Gundey

By Richa Srivastava

Mayuri was very fond of animals, especially dogs; she made sure every stray dog, cat or any other animal taking abode in the street where her duplex family house was situated, was well-fed and looked after. Career and money never gave her half the calmness and contentment that looking at their tiny wagging tails or the twinkle in their eyes did when these kids were being fed.

There was a new litter of puppies in her colony; a litter Mayuri fed and almost mothered from day one; making sure they had everything to survive while she continued to work on getting them adopted. But from that litter of 3 pups, there was one who discreetly made his way into her heart way deeper and faster than she’d anticipated. She fondly called him ‘Gundey’ (meaning ‘goon’ in English). His grey-black coat, black snout and big, dewy, expressive eyes almost charmed Mayuri every time he looked at her.

Gundey was one ball of energy, a bit defiant and extremely playful. He would come running towards Mayuri the moment he saw her, his cute tiny legs trying their best to take him to her, though the thing she found the most adorable was how this little pup was not really adept with his feet; still running almost at an angle, not in a straight line. He would come running towards her, twinkle in his eyes, a cute little smiling face and often hitting either side of the street that both him and Mayuri were residents of.

The one thing, which probably was instrumental in him paving a special way into her heart was the way in which he greeted Mayuri, with a sense of long-lost familiarity. He would run towards her but stop at about a feet’s distance, sitting down in the characteristic ‘his master’s voice’ position. He would gently raise his paw and look up at her, with piercing eloquent eyes that seemed to really know her; his face laced with warmth, affection and jubilance that seemed all too familiar to her. Sometimes, as if trying to comprehend the strange bond with this kid, Mayuri would call him names like ‘Zorro’, ‘Blackey’, ‘Otis’ to see if he responded; names of souls that had given her immense love in the past, those that had listened to her when nobody else was there to listen; never failing to express how simply yet profusely they loved her, even when their bellies were not full or when they couldn’t find a shelter for the night. Mayuri felt that maybe one of these souls had found a way back into her life.

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About 2 months passed and Gundey was exactly 2 months and 10 days old. The Diwali vibe had just tuned down and to the respite of all the strays, thankfully the cracker-bursting had ceased too. Gundey and almost all the strays hadn’t been eating well for almost a week now, loitering around irritably and desperately seeking some quietude from the loud noises.

The much-awaited annual poker night of many Indian households was almost announced by the temples of my locality as soon as the evening prayers were done being offered. Gundey and his two brothers curled themselves up on a heap of construction sand on the side of the lane, after having a handsome serving of milk and chappatis that Mayuri’s mom fed them very dearly, talking to them in a child-like voice. It was almost like both parties were having a conversation, with her mom sincerely talking to them in full sentences and them intermittently looking up from their meal, almost acknowledging what she was saying. It was always a fun and warm sight for Mayuri to watch her mom feed these mongrels.

She decided to gift these pups something and bought collars for them. Shiny, luminescent collars, red, blue and green, to help them become easily visible to passing vehicles. That night, Mayuri went to bed, bearing a gentle smile and heart full of a warm fuzzy feeling. She remembered the vision of Gundey, with the collar tied gently around his neck, strutting in a manner that can almost be termed as haughty and mischievous; like he already knew he was looking handsome. He measured the length and breadth of the lane, as if showing off his collar like an embellishment.

The next morning, Mayuri is woken up by a commotion on the street. Gundey had bit someone. To investigate this further, she moves down the stairs in her chappals and loose night dress; only to find Gundey sitting on the corner of the street, terrified and shivering.

She prepares some warm milk for him and explains to the other residents that this has to be a one-off instance; citing reasons like noise and commotion for Gundey’s behavior. But, these incidents don’t stop. For the next two days, numerous people are bit by Gundey; his appetite now almost non-existent and a strange unfamiliarity now residing in his eyes. Mayuri constantly tries to feed him from a distance; in doing so also grabbing every opportunity to seek the familiarity and warmth in his eyes but never really finding it. It was almost like Gundey was gone.

For two consecutive nights, Mayuri could hear Gundey being hit by the people in the street, crying in pain and just running haphazardly in search of any kind of respite. It was almost like all his pain came darting towards her with each cry and wail. Her eyes now tired and paining with the constant crying and even headphones not easing any more pain, she finally zeroes down to an NGO that can be called to help and make sense of all the pain that Gundey was having to bear.

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It is 2:30 pm, Sunday afternoon. Mayuri and her family are waiting for the veterinary hospital van to arrive. Many children have also gathered to see Gundey off to the hospital to be treated. It had been an eerily quiet day for the family. Fear and foreboding were the tones of this silence. Mayuri was terrified of the possibility of Gundey having contracted a rabies infection and sorrowful that she may never see him again ever. Somewhere, no matter how meek that hope was, she still had some hope harbouring in a tiny corner of her heart that she may get her Gundey back safely.

As Mayuri closely watches the whereabouts of a sicker-looking Gundey, with her eyes now unconsciously bearing heavy tears, the van turns into their lane. 3 men in grey uniforms, with net-like tool in their hands, alight the vehicle and walk up to her father; confirming the details of the location and asking about the whereabouts of the ‘stray’.

Mayuri’s father looks at her and nods. For one brief second, she closes her eyes. Tears drip down her cheeks. It is at this very moment she prays for this nightmare to end. It is in this very moment, she remembers every single thing about her little puppy; about her confidante, her solace. She opens her reddened grief-stricken eyes and with a shaking voice calls out ‘Gundey!’

His head gently peeping from behind the tire of a parked motorcycle, Gundey looks in the direction of the voice that seems familiar to him. He now braves to come out in the open, the face in the distance giving him a feeling of calm and assurance, like a balm to his wounds. He starts to trot and then eventually runs in the direction of the face; feeling joy and excitement altogether. It was the face that had eased his pain and distress many times earlier too and he was sure to be helped with his pain now… perhaps he should try to run faster!

Gundey was running towards Mayuri. His mannerisms were so familiar that Mayuri almost skipped a heartbeat with joy. His cute tiny legs trying their best to get him to her, adorably still running almost at an angle, not in a straight line, hitting either side of the street with an exceptional familiarity and twinkle in his eyes. Yes, this was it! He knew Mayuri! Gundey remembered her! Maybe all this is unnecessary! Sure, he is back! Mayuri is now already thanking her stars while Gundey is running towards her. He is just a few steps away from her and it is at this very moment, he leaps and bites her.

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Mayuri is overcome with a complex feeling of dark notations, of remorse, of fear, of helplessness, of failure and on top of it, of foreboding, that it all may be true; whatever other people are saying, whatever Google has suggested. Her heart sinks and she freezes. The people in grey uniforms run towards her to get a hold of her ‘Gundey’, while she stands there, dumbfounded, as if in a trance. Her father rushes to her and shakes her.

Mayuri breaks out of a spell and looks at where Gundey is; her eyes desperately searching for him. He has been forced into a van with grilled windows. In a moment that is forever frozen in time, Mayuri looks towards the grilled windows and behind them is a face, scared and confused, but eyes that look directly into hers, with a plea in them and a hope that only she can understand and help him. It was almost like Gundey knew her…….

By Richa Srivastava