog's neck. What was this? There already was a name
tag on the dog and horror of horrors it had been christened as “Chappad Ganju”.
As an afterthought someone had added a second line in green ink on
the dog tag. The name tag on the dog read
Chappad
Ganju
A "Muslim"Dog
As Ramu told about this new development to the other guards, the
oldest among them Sitaram said we too can play this game and beat the previous
masters of Chappad Ganju at their own game. As he was speaking he along with
Ramu tied the new string along with the cardboard dog tag around the dog. On it
was scribbled in red ink
Shappad
Sanju
A "Hindu" Dog
Chappad nee Shappad did not mind the string around its neck on the
contrary it felt elated. This was the second string which had been tied around
its neck on the same day. As the string meant among the dogs that it had
friends now who would take care of it and provide food forever. All of its
fellow street dogs dreamt of a string such as this around their scrawny necks.
Ohh!! How proud it felt? How jealous its friends would feel when they saw these
two beautiful strings around its neck.
As the night became ripe into a nascent blooming day, all the
guards including Ramu, Hanumant, Sitaram and Lakhan retired to their tents to
catch their forty winks. Chappad nee Shappad followed them into the camp
thinking that maybe some new games will be played here. But the guards all went
away to take a nap. Chappad being Chappad started feeling bored so decided to
wander off in the streets. Maybe show off its newly tied strings to its friends
on the nearby streets. So off went Chappad nee Shappad on its jaunt. That day
was the best day of its life as all the other street dogs looked up at him in
awe. As Chappad nee Shappad recounted its tale of how two strings had been tied
by two separate human groups, it felt it was the cynosure of all the audience
comprising of 5 other dogs (2 among them rabid), 3 cows, 2 calf’s, and 14
vultures near the local dump yard. Oh!! How proud its parents would have felt
if they would have been alive today?
As the day turned from ripe to riper and the heat became
unbearable, Chappad nee Shappad started feeling sleepy and retired to a shady
spot near the dump yard to doze off. It dreamt and in its dreams it saw the bearded Rahim tying the
first string around its neck and then followed by the duo called Sitaram and
Ramu tying another string around its neck. Soon 9 separate clouds wafted in and
Chappad nee Shappad was playfully jumping from one cloud onto the other trying
to catch the butterflies wafting around them. Then suddenly it felt as if
something gave away. The clouds dissipated and Chappad nee Shappad had a free
fall. Its arms and legs flailing it landed painfully on its back on the ground.
The pain was unbearable, it wanted to yelp in pain but no sound emerged. It
felt something cold on the fur on its back. Slowly it turned its head to see
Rahim standing there, eyes glowering at it. Chappad nee Shappad could not
understand the glowering eyes and turned around to see Ramu, Sitaram, Lakhan
and Hanumant also standing nearby huffing and puffing with anger.
Just at this moment a rickety old police jeep with its sirens
blaring signaling the beginning of the nightly curfew passed near the dump yard
startling poor Chappad nee Shappad from its sleep. Brrrrrr!!! Darkness had set
in and Chappad nee Shappad had just broken a cold sweat which felt even colder
as it dripped down its forehead. That was a very strange dream thought Chappad
nee Shappad. Why had his human friends looked so strange? Where had the
benevolent smiles disappeared? "Ohh!! Forget it". It’s just a stupid
dream, that’s what it told itself as it shrugged off the eerie feeling.
As the night grew darker Chappad nee Shappad stretched its legs
and felt a soft growl in its stomachs. It decided to pay its human friends a
visit as after all the humans had tied strings around its neck solemnizing the
bond of friendship only yesterday. The humans would definitely arrange for some
food which would silence the two rats rumbling in its empty stomach. It walked
towards that "L" shaped street corner where its friends lived.
Rahim, a strapping lad of two score and five years was guarding
the Muslim end of the street. Armed with his own "Katta" he felt
comfortable as the warmth of the cold steel made him feel alive. Just as he was
about to open the packet containing his dinner to eat, he saw that friendly street
dog walking towards him with its tails wagging. "Well, Hello!! Chappad
Ganju. Where had you been yesterday night? I had brought an extra roti for you
yesterday, but you never showed up. As he remembered the wasted food of
yesterday Rahim kicked at Chappad Ganju. Chappad thinking it was some new game
its friend was playing side stepped the kick easily and started wagging its
tail even more. Rahim laughed as the dog came closer and nuzzled its head near
him. "I missed you Chappad Ganju. You had me worried yesterday night when
you didn't turn up" Rahim said. As he was talking with the dog, Rahim
brushed the back of the dog. That is the time when he realized that there was a
new dog tag around the dogs neck. He took his torch out and tried to read what
was written on the new tag. As he finished reading, Shappad Sanju - A
"Hindu" Dog, his blood started boiling. The bile turned inside him.
