Munnu – The name has absolutely no meaning. If I remember correctly, it was the first word that Chaiti (My sis) uttered when she saw the cute little fellow. The cutie was completely white with a little brownish tinge here and there. The only peculiar thing about the color was that both his ears were brown. I was playing cricket with one of my friend whose name also happens to be Varun that day when we noticed two kids throwing something in a ditch nearby. Curiosity led us to that ditch. Curiosity kills the cat but it saved the life of the little fellow in my case. If we would not have saved him that day he would have died in day or two. We brought him home with no second thoughts only to be discouraged by my mom not to keep him with us. Like an obedient son I agreed but not before feeding the little guy some milk and trying to feed him some biscuits. He was so small he could not balance himself on the 4 little feet of his. After feeding him I left him in the portico thinking that he’ll be gone by the next morning. But it was not so. He did not go anywhere. He had himself in a corner where we had stacked up some bricks. One brick on his head and he would be no more. He was so little. The thought of this made my mom’s heart melt and rest is history.

The little fellow immediately became the center of attraction. He loved this attention. Just like any baby would. As soon as he would realize that you are no longer interested in him he would do something or the other to catch your eye. It was very difficult initially to feed him. He just could not drink or eat anything from his bowl. He did not know how. It was an empty syringe that came to the rescue. I would fill that syringe completely with milk and empty it in his mouth.

He was one quick leaner. It was not long before he started eating his own food. Like his owner he ate selected food only. Only what he liked. I have improved to some extent now. The 2 yr stint in Mumbai has made me better in this matter.

He always had that naughty gleam in his eyes. He was always eying something or the other. He used to sleep in the portico on a bed made especially for him. During the rains (It was his first), I pestered my mom to let him inside the house. So there he was inside the house in the verandah very happy to have escaped the rain. The next morning was not a good morning for me. He had torn all possible socks he could find that night, out of which 90% of them were my dad’s :). My dad now wouldn’t mind sparing 100 pairs more if there are any chances of my Munnu coming back to tear them.
My mom used to run a school. Not just teach. We owned that school. Munnu soon became the pet of not just one but many kids who would come to the school. He was pampered and fed by almost all the kids. He would snatch lunch boxes from the kids but I don’t remember a single kid complaining about this to their parents. This is just how much the kids loved him.

Bathing Munnu was one huge task. The sound of his leash would send him running all around the house. He hated water…. When he was young a small tub was his bath tub. As he grew older, the tub converted to bath room then later into open space outside our house where we used a big hose pipe to give him his weekly bath.

I have many many and many fond memories with this fellow but I would not bore you guys with all these stuff. It’ll remain mine and only mine.

I can keep writing non-stop about him. But that was not I was here for. I had to apologize to him. I know this sounds crazy but I had to…

He must have missed me terribly when I left for Mumbai. My mom and dad were with him for one more year but after they left for Bangalore he did not have anyone he could call his master. He became lonely and the skin allergies got the better of him. I could meet him only twice in the last 2 years. The first meeting was lovely but the second meeting was gruesome. The skin allergy I was talking about was all over him and the worst part is he had surrendered to his fate. He was just not making any attempt to come out of it. He just did not have any motivation left in him to come back. The day I saw him this way I knew that the inevitable was near. But what I could not afford was a stay in Mandya… I had only few days of leave left before I could fly back to Mumbai to the stupid work I do.

The only regret that I have is that I was not with my beloved during his last days or should I say last few years. I know for a fact that if I would have been there with him, he would still be with me

I’m really sorry Munnu, I really am.

Lots of love and best wishes,
Your friend
Varun

The post looks more or less like a jigsaw. Please bear with me for that. The emotions just took over…