Miss you Champ

Pic Credit: Suhruda Karekar

28 April 2014

She sniffed the big card board box which doubled up as home for her infant pups. The box was empty,I can sense an emptiness in her eyes too and a mother's grief getting heavier with every passing moment. She left a deep breath,shook her head and those big ears and walked to me with small steps. She locked her eye with mine as if she wants to know something, she licked my palm perhaps to patronize me for the answer. Wish I had one,I hugged her and with moist eyes I stared into the infinity. I decided to write last few days for me, for RANU , for the grief of a mother... In hope that sharing this with you will help me in lightning the sobbing emotions in me and may be your prayers help Ranu to bear this.






One fortnight before


Having a pet at home is not easy. You have to run after them to protect them just like your child. But Ranu is an exception she is very adorable pet and very sensitive too except when you try to give her a bath. She will run in whole house ,throwing her hairs on carpet and you have to run after her to catch her. It take hours to give her weekly bath. Looks like she hate bathing ritual as much I do. Ranu and me share a very good friendship. She can magically sense my mood when everyone else fail to gauze that. She play with me when I am happy ,just sit at my feet's when I write something or just start barking as a signal to take her on a walk. She is more a family member than a pet.

On that day she was admitted to hospital .She was pregnant and about to bring some new 'life' to our world. I don't think any sane people in senses can discriminate the value of life on the basis of the species. Isn't a life is just a life, isn't life is a chance to explore the world like we do,a chance to play like we do, a chance to be loved and a chance to love . I was very much excited to welcome Ranu along with her Pups. Then the first bad news broke out. Doctor said she gave birth to 4 pups but one is inside and another one got stuck in uterus . She need suegery to get those two out. I was scared ,I repeated a silent prayer which I often do. my grandma taught me that to bear the pain of injection as I was very scared of injection. But there is no other way ,Ranu had to bear not only injection but a whole surgery. I repeated the prayer again.

After 3 hours the pups who was stuck died and another one died due to suffocation. I saw Ranu lying still on operation table and a blue swelled pup who has left this beautiful world along with his brother even before opening the eyes,even before the first glimpse. I was unable to hold my tears. Ranu had to go through such a painful surgery and all this but she was not able to save them. I don't know what she was feeling at that time but her blank eyes towards two dead pups were hard to forgot. She licked them perhaps in hope that she could bring them back. But soon she realized there was nothing more that can b done. She turned her face to opposite wall, locked her eyes with mine for half a minute and then shut them as if she was tired and just wanted to rest. We held those dead infants and walked outside room but Ranu has not opened eyes again to bid farewell.

We came back home with four infant puppies and their mom Ranu . Now all we had to do was to watch them growing up and make us all tired by their non stop mischievous plays. But destiny has some other plan almost mocking the mortal human thinking.

The memory of that rain is still haunting me. April rain was something surprising. The chilliness in air has suddenly transformed the whole weather. Pups were enjoying their beauty sleep in their new home. But this sudden change in weather haven't gone well with them. Mom was trying to feed one pup milk when 'she' bid adieu to the world right in her hand. Suddenly two more pups went unconscious. I got panicked ,it was late in night . We put an electric bulb in their home to keep them warm and called the doctor but he couldn't come as he was attending his 'important' family function. Unknowingly some cuss words came out of me for the doc. What is more important than the life of these infants. I woke up whole night just to watch them and praying for improvement in their health. Few hour later they drank milk and I thought the dark hour has passed but destiny has again mocked me. Two infants died next morning . Ranu came and smell them and then again turned her head in another direction as if she want to protest against destiny but as a mother she has lost two child and this is not easy for her. Doctor came next day and told there is some virus infection and perhaps the last one will also not survive. I became very sad but I am sure Ranu was more sad after all she was the mother. She became very protective for the last infant. She sat all time around him and denied permission to touch him. She can't let me touch that. She has taken this fight from the front now.


Few hours before


I just wanted a second with him .I asked my mom to give me a moment .I touched his tiny head and smelled him.I always liked his puppy smell. Run my fingers over his soft furry back,Rubbed it."wake up champ,please get up" Just in case he could listen to me .Sometimes miracles happen and I badly need one that time .I repeated the silent prayer many time in my head.He was my pup, Miraculous one.Because he was brave.He struggled for 4 days after his brothers and sisters left him to live in this world all alone .He was just 12 days old pup.. Didn't even opened his eyes.But God that little creature surely was trying to do his best,was trying to survive,was trying to see this beautiful world.But destiny has now habit of mocking and perhaps didn't notice his efforts. Destiny took him away anyways.The little one has started his final journey . He left us with memory and tears. I can't dare to imagine the pain he suffered in his fight but he left silently without waking up anyone ,perhaps with the first ray of sun. Yes that much sweet he was.

RIP 'angels' and may Almighty give strength to Ranu.