And then there were two:

It was a chilly winter morning. As I sat with my steaming cup of tea, rocking on my newly acquired jhula, the black one came up to me cautiously. With a very well defined brows, he was a handsome little puppy with warm brown eyes, and thick black coat. I held out my hand, the one having a sliver of Mary biscuit. No, he did not ask for it, I offered on my own, because I thought he must be hungry. After all, he was a road puppy, with no home and obviously no source of food other than his mother’s milk. He gladly accepted and in no time we became fast friends. Of the four puppies that Bhuli (the mother dog) had decided to bring in our front yard, he was the cutest, most well behaved and definitely the most friendly one. I had just started working in a new office and each evening, when I came home the black one would be there to greet me by the gate, separate from the huddle. I christened him Pogo. And as soon as I started calling him by the name, he would stand up, tail in full wags mode, a smile on his face (or so it seemed). This is how he got acquainted with my cats, especially our kitten Chiku. Chiku and he hit it off quite well, and my Sunday afternoons were spent playing with them… Chiku being the lazy one always rolling on the floor, and Pogo pulling at his ears or tail to get him up to play.

Life seemed perfect with my stress busters until one fine evening, when man made stress got me into quarrelsome mood. That evening as I came home, I did not pay attention to Pogo, who was in his usual spot, wagging tail and waiting for my hug. I stormed into the house. Pogo followed, and I picked him up, only to drop him a few seconds later. Then came the sound of a sharp screech, on the road. I Ignored. I was busy making my point to my folks. Moments later I heard  a cry. Our neighbors who had come out to see off some guests, had seen the pool of blood on the road. I walked calmly to the gate thinking nothing much of it. But then I could not find Pogo. At first, a bit concerned, and then frantic, I searched the road…only to be told that he was lying next to the boundary wall of my house. I ran towards him only to be pulled back. You see, he was dead! He was hit by one of the forever-racing-speeding bikes on the road. He had trotted off to the road when I was busy making my point, and I lost him forever. I stood there, stupefied, not really believing that in a span of minutes a life was lost because someone was thrilled with speeding.  A numbing realization which did not do me any good. To make a long story short, the same fate awaited the other black puppy in the group. After some months of being with us, he also left for a better place as I would like to think of the after-world.

Now two of them remains whom I still feed. But no, I am so scared of losing them, I don’t pet them. Or have not named them. It’s better they learn the hard way the survival rules of this world. Of the dangers of thoughtless, stupid people, and their machines. But Pogo remains in my mind. And I have learned the hard way why a pet cannot be replaced. They are sometimes more valuable than some human beings. More precious. And definitely more loving, in a selfless manner which can only be found in them. One day, may be, I will christen the remaining two. Once I am confident they are going to stay. So that’s the story of four, of which, there is now two! 

The four of them, winter of 2016.

Animals, some views and reviews!

Today I will write about cats, animals in general, and human beings who are....I don't know... nor humans, neither animals!!

I have had cats as pet since i moved into my new home after marriage. I remember the first time I went to choose the company quarters assigned to us. From all the options available, I chose my home, the current one i live in, because there were two kittens who were playing in the backyard, oblivious to us, and quite fearless when they spotted us. Seems strange, but at that point, the empty shell of a house came alive because of those two frolicking around. Since then I have had cats who come and go, who are stay-at-home, who have been brought as kittens and died in our care, and those who were killed. The killing part...i will talk about that later, let's talk about the amazing world of animals, especially my feline friends.

Cats are disloyal, selfish, dirty, carries diseases etc etc are some of the mis-conceptions that people have. Disloyal….oh no, they are loyal in their own way, without sacrificing their fierce independence. They will wait for u at the gate at the designated time of ur return, or even if u r late, they will come and lie down quitely by ur side if u r sick, or even sad (Cat’s intuition), They will cheer u up with their antics ( cats have amazing sense of humour and comic timing) They will not like it if u r gone for days on end ( and it has nothing to do with food), They wil walk by ur side if u go for one. And they understand ur moods in an almost uncanny way, and react/ or stay passive accordingly. No, they don’t wag their tails or jump on u with joy, but they are loyal in their own way.

