This is written for Aditi, Rohan and Viswanath who will agree with my term 'Extended family'. They always considered them full members of the family with all privileges, much to the consternation of the older members. I dedicate this to my niece Poornima, an ardent lover of the animal world.
The term extended family is understood to include members of the family at the periphery. In some parts of India it refers to the inclusion of the ‘In-laws’ in the family after marriage making quite clear that they are there because of the marriage! When relationships deteriorate In-laws become Outlaws!
One of the reasons why the English language is used all over the world even after the demise of the Empire is because of its ability of absorbing words from all over the world. Sometimes the same word has different nuances in various places. I am using this liberty to include a new category in the extended family. Purists will curse me but I know some who will support me wholeheartedly and this article is dedicated to this group.
The extended family sounds as though you are extending the privilege of family membership as a special case. Sounds patronising to say the least. Understandable if you know the extent to which we Indians fine tune relations so that the distance from the core family is clearly defined. We have words like ‘Co brother and Co sister’ to differentiate how and through whom they are members of the extended family.
I was seven years old when I first met Rosie during our stay in Manjeri. She was a cute girl, well mannered, affectionate and playful. I fell in love with her but she made it quite clear that she had given her heart to my cousin Chinnis. I wept on my father’s shoulders. My father was very sympathetic and told me to be nice to Rosie. This did not work. Rosie continued to ignore me. Some times at night I heard my father telling my mother that they should get me one. My mother was firmly was not in favour of looking after and feeding another mouth. I was in a sour mood. I kicked Rosie whenever I went to Chinnis’s house and got beaten up by him.
A few days before my birthday I was asked by parents what I would like as a gift. I sulked and did not answer. On my birthday I was woken up, taken down and surprise of surprises given a cute tan and white puppy. I almost fainted - I was so happy- I called her Mickey. Rosie was forgotten and my all affections were showered on Mickey. She was pampered and spoiled but she was such a sweet girl that even my mother accepted her. My father after some days felt that Mickey was getting spoiled and so started training her. He was quite good at it having trained the other pet in the house -Joe the monkey. Mickey had a mind of her own and some times no threats or inducements would change her. My father used to mutter ‘all females are adamant’. Only years later did I realise that it was a wise remark! Mickey saved my Mother one evening by barking and drawing attention to a snake near my Mother. A year later Mickey fell sick with an abscess. We did our best but she passed away after a lot of suffering. We dug a grave and buried her and placed a stone on the grave marked ‘Here lies Mickey beloved of Raja- May she rest in peace’.
I was so shattered that I was moody for months. Then my father told me that we were moving back to Madras and in the excitement of the news forgot my sorrow. After a few months in Madras my thoughts were back on Mickey and how unlucky we were in losing her. Fates intervened and our watchman brought a cute little puppy dog which he found abandoned on the road. He looked like nothing on earth. A proper pie dog of uncertain pedigree, obviously with a lot of breeds mixed in him. He had tan, white and black hair standing up like that of present day hippies. He had mesmerizing eyes and a jet black snoot and from some angles looked like Hitler. He certainly was not timid or scared and jumped to my lap and playfully licked and bit me. Over objections from my mother he was accepted into the family with my father’s support. We decided to call him ‘Jimmy’-probably because of his mixed and unknown parentage. I cannot find a picture of him.
