His Master’s Choice
by Rajbir Deswal
PALAT, palat, palat!" He barked from behind. I turned my back and was surprised to see a dog on my trail. "Bhai Sahab, can you make me understand what is the fault of a dog, if he wags his tail if someone whistles?" "No fault. But how do you know I can talk with you?" "Come on sir, do you not have canine teeth? So you should have canine tongue too!" He could not have been more candid.
"I have some clarifications to seek, regarding the predicament of the Labrador, who is in the news for being claimed by different people, and the matter is in the Hon’ble Court!" And he kept barking with me, taking the canine-cause one by one.
"Is it not a dilemma of sorts, if you have to choose your master, be it a townsman, a bureaucrat or an army man? And why should they prove it, by inciting our instinctive wagging of the tail? Sometimes I feel doing it, when the pressure cooker whistles!" I smiled and waited for his next sal(i)vo.
"Will they obtain the consent of my buddy before implanting a chip in him; or before taking his sample for DNA? What about our rights to privacy and against intrusions? Ye pulis-kachehri ke chakkar kaun katega Bhai Sahab aur kaun jhelega tareekh pe tareekh!" He went on being a little filmy.
"A media-trial is already on, but will they not show in pics, Marshall, or Leo, sitting on his haunches , salivating with his lolling tongue, watching the trial, waiting him to be declared "His Matser’s Choice! We have only known to ‘cross’, but not to be cross-examined. O’ destiny!" He lamented.
"We love our masters, or our ‘owners’ — he chuckled a bit at this ownership — but those of us who are always on a high, in straying here and there, are not considered even for an adoption! Our taut tail not straightened permanently, doesn’t mean that we don’t take even straight and sagacious counsel. Why have we to now engage counsel, sir!" He was going beyond his brief but I kept mum.
"Well, Bhai Sahab, call me mad but we have been known to be loyal to only one master, and not two, or too many. Till the time the verdict will be announced, our faithfulness will remain in a state of suspended anima(l)ation, almost akin to impeachment of credit and character we are known for. Can you tell us an early solution? Canines are impatient and cannot wait like humans, you see."
I heard someone taking a dig at me then, saying, "Kutton ke munh nahin lagte!" and I decided to beat a hasty retreat advising our best friend of the species: "File an application of early hearing!" He was not as unworthy and discourteous as me. He wagged his tail and winked before finally parting ways. But I could hear him brood still, "To be owned or not to be, that is the question...!" Thereafter I could not hear his voice.
PALAT, palat, palat!" He barked from behind. I turned my back and was surprised to see a dog on my trail. "Bhai Sahab, can you make me understand what is the fault of a dog, if he wags his tail if someone whistles?" "No fault. But how do you know I can talk with you?" "Come on sir, do you not have canine teeth? So you should have canine tongue too!" He could not have been more candid.
"I have some clarifications to seek, regarding the predicament of the Labrador, who is in the news for being claimed by different people, and the matter is in the Hon’ble Court!" And he kept barking with me, taking the canine-cause one by one.
"Is it not a dilemma of sorts, if you have to choose your master, be it a townsman, a bureaucrat or an army man? And why should they prove it, by inciting our instinctive wagging of the tail? Sometimes I feel doing it, when the pressure cooker whistles!" I smiled and waited for his next sal(i)vo.
"Will they obtain the consent of my buddy before implanting a chip in him; or before taking his sample for DNA? What about our rights to privacy and against intrusions? Ye pulis-kachehri ke chakkar kaun katega Bhai Sahab aur kaun jhelega tareekh pe tareekh!" He went on being a little filmy.
"A media-trial is already on, but will they not show in pics, Marshall, or Leo, sitting on his haunches , salivating with his lolling tongue, watching the trial, waiting him to be declared "His Matser’s Choice! We have only known to ‘cross’, but not to be cross-examined. O’ destiny!" He lamented.
"We love our masters, or our ‘owners’ — he chuckled a bit at this ownership — but those of us who are always on a high, in straying here and there, are not considered even for an adoption! Our taut tail not straightened permanently, doesn’t mean that we don’t take even straight and sagacious counsel. Why have we to now engage counsel, sir!" He was going beyond his brief but I kept mum.
"Well, Bhai Sahab, call me mad but we have been known to be loyal to only one master, and not two, or too many. Till the time the verdict will be announced, our faithfulness will remain in a state of suspended anima(l)ation, almost akin to impeachment of credit and character we are known for. Can you tell us an early solution? Canines are impatient and cannot wait like humans, you see."
I heard someone taking a dig at me then, saying, "Kutton ke munh nahin lagte!" and I decided to beat a hasty retreat advising our best friend of the species: "File an application of early hearing!" He was not as unworthy and discourteous as me. He wagged his tail and winked before finally parting ways. But I could hear him brood still, "To be owned or not to be, that is the question...!" Thereafter I could not hear his voice.
1 comment:
Very well written!!! Looks like you are after dogs, doggedly nowadays. My perception is that only honest, loyal and trustworthy humans are blessed to be reincarnated as canines....Cheers
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