Of Pet Dogs & Arranged Marriages

Someone told me that I am very bad with metaphors, yet I can not stop using my pet ones :-) !!
A few years ago, I had a pet dog- A very handsome & majestic German Shepherd. He was highly admired & feared by everyone in my street, and he certainly deserved to be, for he was one of the most dignified & self respecting animal I had ever known.
Many times during his lifetime, he had been pursued by other dog owners- as a stud for their German Shepherd bitches. Now who would not have wanted his bitch to have Steve's puppies?
As the proud owner of my lovely dog, my father would often be hounded by proposals which would go somewhat like this- "I like your dog! I have a GS bitch, and was wondering if you could lend him to me for a few days?"
The proposals always included an offer for payment in return- either in cash, or in kind ( a puppy, to be specific). But Steve would always disappoint the bitch's owner- he would never even look at the bitch, let alone making her pregnant! I would smile to myself whenever this happened, my Stevie boy was dignified, he would not mate with just anyone just because his owner wanted him to. And that poor thing fancied a stray brown bitch, whom he could not be with because she was "just a street mongrel"

When I look at our Indian society, I find many human beings lacking the basic dignity that even my dog had- some people would just marry anyone for sake of parental pressure. I am appalled, to say the least, that even today there are youngsters whose parents fix their marriages even without their approvals! And certain people even take pride in doing so! Pathetic.

It is not uncommon for people to marry ( and sleep with) complete strangers.In many cases of arranged marriages, they boy & the girl would have met hardly a couple of times before tying the knot. The concept of arranged marriage is not much different from the arranged mating of pet dogs- All that matters is the breed ( read religion, caste, sub caste ), convenience & the materialistic aspects ( It is the exchange of cash or a puppy in case of dogs, & in case of human beings, it extends to gold, property, furniture, electronic gadgets, vehicles & so on )

It is easy to understand the reason behind the popularity of arranged marriages- it targets the inherent greed of humans, their insatiable thirst for easy money and social status. And Sex is guaranteed- even if someone is socially or biologically incapable of attracting a suitable partner, one can easily get a sexual partner through such arrangements.

And the best thing? It is so convenient & simple- as simple as getting your pet dogs mated :-) !!

Fairytales Happen in Crowland

A few years ago, I witnessed something that I could have never imagined. A handsome black crow spread out his tail feathers and began to move clumsily in circles. I could almost feel his nervousness and was amused by his strange behaviour. Then I noticed another crow nearby, watching him with great interest. I started laughing when I realized what was actually happening- the crow was dancing, in order to impress his lady love !! This was a big surprise because I never knew that crows could dance! And there he was, this darling crow dancing in full earnest, his dark feathers shining in the morning sun. Though he was far too self conscious to be graceful, yet I knew his efforts were sincere. Trust me, nothing can be more endearing than a crow in love- a dancing crow, dancing inspite of knowing that he had no talent for it.
"Come on girl, accept his proposal," I mentally urged the female. She eventually did. Mrs. & Mr.Crow proceeded to build a nest on a near by telephone pole & raised a very ugly chick over the next few weeks.
I had read somewhere that crows are monogamous; when they pair, they pair for life. The fact that I might have witnessed the begining of an eternal love story was so fascinating. There is definitely something comforting about the concept of monogamy, maybe that is why we, human beings try to force it upon ourselves. Maybe that is why adults & children alike are so deeply moved by fairytales.
Why Do we still believe that people fall in love only once in this life? Why do we think that we all have got, but one soulmate? Why do we tend to cling on to idealistic romantic beliefs inspite of very well knowing that nature never intended humans to be monogamous?
Is it because we were brought up to think like this, or is it because we all crave for the security & stability monogamy is associated with? Why do we all want something that was not meant for us in the first place?

How I wish I knew!! Maybe I will get the answers when the time is right...

A Love So Trusting...

I live in a lively street where humans and creatures of various species cohabit peacefully. I place earthen pots outside my house during summers,in which I would keep food and water for the animals and birds. Among the regular visitors, is a handsome black crow whom I call Aatma Ram. I have great admiration for this bird with dark, shiny feathers and an intelligent look in his eyes. He would be perched on a nearby pole and would swoop down as soon as he saw me coming out of my house. He knows that I would bring some treat for him at a particular time. And he would create a scene cawing loudly in a rowdy tone if I got his breakfast late. Aatma Ram and I shared a beautiful relationship based on mutual love and respect. He would come very near to me though I never tried to touch him. He loved and trusted me, of that I have no doubt. And an incident proved how much. One day I noticed that the pot had become very dirty. So I got a scrubber and a spoonful of detergent to wash it with. No sooner had I thrown the detergent into his bowl, he came gliding from his pole and took a big mouthful ! I was shocked! Poor Aatma trusted me so much that he did not even check what I had put into the bowl before taking a bite! Now he was making faces and looking at me accusingly. Overcome by guilt, I retrieved some bread crumbs for him. He gobbled it up, but only after ensuring that it was edible. I realized that day, that animals are far more sincere in their emotions than we, humans are. We have to be very careful while dealing with innocent animals because they will love and trust us unconditionally. We have to ensure that we are deserving of their pure loyalty.