Looking back, Jimmy had unusual mixture of traits not found in one dog. He was very loyal to us, not particularly affectionate, guarded the house like a security guard, house entry to unknown prohibited by his look and growl, and nothing could be taken out of the house by visitors. He developed a peripatetic attitude wandering away and developed a fondness for toddy. Soon Jimmy realized that friendship with my mother was essential for a good feed. So he was after my mother, sitting out side the kitchen with a sad face, till he was feasted with milk and ghee roasted potatoes. Then he helped my mother in chasing away the crows when she was sun drying the papads and vadams. Very soon my mother decided that he was the best dog in the world. After that Jim had his exercise, running madly at top speed and then went to the front veranda to take his security duties. In a short while he divided visitors into friends and foes. Friends were received with a wag of the tail and foes with a growl. If the growl did not stop the intruder he advanced towards them barking. Most people beat a retreat and shouted for help. If a foe took anything out of the house on his own he was pounced upon. In the evening he went for a stroll outside and if he found an unsuspecting person sitting and eating he snatched their food and ran away. Back to my mother and kitchen door for some more goodies from my mother. At night he went up to the terrace and slept, getting up and barking at the slightest disturbance. He took time to get used to strangers. If any one took liberties with him they became his life long enemies. My cousins Parasu and Krishnan, who were in the navy during the war in early 40s, blew cigarette smoke in his face, and Jimmy hated them and would not allow them inside if they came alone. I remember after the long posting abroad Parasu came back. We were away and Jimmy would not allow him inside till we returned. Parasu used to call him Hitler and I do not know if Jimmy understood the derogatory meaning but certainly was not pleased. As he grew older the peripatetic wandering habit became more pronounced and he used to disappear for days. He was often caught by the dog van and had to rescued at the at last moment by paying a heavy fine. He found a nearby toddy shop and capitalised by stealing the food and lapping up the toddy of drunken customers. He landed back home at night fully inebriated. He slept it off on the terrace- quite often tumbling down. Then one day he disappeared to return no more. We were all very upset as in spite of all his quirks he was a lovable rascal. Now that the dogs had become a part of our family it was only a matter of time before a new member of the family joined us.
I was seven years old when I first met Rosie during our stay in Manjeri. She was a cute girl, well mannered, affectionate and playful. I fell in love with her but she made it quite clear that she had given her heart to my cousin Chinnis. I wept on my father’s shoulders. My father was very sympathetic and told me to be nice to Rosie. This did not work. Rosie continued to ignore me. Some times at night I heard my father telling my mother that they should get me one. My mother was firmly was not in favour of looking after and feeding another mouth. I was in a sour mood. I kicked Rosie whenever I went to Chinnis’s house and got beaten up by him.
A few days before my birthday I was asked by parents what I would like as a gift. I sulked and did not answer. On my birthday I was woken up, taken down and surprise of surprises given a cute tan and white puppy. I almost fainted - I was so happy- I called her Mickey. Rosie was forgotten and my all affections were showered on Mickey. She was pampered and spoiled but she was such a sweet girl that even my mother accepted her. My father after some days felt that Mickey was getting spoiled and so started training her. He was quite good at it having trained the other pet in the house -Joe the monkey. Mickey had a mind of her own and some times no threats or inducements would change her. My father used to mutter ‘all females are adamant’. Only years later did I realise that it was a wise remark! Mickey saved my Mother one evening by barking and drawing attention to a snake near my Mother. A year later Mickey fell sick with an abscess. We did our best but she passed away after a lot of suffering. We dug a grave and buried her and placed a stone on the grave marked ‘Here lies Mickey beloved of Raja- May she rest in peace’.
I was so shattered that I was moody for months. Then my father told me that we were moving back to Madras and in the excitement of the news forgot my sorrow. After a few months in Madras my thoughts were back on Mickey and how unlucky we were in losing her. Fates intervened and our watchman brought a cute little puppy dog which he found abandoned on the road. He looked like nothing on earth. A proper pie dog of uncertain pedigree, obviously with a lot of breeds mixed in him. He had tan, white and black hair standing up like that of present day hippies. He had mesmerizing eyes and a jet black snoot and from some angles looked like Hitler. He certainly was not timid or scared and jumped to my lap and playfully licked and bit me. Over objections from my mother he was accepted into the family with my father’s support. We decided to call him ‘Jimmy’-probably because of his mixed and unknown parentage. I cannot find a picture of him.
