This Saturday, I went to City Select to watch Avatar (oh wait, no, “AVATAR 3D” !!!). To my disappointment, all the shows were Sold Out!!! (Poor Me: ‘You Delhiites!!! Don’t you have anything better to do ???) So as obvious, I did the next best thing. I went to KFC 🙂. (Incidentally, there was a Santa, & somehow, the image of Santa, selling my ‘Finger Lickin Gud’, didn’t quite, well, u know …) Anyways, so after ‘lickin my fingers’, as I was about to leave, I decided to watch some X’mus celebrations & Delhi’s “Greenery”. (You R Clever!!!) And, after some time, I felt Blissed!!!
Then, Suddenly, something caught my fancy, & I, out of sheer curiosity, decided to take a peek. (Okay, I admit. I followed a Chick there… 😛 )
The sign read: ‘People for Animal’. Below that, it read: ‘Puppy for Adoption’. (Strange!! Doesn’t it mean ‘Animal for People’ ???) I decided to linger around for a while (This December, I’m free as a Bird!!!) & find out what the entire Business actually was.
It was no Monkey Business, I found out. And I found out many more things. They, ‘People For Animal’, were really giving out puppies (“So Cuuute!!!” screamed my Chick.) for adoption. There were all sorts of puppies: black, white, black n white, brown, mix-bred, pure-bred, he, she, playful, sleepy, pooping & non-pooping, with & without sweater, all sorts of them, if you take my word.
We Indians are all a bunch of Racists!!! No matter how vehemently we deny the allegations of cast, colour & gender play, deep down we know that we are not wired to spare even dogs!! This is what I overheard from a conversation:
Husband: (Willing to please his Wife) How much for the Dog?
Volunteer: Sir, these are not for Sale; for Adoption only.
Wife: Can I hold one?? (Volunteer peeks up a playful puppy.) No. No. That one. (Points) The one with the Brown Spots.
Volunteer: Ma`am, it is asleep.
Wife: But can you…? I want to take one.
(Volunteer reluctantly hands her the Puppy.)
Wife: Cho Chweeet na Darling??? (‘Yes. Yes.’ nodes Husband.) Can we have it???
Husband: (To volunteer) What breed is it?
Volunteer: Sir, it’s a Mongrel, rescued from streets.
Husband: Sadak ka Kutta!!!(You Mean Street-Dog???) (Volunteer nodes. Husband talks with his Wife.)
Volunteer: It doesn’t make a difference Sir. This Puppy is just 31 days old; & is house-trained. (Wife seems convinced.)
Wife: Is it a Male or Female?
Volunteer: (Lifts the Puppy’s legs & points out) It’s a Female.
Wife: (Disappointed) Don’t you have a Male I this? It will be a problem when She gets older!!
Volunteer: No Ma`am, we can arrange for her Sterilisation after 1 year. And in fact, the Male becomes aggressive & dominant after it gets older; it’ll be very difficult to control.
(The Couple finally settles for this One.)
Husband: Ok, Our last puppy used to crap everywhere!! Tell me, Are these puppies trained to poop???
The people asked all sorts of queries: pre-adoption, post-adoption, dog-food (‘Cerelac’ for 1-6 months old Human babies!!!). The volunteers were also probing hard to make sure they select the right families. (They even threatened to take the Puppy back if found ill-treated.) All in all, it was quite an experience. For me.
End:
And all the while I was trying to woo the attention of the Chick by playing the role of a Reporter, a Dog Lover, & what not!!! So I started caressing a puppy & pretended empathising with the volunteers. “Would you mind if I write about you in My BLOG???” I said, quite Loudly. And finally, the Chick showed some interest. As I was waiting, she came to me & said, “You write in Blog?” “Yes, I Blog.” I said, trying to look modest. “Wow, what do you do???” she keenly asked. I turned my back to her, thrusting my Sweat Shirt Logo forward, “I study in I I T, baby!!!” I said, cheekily. “IIT Delhi??? Wow!!! So how do you manage?” her eagerness belied her voice. I regained my composure & replied, “It’s a loooooong story… Why don’t we discuss it over dinner?? I know a great place just round the corner!”
And I took her to KFC.
And there ……, well, ……… this happened.
it'sAdi 