A dog’s Day in

Today is his 3rd B’day , don’t know which present to take.

Hubby suggested Toys

What will he do with the toys?

‘Story books’ , came another suggestion

‘Have you gone nuts?, he will chew them and shred into bits and pieces.'

‘Something to eat?’

May be, sometime you do talk sense.

‘But pedigree costs Rs 400/ , I gave a box of building blocks on Neesa’s son’s b’day last month and that cost me Rs 200/. For her child’s b’day a gift worth 200 and for her dog’s b’day worth 400.’ Even if one adores dogs and is an animal activist still this doesn’t sound logical.

‘What to do, quickly suggest something’, I prompted hubby

‘Take half the packet of pedigree which will be worth only 200’, his brilliant idea did not seep in

What will we do with the rest of the pedigree? We don’t even have a dog, who will eat that? You? , I was out of my nerves now

I dig in to the closet to look for any unused things which a dog might want to possess

‘But how will anyone know what a dog likes? Did her dog tell you?’ Hubby had a point

I found one ball which was not new but was almost new

Today, Carrot, the b’day dog was not tied outside in the veranda unlike the other days. After all today is his b’day and he can’t be tied in one corner on this day

The guests invited to the party were treated with cake, chips, sandwiches, coke. Carrot roamed around freely unleashed in all the rooms sniffing from one object to another and from one guest to another. After all every Dog has his day.

Alien on one’s own soil

Even after 15 years I get a shock ... I get a cultural shock after visiting north. Every time I come back from Punjab I get a cultural shock. I am not so shocked when I return from Europe but north to south is a cultural shock even after so many years. It is not about which is good or which is bad. It is also not about the aggression, flamboyancy or the lack of it. It is about the difference. More shocking is why one should feel like an alien in one’s own country. I am sure people don’t feel the same when they relocate or visit east to west coast in US.

Even if you know the language, eat the same food still India’s cultural diversity is unwelcoming. A north Indian feels as much alienated in South as a south Indian in Punjab. Even after fifty trips from north to south to and fro in past fifteen years I am unable to find out why? Why everything feels so strange? We all take pride in our language, culture but perhaps we also take pride in being closed cultures