Looking back, Jimmy had unusual mixture of traits not found in one dog. He was very loyal to us, not particularly affectionate, guarded the house like a security guard, house entry to unknown prohibited by his look and growl, and nothing could be taken out of the house by visitors. He developed a peripatetic attitude wandering away and developed a fondness for toddy. Soon Jimmy realized that friendship with my mother was essential for a good feed. So he was after my mother, sitting out side the kitchen with a sad face, till he was feasted with milk and ghee roasted potatoes. Then he helped my mother in chasing away the crows when she was sun drying the papads and vadams. Very soon my mother decided that he was the best dog in the world. After that Jim had his exercise, running madly at top speed and then went to the front veranda to take his security duties. In a short while he divided visitors into friends and foes. Friends were received with a wag of the tail and foes with a growl. If the growl did not stop the intruder he advanced towards them barking. Most people beat a retreat and shouted for help. If a foe took anything out of the house on his own he was pounced upon. In the evening he went for a stroll outside and if he found an unsuspecting person sitting and eating he snatched their food and ran away. Back to my mother and kitchen door for some more goodies from my mother. At night he went up to the terrace and slept, getting up and barking at the slightest disturbance. He took time to get used to strangers. If any one took liberties with him they became his life long enemies. My cousins Parasu and Krishnan, who were in the navy during the war in early 40s, blew cigarette smoke in his face, and Jimmy hated them and would not allow them inside if they came alone. I remember after the long posting abroad Parasu came back. We were away and Jimmy would not allow him inside till we returned. Parasu used to call him Hitler and I do not know if Jimmy understood the derogatory meaning but certainly was not pleased. As he grew older the peripatetic wandering habit became more pronounced and he used to disappear for days. He was often caught by the dog van and had to rescued at the at last moment by paying a heavy fine. He found a nearby toddy shop and capitalised by stealing the food and lapping up the toddy of drunken customers. He landed back home at night fully inebriated. He slept it off on the terrace- quite often tumbling down. Then one day he disappeared to return no more. We were all very upset as in spite of all his quirks he was a lovable rascal. Now that the dogs had become a part of our family it was only a matter of time before a new member of the family joined us.
At last you have a picture of one of the members of our extended family. She was brought to us by the watchman who picked her from a litter on the pavement. She grew up to be a dignified lady. When she was young she looked exactly like Mickey in Manjeri. I thought she was reborn to be with us again. She quickly made friends with my mother who got to be very fond of her and pampered her with food. She was very friendly and loved human company. She was not a good watchdog and visitors were welcomed with a wag of the tail. She was house bound and was scared of going out alone. She was the exact antithesis of Jimmy.
I was in school and later was away in college and in the U.K and so did not spend a lot of time with her. I remember she took a lot of pleasure in hunting rats and chameleons. When I returned from the U.K she gave me a royal welcome. Again I was too busy to spend much time with her. She passed away in March 1956 the day I first met Vasanta.
Very nice Appa. Anyone who begrudges their inclusion in the family should be ignored. As we saw during our visit to Hyde Park, even FDR's dog was subject to scurrilous attacks from his political opponents which upset him more than any attack on him or his "real" family.
Posted by: Ejamanar | August 04, 2009 at 08:21 AM
Lovely, Appa. You had me fooled for a few seconds with "Rosie" - wondering who this exotic female might be! Looking forward to the rest.
Posted by: Kamini | August 04, 2009 at 11:21 AM
very niiiiiiiiiiice
Posted by: Borat | August 06, 2009 at 08:47 PM
I think you can guess who Borat is!!
Posted by: Kamini | August 06, 2009 at 08:49 PM
Thanks Borat.Thanks for reading
Posted by: Vasanta | August 07, 2009 at 02:07 AM
Mickey is a boy's name...remember Mickey Mouse...his girlfriend was Minnie!
Jimmy seems to have had a great personality...and I love the picture of that last dog!
Posted by: flowergirl | August 14, 2009 at 02:22 AM
Beautiful dogs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!( but I still thinkAlice Cooper looks better!!!!!!!!!!!!) At first thought you were tlking about your girlfriend but in the end I was almost in tears!!!!!!!!!!! Booooooooooooohooooooooooo
Posted by: Joey Alice McElroy | September 14, 2009 at 10:01 AM