It was a rather dull evening when i got into my usual driver service. I had to drop dad at the dentist and pick some grocery and stuffs for home. Instead i ended up waiting as dad changed his plans and i had to pick him back too. Sitting in the driver seat with nothing much to do, listening to age old radio songs and the radio jockey blab rather senseless things, no offences to their entertainment services, my mood was not conducive enough to be enjoying neither appreciating their hard core efforts to provide highly appealing programmes to the masses.
Another specialty of that very day was it was a usual harthal day, and after 6 meant just a small shop opened in a corner. An old man walked to the shop, his dressing and looks in the faint car lights made him more scary. I kept on watching him and none of his acts seemed to put him in a favorable side as he brought more of tobacco products along with a packet of bread. People, how much their priorities differed. Well, it was nothing much to be noticed. However, as he neared my car, he stopped and looked towards his right and started talking to someone. I could not see him as a crazy or lunatic person, still his body language meant he was calling someone. How come i could not spot any one there??? I diverted all my attention to that dark side of the never ending shops, switching off the blaberring radio. The man walked away soon, and a small figure followed him. It was a dog, i could not believe my eyes, it was a stray dog, and no one would have actually noticed it resting peacefully there, like waiting for the scary old man. It followed him happily and they found a nice place to share the bread he had just brought.
As a spectator, what went through me was neither shock or disgust, but the humanitarian factor that remained in him. He seemed lonely in his life yet happy in his own way, and the dog, it was more than happy in being with him. I even smiled on the thought that the dog showed more love and affection to the man than many well-fed, well- cared domestic dogs i knew. Small things that we see around, mean much more than how they appear.
catchminu 