Govinda’s Grief..!
Govinda received a call recently on the sets and was told his Dobo had died. Over whelmed with anguish he stopped film shoot and rushed home grief stricken, unable to face camera!
My heartfelt sympathies to the actor and MP: Unlike the death of a human, there are very few you can turn to when you lose a pet. Most don’t understand the magnitude of grief one undergoes when a dog passes on.
“It’s only a dog!” they say.
Oh no my friend, it’s more than family member! Do you know what it is to come home and be greeted by someone who’s waited your return all day, who barks and jumps and acts like madcap expressing pure undiluted love?
To get a nuzzle when you are worried? A forlorn look when you leave the house and to be loved unconditionally?
Only once did I see my father cry; I’ll never forget that single lone tear that traveled down his cheek as he buried his beloved German- Shepherd. Later when I lost mine, I made long distance call to him in America and he listened and grieved with me.
I went through same despair two years ago when my Buddy died in my arms as I carried her up my stairs. Again as we grieved together, my family turned to someone on whose shoulders we could rest our sorrowing heads and it was my brother’s letter, that brought us relief: Permit me to quote a few lines from it:
“She felt the agony of pain, the effort of a breath and the strong arms of her master. The pain welled up inside her again, a shudder passed through her cancer-ridden frame, and pulling on every ounce of her strength she looked up into the eyes of one who had loved, cared and, made her feel almost human (oh no!).
“She tried one last goodbye bark, as gentle arms eased her away from human hands. She felt the pain leave, the strength flow back, the eyes focused and somewhere in the distance the anguished cry of her master holding her empty shell. In Doggie-land she looked around in wonder, canines of every shape and size greeted her, wanting to know from whence she had come, the home (if she had one) that she had lived in, and how her treatment on earth had been.”
“She looked around her, pulled herself to regal height, and with bark as strong as it had ever been, said, “let me tell you of an awesome family, of a master who treated me as his buddy, of a mistress who cared for me, of two young girls whose words and touch made me feel like the most important person in that house. Let me tell you of a love I will never and can never forget….” “Woof, woof!”
Ah well! That letter helped wipe the tears from our eyes and those words tided us over subsequent days of pain. I hope and pray Govinda will also come out of his grief, and smile as he remembers happy days gone by with his beloved ‘Dobo’..!
Please do give your response to this article in the ‘comments’ section below
awwwsomeeeeeeeeeeeeeee and very very touchingly well-written
That was wonderful.
As the president of the local kennel club and a family which have had dogs since I opened my eyes. Think… a creature who lets you give away its young ones and still adores you, has never complained about the food.. cold/hot..taste.. quantity etc. At night when going to the loo you accidentally step on the tail and still it accepts as its fault, gets pushed from the bed and looks up with benevolent eyes, the attitude is that it has been created for service to you
Dear Bob,
I have been reading almost all your articles that you send me on my email address. Govinda’s grief reminds of my childhood partner jimmy who used to love me a lot. I would like to narrate a story here which happend.
My parents had sent me to study in Palaghat (Kerala) for my last 3 years schooling and was staying my uncle and family. One day while coming back from school I found a small pup near our front gate, curled up and shivering. He was cute and I liked him instantly. I held him in my hand and walked inside the house. My aunt who saw the pup said “what have you brought from the school?” I was a bit afraid as well as didnt want to give up the pup. I said aunty this pup is not well and I took him from our Gate, so that we can give some medicines and get him well. By then my uncle walked down from the staircase and I showed him the pup. For a moment my uncle kept silent and then told my aunt - look like the pup is not well let Dinesh treat him and then we will let it off.
I was very happy and I named the pup jimmy. Jimmy got all the attention from me and my uncle and slowly he started get bigger. Jimmy, myself and my uncle will go for the eveining walks and most of the time jimmy was my playmate. For sometime my uncle and aunt was happy that I was not going out for playing and it was ok with them. 2 years went by and the 10th exams started nearing and when they found that I am playing with jimmy the worries started getting too much for them.
One day they decided that they will take jimmy to a far off place in an autorickshaw and leave him there so that he will be gone foever. The D-Day came and my uncle waited till I came back from school and announced that I should accompany Uncle and Jimmy to the final release of Jimmy ” It was very painful for me and suddenly sadness welled up inside me and just could not speak a word but just followed my uncle who was holding jimmy on the leash. Jimmy got in first and me then my uncle. My uncle directed the driver to a place which I knew was 5kms away and near a river. Throughout the trip I and my uncle didnt speak and I kept caressing Jimmy. Jimmy often looked up at me and in his eyes I could see that he knew what was happening and sometimes he kept licking my hand as if he is saying “goodbye and I love you”
After 20 minutes we reached the place and my uncle got off, followed by me and jimmy. My uncle asked the driver to wait and we walked towards the bank of the river and my uncle removed the leash from jimmy. Myself and uncle walked back to the auto. Jimmy followed us but wasnt allowed to enter the auto and the auto driver raced the auto for almost 3-4 kms at high speed, somewhere down the road jimmy couldnt keep up with the auto. I just silently sobbed all the way back. In the night I just couldnt sleep and saw jimmy and many images started flowing continously, Praying that nothing worst should happen to jimmy I slept off early morning.
The next month was my exams and was busy preparing for it but off and on jimmy used to come in my mind and I wanted him back. Finally my exams got over and I was packing up to go to Bombay to my parents. One day I and my uncle was in the garden and we heard a noise as if some one is scratching the front gate. The scratching went on and my uncle went to open the door to see what it was, and there jimmy was standing, he had become thin and his eye had become hollow, probably he was starving. He just stood there and didnt enter the gate, I came running and hugged him and hugged him. My uncle was shell shocked and surprised how jimmy could trace the way back. I just carried jimmy to the verandah and kept him in his place and went straight to the kitchen to bring food and water for him. Jimmy looked at me and slowly started eating the food. My Uncle, Aunt and my cousins where all stunned at the same time asking questions how he could make it?
I turned around and said Jimmy must have been thinking about us all these days and he found us out!
I left for Bombay to stay with my parents and after some years I came to know that Jimmy was no more. I still remember his eyes, he used to talk to me through them. I am now 50 and still remember jimmy……
Dinesh Menon