Post #34: Laali

                      I had never seen such emotional and heart-rending incident which left me traumatized for quite a week. Whenever I saw her, I wanted to solace her, I wanted to pamper her by touching her golden hairs and I wanted to feed her. 

                      It happened when I used to live in the northern part of Delhi. My flat was situated just in front of her caretaker's flat. She was so naughty, elegant and caring toward her caretaker and members of her friend circle. Neither I nor her caretaker had any idea about her parents nor had she. After observing her for months, I was able to understand her needs i.e., pampering and some food and nothing else. 

                     She was naughty because she frequently used to hide the caretaker's flip-flop and used to present that flip-flop after pampering and food; usually biscuit, bread and milk. Elegant because she was good looking and owned shiny golden hairs. Caring because she was loyal and chased unwanted food hunters. 

                        I saw her in the summer, running back and forth, shaking her golden hairs. I saw her in the rainy season, bathing in open park, standing below the silver vertical water streams pouring from sky through the edge of the terrace. Believe me she looked like a golden flower in the lush green park. I saw her in the early winter, she was little different might be because of the lower temperature. Unfortunately she had nothing woolen to wear. 

                       In the middle winter, she looked little fat, shine of the hairs was missing, it took me no time to understand that she was pregnant. I could see her caretaker was taking extra care to feed her. 

                       Just after two-three days, I saw her caretaker packing bags, folding beds, unscrewing air condition from the wall. I came to know they sold the flat and they are moving to somewhere else, they bought better flat than they had. 

                        Laali was the name given by her caretaker since her childhood and I can tell you 'Laali' was the perfect name for her. It suited her personality. When Laali came to know about her caretaker leaving and moving far from the current locality, she stopped eating and acting. She just put her legs forward and laid herself down like she was lifeless.

                        She had never gone inside her caretaker's flat. That was the day she went inside and roaming, sniffing the packages and came outside, again laid down at the base of entrance gate of the flat. I could see her moistened pinkish eyes blinking slowly and periodically. She was looking continuously and selflessly at her caretaker to not leave the flat or to take her with themselves. 

                       Who had stopped the one who wanted to go. Laali was not strong enough to stop them. She was helpless. Her caretaker left some bread, loaded all the packages on the truck and started leaving. Laali started roaming around them in circle. Her caretaker could also not stop themselves crying. They pampered Laali for the last time and moved on. She started chasing the truck in a slow motion. But soon Laali realised and stopped. After vanishing the truck, she came back and started eating bread left by her caretaker. 

                   Some days later, she found a small cave like structure inside a park surrounded by unwanted weeds. She stopped visiting our street. Laali believed that her haven is in that park now. She was going to be a mother soon, she was dreaming inside that cave probably. 

                        That park was of DDA(Delhi Development Authority), whole locality used to throw their solid waste there. There were small small mountain like structures made up of plastics,papers,leaves etc. Some DDA laborers had come with weed cutting instrument, kerosene oil and a matchbox. Bulldozer demolished the wall and took all those solid waste mountains out of the park. Laborers set ablaze those weeds without knowing what's hiding there.

                        Laali was not present at her house, that cave in the park, probably was out for food hunt. When she came, she saw fire flames, started making noise and crying, she lost her senses, started rolling on the ground. When I came to know that her children were burnt alive. I just sat on the veranda of my flat for a moment, stood up and ran towards the park. It was so shocking to see those burnt black structures, her four out of five children had turned in to the ashes. The fifth child was so small and more than three-fourth of the body was already burnt, though alive, I can say Laali had delivered the babies not more than 2-3 days ago. Everyone present there was agonized and desolated to the core of the heart. 

                          Some aunties, being mothers, were feeling the pain and tried consoling Laali at the time of grief and huge loss. One auntie came with little milk and bread, tried to feed her. But she refused to have the food. There was a hope in her eyes as one of her baby was still alive. Unfortunately she could not sustain that hope and lost the piece of her heart. Laali took a deep breath, closed her eyes and slept in an unconscious mode. I could not stop myself and left the place. Laali was a beautiful female dog, a beautiful mother. She had the same feeling, same care, same heart our mothers have for us.