Selfish…yes, but certainly less than humans. It’s in their very nature to look out for threats. But if u earn their trust, they will not leave ur side, even if they know they might encounter a dog on the way. They will eat whatever u can afford and I know of cats who went vegetarian just becos there was no fishy stuff on offer. They will pamper u , if u pamper them. And they will ignore u, if u mistreat them. Cattish justice, which I think is quite fair!

Dirty…..I think, they are one species which are cleanliness freaks! One spot of dirt, One spec of water, ruffled fur….and they will groom themselves to death! They don’t like taking baths, of course, but then there’s no need to, becos their saliva has everything to clean their dirt!

But some people hate them. HATE is a strong word. Not liking them, I can understand. But HATE…I don’t. This hatred took lives of 6 of my kittens. One of my neighbours mixed poison in food and lured them and I lost 6 adorable fur balls in a month’s span. How I came to know about the poisoning will make another full blog story, so I won’t get into that.

So, such are some human beings, who, I think should learn from cats, or dogs, or birds, or even monkeys! Live and let live. Love unconditionally. Trust with caution, but trust nontheless. Be kind. Know ur limits. And don’t harm unless harmed.

These animals and birds who are essential to our very existence are killed, beaten, poisoned by so called “ human beings”! Compassion for animals?? Huh! What is that? Rather spoil ur already spoiled brats, but feed a homeless dog?? UNTHINKABLE! Keep out a basin of water for birds in summer? Who does that? And oh! If u see a cat, throw stones, or hot/cold water immediately! They are bad luck and god knows what else evil!

As for me, I love them. Their innocence, lack of any ulterior motive, total trust and love, their quite companionship….. makes me cherish them, the very traits so missing in our modern human society,. May be I am an unsocial brute, but the joy I derive from my pets or even strays somehow satisfies me. And now without preaching u about the many health benefits of having a pet ( Specifically cats) I will end it here, before u start throwing stones at me :D!

Here is my most prized photograph of Gootloo, a kitten of 2 moths at the time of this click, who died before completing even 5 months on this planet, Thanks to some over concerned "human beings"

Alone in a crowded city

This feels like writing in a diary, well almost....cos unlike a diary, which is very private, this is open to people who wants to spend their time reading what I wrote. So with a big leap of faith, here's my first post.

The name of this blog is chosen as per the subject. I will be posting my clicks/ artwork, and writing about the background stories that led to the click or painting/sketch. I think every picture whether man made or camera clicked, tells a story, and sometimes people just look at a picture without getting what went through the mind of the one who authored it. So here's my humble attempt to write about my quirky ideas and world view. The first photo I would like to post here is one of my favourites.....
The title of this photo is: Alone in a crowded city

On one of my visits to the busiest city in West Bengal...Kolkata, I clicked this. My cab was jammed up in a snarling traffic, on a gloomy cloudy day, a depressing day with all the heat and humidity, and without the slightest hint of any rainy relief. As I was sitting there, sweating, and thinking how miserable it is, my eyes wandered. And just on the side of the flyover that I was stuck on, there was this old building with hanging balconies.

Suddenly I saw an old gentleman sauntering out of one of the doors, look forlornly around, and lean on the railing. He then looked at his hand, turned it over and kept looking at his palm, oblivious to the various sounds of our super busy lives teaming around his balcony. I took out my "point and shoot" digital Sony camera, zoomed and took this picture. And as the taxi driver muttered in relief as the tarffic moved, I continued looking at this gentleman, who kept looking at his palm. I forgot my misery. Mine was physical discomfort, tiredness of the journey, eagerness to reach my destination. It was nothing compared to what I wittnesed. Loneliness. No one aorund to talk to. Nobody that seemed to care.....The Gentleman on the balcony stood there, as I moved forward.

And though I moved forward, a part of me stayed behind on that balcony, with the man. Wish I knew what was his story, or, lack of story. But I knew that our little tryst had ended and all that remained was the photograph.
So my friends, we plow and prod through life, always complaining. Sometimes rightfully. Sometimes just out of habit. But then, once in a while we should count our blessings.....for our partners/ friends who would come and hug us if we were alone on a balcony like that, or a phone call to break the silence, or someone passing by waving at us, a known face, just someone who knows and cares.

Hope You enjoyed reading the little thoughts that I shared. If so, please leave a comment. And You are welcome to share your own thoughts on the photograph as well.
That is all for now. :)