The Dog Rescue Squad

That was the last monsoon of our school days. The 2010 one. The encumbrance of the class twelfth was not yet on shoulders and we always had our crazy stuff that was worth remembering a tons of time.

So, on one of such nights, after dinner, it was drizzling and there was no electricity, (a night without electricity was always a great pastime). While we had some chit chat in our house, a junior came running and said, Anna, its Pallavi akka this time. God! Not even the sturdy one, I said and rushed to the Udaygiri house. Sacchya, Wasya and others along with some juniors who held the same concerns were already there. The crowd was a bit big than usual.

It was decided to bury her near the pump house that was near the boys' water tank. Someone carried her and we all walked behind in silence. Digging a pit with a rod was easy as the ground was moist. After the burial, for a brief period of time, we stood there in silence to offer our condolences. The death of this sturdy puppy had ended the dog rescue mission that was undertaken by Sacchya.

Let’s talk about what’s going on. Who’s Pallavi? Why a burial?

See, Sacchya loved puppies. One rainy night he found out some five newborn puppies near the pool that’s by the boys' ground. Without any shelter, seeing them all shriveled and shivering, he was moved. He thought he could do something for those poor souls. So he, along with his squad assured them a shelter under the staircase of Udaygiri house. The waste gunny bags and some clothes provided the necessary warmth. Some daily doses of milk smuggled from mess assured some great nutrition. At least that’s what we thought.

And men will be men. After two-three days, according to the appearance of the puppies, they were named after our class girls. The one that was white was Ganga. The one that was a bit white but frail was Paru. There was one, well built and with a dark complexion, someone called it Renuka. Don’t really remember why the fourth one was called Trisha as it didn’t really resemble her. The last one was Pallavi, very akin to how she looked.

It was fun for some days. Then all of a sudden, Paru died. It was sad. She was buried. Then again, in a succession, they all started to pass. Pallavi had held it for some time but that night she too had given it up. Though it is a funny memory now, it sure was bit emotional then.