How Cheeka Became a Star and other Dog Stories
Ed. Dhiraj Nayyar
Price: Rs 495
Natraj Books
I knew we had a winner when the book was delivered, undamaged and unsullied but with a fair amount of drool, at my feet by the Dog (Doginder alias Obama, and herein hangs another tail, sorry tale, but that’s for another time), accompanied by frenzied, if not hysterical, wag of the tail.
The judgment is out: How Cheeka became a star and other stories had a ‘paws up’ from the VID, the Very Important Dog of the house, so who am I to say anything at all? Nonetheless, here are a few words of wisdom—and since it is all about his kind, The Dog’s opinion is reflected too.
The facts first: the book is collection of all things dog: Dog facts, cartoons, quotes, (exceptionally good) illustrations and stories authored by well-known personalities about their four-legged friends. Tributes, memoirs, anecdotes, written from the heart by an eclectic bunch: artists, writers, politicians, bureaucrats, actors…united by the love of dog.
Its familiar territory, you know the place a dog, who is never ‘just a dog’ occupies in the heart and hearth, you identify with the emotions crafted in words—the joy, the sorrow the happiness, the pain, the heartache—all that being with a dog is about. Each story leaves an imprint...each is an engaging read, even if your gut twists when the beloved companion breathes his last, leaving behind a gaping hole in the heart. ‘Tommy was dead,’ says Mario de Miranda, ‘and I realised that I had lost more than a dog. I had lost a friend.’ You pause, mourn the loss of Tommy--the Don Juan of the neighbourhood, with a thing for lady with miniskirts—before you can go on.
Cyrus Broacha’s happiest moment is when Velpi (a German shepherd and ‘a more complete all round player than Federer’) achieves the momentous feat of retrieving three balls when playing tennis with Cyrus & Co; Pavan K Varma’s sorrow when Sultan (the Great Indian Hound) vanishes. “I think I would have been able to take the sad news of his death, but knowing that he was alive and alone and lost, shook me.’ Mango ( a spaniel past her prime) is quintessential spaniel—dog, actually—in her ability to win friends and influence people. Dogs are wonderful PR agents—more people in our colony know The Dog-few, who know us, is thanks to The Dog.
Brindle Surayia’s diary is a satire on the lives of dogs-and men, while The Iron Lady and The Sufi and his Dog are true accounts of dogs who risked-and in the case of the latter, lost their life for man. Milo’s (Gul Panag’s constant companion) adventures in the great outdoors –particularly with the elephant provide a light moment, while Hrinmay Karlekar’s Bhikat Sarameya is a compelling tale of the supernatural. The Price of a Life is an amazing account of perseverance and courage—about how dogs helped in the rescue work—during the terrible earthquake in Bhuj ‘
Why Dogs go to Heaven is—fittingly—from India’s best known animal rights activist, Maneka Gandhi. How many times have you thought..if only they could speak—well, this is what they would tell you, and its food for thought: “Where do you go on vacation and will you take me along? Why do my humans cut my tail and ears? Why do humans force me to have children then give them away? And importantly, is chocolate allowed in heaven?
Chandan Mitra’s Matriarch demands introspection. It’s about a stray—intelligent, gentle, dignified—he knew and loved. Who lived-quietly, unobtrusively--in Mitra’s lane, but was brutally yanked by the authorities and probably met a gory end. Why? ‘How could anybody be so cruel to those beautiful, undemanding creatures that give us their love and loyalty? Are they the beasts, or we?’ questions Mitra.
You will note that I do not mention the title story, about Cheeka, the pug who shot to fame in that delightful ad of the pug that follows the little boy everywhere. I loved the ad, the story, and the fact that the love for the pug shines through the story. Mine (and The Dog’s) only contention is the unintended impact the ad had on the world of pugs. Every kid wanted the ‘Hutch Dog’, and then when it ‘didn’t follow them everywhere’, was unceremoniously dumped. At the time, thousands of pugs were bought, and abandoned, and a word of that in the book, brimming with kindness and affection for the dog, would have been well-placed.
There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who love dogs; and those who don’t—and rarely does the twain meet. Says Cyrus Broacha, ‘I have nothing to say to a non-dog lover. I have no interest in them, and I never will.’ The book, however, talks to them too, the ‘non-dog people’, hoping that the stories will touch the heart and be the first step into the world of dogs.
As for the members of the Club of Canine lovers—yours truly included, this book is a delight, a surprise treat, like a long forgotten bone that turns up unexpectedly when digging for mundane stuff that must be greeted with paroxysms of delight. I can’t wag my rump or jump around with whoops of joy, but you get the general idea.
Read it, curled up in your favourite chair, with the dog at your feet, or as is the case with most of us dog-people-the other way around.
PS: This is printed by ETCH, an imprint of Natraj Books, and promises to be the first among a series. Waiting for the next.
In
The Pioneer on Aug 8, 2011
