She was sitting on the banks of a pond, immersed in her thoughts. Suddenly the shadows of four horsemen appear in the water. She immediately turns and gets up and shouts – ‘Come on, Dhanno!’ And the mare also immediately turns and looks at her, as if she understands the danger looming over her mistress. Even before he boards the horse carriage, Dhanno starts picking up speed. As soon as she boarded the carriage, she said, ‘Bhaag Dhanno, today it is a question of your Basanti’s respect…’ Most people will remember this scene from the 51 year old film ‘Sholay’. Some people might have also wondered how a mare can sense danger. But I never doubted this view, because I have read articles and heard stories from elders that animals living with humans not only understand everything their owners say, but they can also lower our high blood pressure, calm our anxieties and even awaken the will to live in some patients. But I did not see these effects myself until my mother met ‘Sisu’. He was a pet dog who was allowed into our house. Before introducing Sisu, I have to admit the fact that I too had taken dowry in my marriage. Yes, Sisu – who was eight years old at the time of my marriage – came to our house with my wife as ‘dowry’. The most interesting thing was that at the time of farewell he was sitting on the front seat of the car. He had gone inside the house even before the aarti of the newly married couple could take place. He sniffed every corner of the house, then came out and sat at the front for the Aarti. Tilak was first applied on his own forehead and then on the forehead of the newly married couple. Seeing this scene, all the people present there burst out laughing. As if he had inspected the house and given his approval and indicated to my wife that this house was safe for them. Gradually our kitchen discussions also started revolving around Sisu’s likes and dislikes. One day I heard my mother saying, Sisu likes dosa with ghee. Whereas we could get this privilege only in restaurants. I never remember birthdays, but one day my mother surprised me by telling me that she had spent Rs 300 on Sisu’s birthday. I tried to argue, but it was of no use to my determined mother with a kind heart. When mother used to fast, even Sisu did not eat even a single grain. He would accompany them to the nearby temple and wait quietly for them until they finished their puja. Even when she was admitted to Tata Memorial Hospital for three-four days after chemotherapy, her biggest concern was about Sisu’s food and her health. When we would say, ‘He is not eating’, she would say, ‘I hope I don’t die before Sisu.’ Many times we felt that despite being in the last stages of cancer, it was because of Sisu that he still had the will to live. Doctors once told me, ‘She is responding better to the medicines, as she is eager to return home and meet Sisu.’ As his health began to deteriorate, Sisu became his constant companion. If we brought his food, he would not eat it until my mother touched him and said, ‘Eat, my child.’ He would stay near them all the time, and place his paw where their legs ached. When my mother had unbearable pain in her back due to cancer, she herself would refuse to eat food. He died a year before his mother’s death. After that, whenever my mother would tell stories related to Sisu, she would not only make us smile and laugh, but more than that, she would make us cry. The bottom line is that when people used to say that animals living with us are good for our physical-mental health, I never needed proof for it. Sisu had already taught us this.
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N. Raghuraman’s Column: Pets have healing powers; The animals living with us are good for our physical-mental health.
