April 1, 2013

The Government of Karnataka had appointed me as one of the members of the district judiciary body for Juveniles, for a period of three years. It was indeed a great honor. I was one of the most sought-after advisors for cases relating to any child in distress in DK district. The police department had great respect for us for easing their work because of the quick response to any emergency rescue operations.

Dec 2007. We were informed about a domestic servant who is just 9 years old who was continuously being harassed. We had set the day and time for the rescue operation with the police. We decided to meet at 6.00 am at the police station and proceed.

I was about to take a U turn at Mangalore RTO circle. I slowed downed my car as I saw an unusual movement of a dog, who quickly followed a jogger, returned and jumped into the dustbin.

I stopped the car and tried to walk towards the dustbin. The dog had curled himself and pretended to be asleep. The dustbin was stinky and surrounded by disposal from the public. I just crossed the road to pick up a newspaper from the nearby shop. The gentleman whom the dog had just followed had taken a u turn from the town hall and was nearing the RTO circle.

The dog suddenly hopped out. Made some funny movements, communicated some message to the man and quickly diverted his path. The man stopped. I was curious.

I saw that the gentleman, whom the dog had just followed, had taken a U turn from the town hall and was nearing the RTO circle.

I said “ Hai”

“Hello, I am col. Martis”

“Sir, I am Geo, nice meeting you. By the way this dog..

“He is my cute little pet. He always follows me. Since yesterday he has disappeared and suddenly he is here now…”

“Sir, I observed that when you moved this way he just hooped out from the dust bin and when you returned again he is drawing your attention to it”

“Oh no., he may be asking me to clean that dust bin which is full”

 We reached at the dustbin.

The dog quietly took several rounds around the bin. Curiosity and the strange doings of the dog made me peep into the dustbin.

“Mr. Colonel,” I shouted as was shocked to see a small hand of an infant, “look at that”

He slightly bent and made way through the garbage, slowly lifted a new born infant may of a day or two days old.

“What !? New born baby?”

“What can we do now?” the colonel was not comfortable.

I grabbed the babe in my arms. I hugged it closer to my heart. Pulled my identity card and showed to the colonel. I requested him to accompany me to the hospital. He said “No. I know the child is in the safe hands of the right official”

My next step was to take the child to Wenlock hospital to provide it with medical care and register the case and report to the police station. The baby had no voice even to cry.

Again out of curiosity, I peeped into the dustbin. What I saw was heart-rending. The dog had taken care of the baby atleast for the past 24 hours. He had curled himself around the baby to provide physical warmth. Several disposal bags were hurled to the bin from moving vehicles without even the least idea of a new born life in the garbage bin.

I looked at the dog and literally saw the tears in the eyes of that dog. The Colonel was petting him, but his gaze was on us; absolutely caring looks. The feeling of separation was inevitable.

I felt slight movements of the baby too as if she was missing the comfortable warmth. The baby might have not felt the pain of separation when her mother slipped her into the bin but now she was signaling the loss. Tracing the mother was not at all my priority now. Rescuing the child, attending to her health and then the legal priorities were upmost in my mind.

The cloths wrapped around the babe were stinking and dirty. A crowd had gathered around us, each one with a different tale. I had to get away from there and got into my car with the baby in my lap.

I was now eager to reach the hospital quickly and finish the formalities. I had just taken the car onto the main road and took the turn to the right, heading to the hospital when suddenly the dog rushed from the embrace of the Colonel and jumped towards my car. A matador speeding to its destination hit the dog leaving it dead on the spot.

A bright new born baby girl on my lap, the dead body of the dog who mothered the child for a whole day and night lying on the road; tears welled up in my eyes. The humane heart of the dog that saved the child from street mongrels touched me. The care and concern of an animal to one unrelated to him; which could have been a sumptuous grub for him, made me kneel before him.

All I could do was to hug the owner with silent words with one hand, and holding the baby near my heart with the other. Arrangements were made to give a decent burial to the dog who I could say was a martyr.