Cruelty to human beings
By Reeta
Sharma
"THE black dog is dead". The
announcement by Durga Mali was unexpected and out of the
blue. "Thank God", I had blurted out. Seconds
later when the news actually registered in my mind with
its full impact, I felt guilty and remorseful. How could
I feel happy at somebodys death, even if it was the
death of a stray black dog?
This question kept
haunting me and making me feel ashamed of myself. How
could I feel so relieved at the death of a hapless dog?
However, I realised later that the blame for the
dogs death should lie at the doorstep of someone
else.
If you may recall I had
earlier written about this black dog in this column. The
dog had become so much of a nuisance in our street that
many like me had wished him dead. He had got into the
habit of chasing vehicles. For the drivers of
two-wheelers, the chase was a dreadful experience. Many
fell off their vehicles and were injured.
Today he is dead.
Reportedly, some people came in a van and poisoned him.
Many other stray dogs are also reported to have been
killed. Whosoever killed them, the ground reality is that
as a society we have failed to tackle the problem of
stray dogs. Well-meaning efforts of Maneka Gandhi and her
followers, and the courts have not given us any solutions
to handle stray dogs.
In a poor country like
India, where even new-born babies are abandoned in
dustbins, the cause of the stray dogs does appear to be
an insignificant one. Yet we certainly cannot ignore its
gravity because stray dogs can endanger the lives of
human beings. It is a well-known fact that thousands of
people die of rabies each year. Besides, the
ever-increasing number of stray dogs is gradually
becoming a traffic hazard.
Under the law, when a
human being is viewed as a risk to others lives, or
hampers anyones personal freedom or becomes a
public nuisance, he or she is immediately arrested. How
strange that stray dogs who have been proved to be a risk
to the lives of human beings, besides, curbing the
freedom, of movement of people have been allowed to roam
around freely. What do you do when they pounce on
children or old people? Nobody is responsible when they
cause this kind of public nuisance. Yet we are expected
to act as deemed in slogans like, "cruelty against
animals is a crime". But what about the cruelty
these stray dogs inflict (unknowingly, of course) on
unsuspecting human beings? Who is answerable for it? Why
should we carry the worry of being bitten by rabid stray
dogs?
A criminal born out of
certain circumstances can be sympathised with. But he or
she is not allowed to commit crime against the entire
human race. Similarly, a stray dog primarily originates
out of an indifference and callousness of a human being
somewhere. But should society as a whole suffer for
someones fault somewhere?
If a pet dog causes you
rabies or bites you or even scares, you can sue the
owner. Hence, owners of pet dogs are bound to ensure your
safety. But nobodys answerable for a stray dog. I
am know many youngsters who are full of compassion for
stray dogs. They have tried to do their bit by offering
their services in some way or the other. I adore them for
such fine sensibilities. But it is like a drop in the
ocean. I am a dog lover myself, but I strongly advocate
that stray dogs should be put to painless sleep.
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Baij Nath Sharma is 88.
Yet, he is extremely agile and sprightly. One ought to
learn from him as to how to create happiness and laughter
around ones self at such a ripe old age. Frankly,
age has yet to catch up with him. His razor-sharp
intelligence, excellent memory and flawless observations
certainly defy his age. Is he the old man next door?
No, certainly not. He
does represent the average Indian middle class. But he is
a unique example of a person whose struggle has enabled
him to sail through with positive achievements. What can
possibly be the secret of his formula of success and
happiness?
Hard work, honesty and
passionate involvement in each of his relationships, be
it with his wife, children, friends or work. Sharma is an
honours graduate in history from S.D. College, Lahore. He
began his career as a clerk in 1937 and 10 years later
was an eyewitness to the gruesome brutalities during the
Partition. He had begun his career at the lowest rank but
continued to pass departmental examinations in first
division, paving the way to much- deserved promotions. It
was his dedicated and meticulous work and honesty that he
detected many a fake claimants earning him his first
award for honesty from the then Punjab Revenue Minister.
In 1953, the then Chief Minister of Punjab honoured him
with a gold watch for his extraordinary honesty. Within a
year, Baij Nath Sharma was awarded yet another gold watch
by the then Prime Minister of India for meritorious
services. "This is that watch", he waves his
hand before me proudly. "I have never ever bought
any other watch in my life," he adds.
His honesty and
child-like innocence can be gauged from an incident which
took place many years ago. His wife was not keeping well
and somebody suggested that she should wear a magnetic
chain, which was available in Japan. He had no means to
get the chain. However, he chanced upon a news item
saying that Romesh Bhandari, a former Foreign Secretary,
was visiting Japan on an official visit. He wrote a
personal letter on a postcard to him saying that except
for being a "fellow human being of your motherland,
I have no other relationship with you. On the strength of
this relationship alone, I request you to buy the chain
for my wife. I give my commitment to repay you the
cost".
Those were the golden
days, perhaps, for Romesh Bhandari not only brought the
chain for him but also refused to accept the cost saying,
"Its for my sister".
Baij Nath Sharma has
extremely thought-provoking observations to make in
retrospect. He says, "In our times, corruption was
conspicuous by its absence. Ministers of the government
were of high calibre, namely, Sir Manohar Lal, Sir
Fazl-i-Hussain, Sir Chhotu Ram, Gokal Chand Narang etc.
Ministers attended office full-time and wrote lengthy
notes in their own hand. Files moved on their own merit.
They needed no push or grease. Functioning of offices was
expeditious. There was no sexual harassment of women
employees.
How I wish those days
would return again."
This
feature was published on October 16, 1999
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