That bitter taste called hatred stung his tongue with vehemence.
"Bastards!!!" Rahim shouted loudly so that his voice travelled the
"L" of the "L" shaped street corner to no one in
particular. The fury which had been convulsing inside him had inadvertently
found vent in his fingers which had started pinching the furry back of the dog.
Chappad tried to ignore the pain thinking it was a game, but then it became
unbearable. It yelped in fear and slunk away from Rahim. This was the time when
Rahim realized he had been trying to smother Chappad and as a result the dog
had slunk away. Breathing in and out he controlled his anger and contemplated
upon the course of action to be taken.
Rahim took out his pen and scribbled some of the choicest
expletives targeted at the other community on the dog tag. Then feeding the dog
with a scrap of Roti, he instructed it, "Chappad Ganju, take my message
which is tied around your neck to your unholy friends. Don't wander away trying
to fool me. I have learned to hate all traitors, and there is no disease that I
spit on more than treachery. Your treachery if you dare to show it will be
awarded with death". Chappad Ganju was feeling a sense of déjà -vu as it
noticed a change in the way the human was speaking with it. Why was it feeling
like the human was speaking harsh words to it? "Now go away you ungrateful
wretch" bellowed Rahim as he kicked the dog.
Yelping away and not sensing what had gone wrong with the human,
it tried to limp away to the other end of the "L" shaped street. As
it turned around the sharp 90 degree corner of the "L: shaped street, Ramu
and his night guard friends noticed it limping towards him. The initial sense
of happiness on seeing the friendly street dog was snuffed out like a candle in
a storm when Lakhan whispered aloud, "Did you see, that mangy dog just
came from the Muslim side of the street?" "We gave it food and played
with it yesterday and look that unappreciative dog is still showing loyalty to
it old masters" scorned Hanumant. Sitaram shouted aloud
"traitor". Ramu pulled out his country made "Katta" and
aimed at the limping dog. Grinding his teeth in anger, Ramu muttered "even
dogs need to decide if they are Hindu or Muslims".
 |
| KATTA |
Just at this moment a second loud bang could be heard followed by
the shattering of its left foreleg. The pain was unbearable for poor Chappad
nee Shappad. It hobbled and looked imploringly towards Ramu and his gang who
seemed to be shooing him away. Turning on its heels, it tried to return the way
it had come. A third bang was heard as Rahim nodded with satisfaction on seeing
the smoke emanating from the barrel of his "Katta". Unfortunately the
bullet had missed its mark as the dog had been hobbling up and down. Rahim
shouted loud enough for the dog to hear, "Remember who you are, do not
show treachery in front of me otherwise you will die a dogs death". Poor
Chappad nee Shappad was terrified by now. What bloody evil had taken over the
minds of these people? Why were they trying to harm it? Chappad nee Shappad
looked with tears running down its eyes and blood flowing from the stump of
what was left of its left foreleg. It was standing exactly at the corner of the
"L" shaped street as these ghastly events were unfolding in front of
it. Chappad nee Shappad looked imploringly to the right once where the group of
humans still stood shouting loudly then it looked left where the solitary human
was brandishing his gun at it.
It tried to take a step forward towards the pavement away from
Rahim and Ramu. Ramu and his friends thought the dog was coming towards them
while at the other end of the street Rahim felt the dog was returning towards
him. Angered by the insolence showed by the dog, Rahim fired off his weapon of
death a second time that night and the bullet hit the dog this time. Before the
sound of the Muslim gun fire had died down another loud bang was heard as a
second bullet pierced the dog. This time the culprit had been the smoking
"Katta" in the hands of Ramu. Chappad nee Shappad yelped one last
time before life ebbed away swiftly and a calm darkness enveloped its eyes.
Authors Note: The author has no intention of disrespecting any community. Please do forgive the author if this story offends any ones sensibilities.
If only all of us would realize that no one can build a country on their own. A nation is great when we built it together.
As a parting thought the author would like to say Thank You to Sadat Sahib.
