The sand dune-and the story of Sukhi,Maali and the two dogs......

First the sand dune.
Pristine white mound,carelessly erected by the roadside.I guess it was some time late last night,that the truck came over and spilled out the sand,as it always does.Only this time,the mound assumed a larger proportion and resembled a hillock.

In the early hours of the morning, today,the kids in the neighbourhood woke up,to find a brand new landmark erected,right next to their bed.I was there,i am usually there,while they go through their morning chores-by the roadside.They feel quite safe now,as the authorities,have constructed a curb,a prelude, to a hitherto illusionary ,footpath.It is so therapeutic,in the wee hours of the morning,to witness,a carefree,unrestrained exhibition of-routine life.

With a chronic but regular,though brief interaction, everyday, Maali and Sukhi offer a polite smile,even when they are in the midst of varying stages of defecation or ablution process.The smiles etch stronger and wider lines,if the results of their efforts have been more profitable.So much for the pleasure of evacuation!Today,either they were up,early or i was late.They were through with their chores,or so i deduced,and were merrily perched right at the summit of the dune.Sensory perceptions are best felt on naked skin.This doctrine was already known to these little girls,thanks to their meager resources.The forced austerity provided a terrific opportunity for a direct bodily contact with the cool sand.Sukhi is just about two and hence has not been introduced to the concept of clothes,while Maali,all of three,manages to don oversized shirts,obviating the need for anything underneath.The girls were ecstatic when they noticed me.They cried in unison and invited me to their new play station.They were at the summit and were armed with their toys.Sukhi,a proud possessor of a one and a half litre plastic bottle,frayed at its rim and Maali had a blue, half litre bottle.Both the bottles had residues of -a soft drink and hair oil-respectively,sticking to them.The chronicity of our relationship ensured that both of them ran down the slope,took my hands and invited (dragged) me to their domain.Without a care in the world,Sukhi emptied the content on my shoes and giggled.Maali,with the disadvantage of age,forcing controlled behaviour,offered an apologetic smile.The next few moments were spent in emptying the bottles and refilling them.Such unadulterated joy!The bliss was harshly interrupted.The intruders moved in without any fanfare. They exhibited the cool air of habitual extortionists,who claim rights to any property,while displacing the rightful owners.


These two dogs,pie dogs,share a common habitat with the girls.The girls did not even bother to glance at them,till they started climbing the mound.It made for a compelling viewing,the girls and/versus,the canines.

The dogs had a valid reason to demand their pound of flesh.While the girls were asleep and hence unaware,the dogs,forever awake at night,were the first to scale the peak.The dogs had worked hard at night to make burrows,on the slopes.The coolness of the night air,coupled with the moisture in the sand,had ensured a cool abode.In the canine parlance,the pie dogs had carved out a space akin to their skin colour,in the white sand, a colour,reserved for their brethrens,of higher pedigree.The deep beige of the scooped out area offered a contrast against the white sand,which immediately alerted the girls of,the forced occupation..They quickly slid down and occupied the space,only to find them atop one of the dogs.

This relationship,between a dog and a child is astonishing .The freedom of action and the leeway a dog offers to a child,is really amazing.Dogs offer huge discounts to the kids,even when it comes to being mishandled and suffer a bodily harm.I guess it has more to do with the mutual understanding,arrived at even before the first exposure.It must be the gentleness of the touch,the special canine perception,that,no harm is intended.It must be a feeling of interacting with equals,peers,friends,buddies-yes,playmates.

Sukhi landed right on top of one ,which had occupied the burrow.Not a whimper!Sukhi called for help.Maali had already anticipated the trouble.She descended with two bottlefull of sand and emptied them,right on the face of the unsuspecting dog.It yielded precious little in terms of ground space.The dog shook his head violently from side to side and got rid of the nuisance.Sukhi had already prepared herself of the next plan of action.She caught hold of the dog's tail and dragged him out of the hole.Almost.The dog was now in a playful mode.He yielded a little, to offer a bait and then retreated again.The other dog now rushed with a feigned frenzy,charged to the scene of action and stopped just short of the girls.So much for the rush of adrenaline!The feigned frenzy did not even evoke,a look in,by the girls.They summarily ignored the comrade-in-arm and both of them successfully-extricated-and not so much as, pulled the tolerant and forgiving,friend cum foe out of his place.

What transpired next,was such a joy to watch!Even after being ?manhandled and displaced,both the dogs sat snugly fitting into the left over space of the burrow.The girls had triumphed.They also knew that it was not so much of their prowess but the allowance offered by their,generous mates.

Probably.as a mark of gratitude,Sukhi summoned me close to where she was lying,in her cool cocoon.In her broken,almost incomprehensible stutter,she thundered,pointing to the two,presently unwanted,co-habitants,:"aane tamaare ghare lai jao,jaav."(take these two guys to your place).

Sukhi conveyed so much with that one sentence.The dogs were a nuisance,at present,but she wanted them to go and stay some place else,albeit,a good one and needed the place,all to herself!

Such a gorgeous beginning to the day!Boy,am i lucky!