23 October 2011

To Animals. They have some rights.


Song : Phir Se Ud Chala -- Rockstar




"Have it with salt Nani, you'll like it," he said.


"Salt, where is it? I don't see it. It's not here," she said while moving her hand across the white plate to feel any granular substance.


"It's here Grandma," he said pointing at the spot where the salt was.


She bent forward and looked carefully. She then touched the spot and was convinced that it was indeed salt. She took some of it and applied it on the covering of the orange fruit segments that she had just peeled. She then popped one into her mouth.


"Have it. Come on quick," she said to her grandson, almost hitting the plate to his chest. There was a sense of a hurry in her tone, even though in reality there was no hurry at all.


"I have had three of these," he said, adjusting himself such that the sunlight wouldn't hit his eyes directly.


Just then two cats meowed. They were right in front of them. While the humans relaxed in the veranda, the cats splurged themselves on the smooth grass in the mild winter heat. The younger of the cats, moved behind the elder one, slowly and carefully; perhaps scared of the other animals.


"Look at them, sitting over there," Nani pointed out.


He looked carefully at the beautiful creatures. They weren't the best of cats, he thought. They were wild, dirty and dull, not even comparable to magnificent Golden Cats of Egypt or the white snowballs of the movies. But something about them was fascinating. He admired their movement, their style, their presence and most importantly the fact that they had a life, that they were real and living, in a world of their own.


He had always wanted to pet a Cat, but was never able to. They were supposed to be unfaithful, unlucky and unworthy of petting. He remembered the many stories his mother had told him, when she had pet a wild cat. How she would steal milk and feed it to the cat. How the cat would come everyday at the same time. How she gave birth to babies. How she would come under the blanket during the winter and eventually tear the blanket. And of course like all cat stories, how she drank the milk from the kitchen, without asking. He thought that this disobedience and desirous attitude, is probably why he was never allowed to pet a cat.


He now recalled the most favourite part of the story. It was the story after the betrayal. Most Cats are banished after they commit the sin. They are denied food and are scared away. The arrogant animals that they are, they go away and look for some other human to fool. But this one cat, after months of exile returned. His mother would tell him, that when the Cat returned she was ill and thin and uglier than ever. And the mother filled with compassion, gave her lots and lots of milk. He couldn't remember what happened after this. Perhaps, his mother grew up.


Suddenly the Gradmother got up and started collecting the orange peels. And immediately then the cat jumped and crossed the wall. In a flash of second, the elder cat was gone. The younger one hid behind one of the garden pots, unable to jump that high.


"Look how she jumps. Ram ki Leela ko dekh," the grandmother said with a huge smile.


He looked and smiled.


His phone started ringing loudly, disturbing the peace of the moment.


"Where is this sound coming from?" his grandmother asked.


He looked at the phone and sighed. It read :


"Mock CAT 2:30pm"


Cat. Billi.







CAT. Common Aptitude Test.






Wish me luck?



4 comments:

Vasudha said...

Very cute :)

Devna said...

Epic :D

Rohan Chawla said...

It is one of my favourites :)

Rohan Chawla said...

Glad you like it :)