MENTU (2013-24): MOURNING THE LOSS OF A DOG DAUGHTER

The year 2014 would have been special and memorable for so many people in the world for different reasons, the birth of a child, starting a job, buying a house or dream car or financial windfalls. For my wife and me on the other hand the last couple of months of this year was momentous, as we accidently befriended and Indian dog living in the street that changed the trajectories of our lives. We named him ‘Goli’ (bullet) but our soulmatism was short lived. He crossed the rainbow bridge due to an incurable ailment, chipping a part our hearts forever. We acknowledged the deep grief, and went on with our lives till Goli’s mother gave birth to another set of five beautiful puppies inside a drain near our house. Our mourning turned into immense joy and our routine life became a roller coaster, as we became completely busy bringing up the kids, ‘Famous Five’. Unfortunately as they started growing up, we started facing severe resistance from our neighbors who wanted them thrown out for dirtying the residential area. It was our first brush with man-animal conflict that laid bare the soulnessness of urban Indians and their animosity for indigenous dogs the original inhabitants of the land, where human beings build their concrete jungles. In few months we lost ‘Chutki’, a she dog, naughtiest among them all to firecrackers on that ill-fated New Year’s Eve of 2016.

To save them from sub human citizens and their savagery, we decided to change our residence and bring them home. Our lives filled with joy once again despite the inevitability of their little time with us having been detected with a hereditary kidney and liver disease that needed 24/7 care.? We found a ground floor flat on rent in Noida mostly inhabited by ex-army men with a big garden space enough for them to play. Since 2016 till 2021 we faced several bereavements losing them one by one. Starting with the monk-like ‘Hanu’, then petite ‘Sherry’ and then the inseparable brothers ‘Chulbul’ and ‘Bhalu’. In that period in 2018, we brought home another Indian female dog ‘Beauty’, who we found almost on the verge of death with a heart ailment and mega-esophagus (her food getting lodged in her esophagus). Then in 2022 came ‘Lilibet’ in our life, an abandoned English Labrador retriever we lawfully adopted and named after the late queen Elizabeth. So life continued with fun, minor home damages and vet-visits.

During that period, we also befriended four colony dogs, ‘Mentu’ and her daughters, ‘Monica’, ‘Erica’ and the youngest of them all ‘Pinky’. But with Mentu we had the deepest soul connect. She grew older over the years yet remained the happiest, fastest and most loved by us both.? Slowly her heart grew weak, legs bowed with arthritis and an inoperable non-maligned tumor hung behind her back even that didn’t dampen her spirit. A kind woman who knew her since childhood remained her caregiver. In 2021, Mentu broke her tail, which after an amputation looked even cuter with the increase of wagging intensity. With her tiny tail wagging and her happy whining revealing all her white teeth in greeting and the bulbous eye, Mentu became our ward mascot. She survived a horrible physical assault by a spoiled brat of a crony capitalist, but our complaint was brushed aside by the then ward director an ex army personnel to whom the act was of mere self-defense. Later we got a reputed animal activist’s intervention that led to the formal acceptance of complaint and investigation. We wanted a written apology for the animal right violation and an assurance that the habitual offender will not harm the community dogs. The complaint was brushed under the carpet on the frivolous grounds that we did not accept an amicable resolution, but the reality was that the RWA functionaries sold their half-dead souls for single malt whiskies and petty bribes. The silver lining from the incident was that the recalcitrant never abused them ever again and as nature’s revenge took its course he left the colony soon. As for the spiteful RWA chief he lives a life of constant resentment with a nasty neighbour wound round his neck like a rope.

Meanwhile, Mentu’s tumor continued to grow, yet she remained her graceful self spreading love and joy to all who loved her. Every morning she made sure to greet us and our day started with her. On October 16, 2024 destiny struck the cruelest act and ended her holy life. Early morning, my wife found her lying near our house in a pool of blood. Initially she thought that her tumor had burst, but later on the doctor informed us that it was a hit and run case and she will not survive much longer. On a request on the colony WhatsApp group a neighbor shared the CCTV footage capturing the most gruesome act. The ward director, an Ex-Army man, who hated the colony dogs had mowed Mentu down in the early hours of the morning and had been seen fleeing the scene without stopping and checking on her, leaving her to die. His car crushed her leg and punctured her tumour. He kept quiet and went about his daily play of golf hoping to go unnoticed. Later the video exposure on WhatsApp group dramatically changed the conversation narrative from killing a dog to a freak accident. Being the RWA president he got support from his army brethrens who absolved him and blamed the dog for coming under the car. We had lost faith in human beings long back, but the complicity of the sycophants and the silence of the residents in condemning such barbaric act has completely wiped out our love and respect for fellow Indians forever.

The retired army officer, harbored dislike and apathy for the helpless animal, ran away like a coward after the crime, resorted to lies and support from sycophants, which is opposite to Indian army’s values of courage, bravery and compassion. After being caught red handed, he apologized to the residents but not to us and some of the people who cared for Mentu. No prayer or condolence meeting has taken place in the colony or even in any WhatsApp groups. Who are these residents whose heart did not pain or get a tear in their eyes after knowing about the sad incident? A deep dive into their social profile reveals a group of bitter and spiteful people mostly abandoned by their children, who drink liquor subsidized by tax payer’s money, constantly beautify their houses, indulge in illegal encroachment, adds a new vehicle every year to their existing fleet and takes out the flashiest one just to get milk and groceries. Mentu, please forgive them for they do not know what they did or will do in future.

Your going away has left a permanent hole in our hearts that may never heal. Mentu, we are so sorry that we could not save you from these animal haters. We pray to God for giving you justice and protect your children from harm’s way. You will remain our best daughter, most loving and immortalized in our hearts. You must be in heaven and we hope to meet you and so many of our furry kids in afterlife.