Mavericks Memoir: The Irreligious Dog

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.

It was the turn of Ramu to be posted as the night watchman of the Hindu camp along with half a dozen others. They held forth on an "L" shaped street corner, with one end of the "L" being the Hindu border and the other end of the "L" being the Muslim border. Ramu having arrived just after the Masjid had been vandalized was feeling left out and bored. He could not prove his bravado as the brick and mortar of the Masjid had fallen before he arrived at the site. What would he tell his friends when he returned back? Mulling over these thoughts and drowsy with sleep his thoughts wondered off to the "Katta" he had purchased just before boarding the train to this godforsaken town.

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

The first bullet fired from Ramu hit inches from the front paw of Chappad nee Shappad. It got scared, more from the loud bang which emanated from the gun than the smoke emitting from the ground in front of it where the hot bullet had got lodged. Chappad nee Shappad stood glued to the ground unable to comprehend what was happening over here even as Ramu and his friends were shouting expletives at it aloud. The brain on Chappad nee Shappad was working in overdrive, first the angry muttering from the solitary human followed by the hard kick and now the loud bang and the shouting by the other group of humans. What had it done to deserve this?

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.