Growing up in Kanpur-3
Tiny, our Lhasa Apso
I was told by my mother that Tiny was delivered to our home by a friend of Papa’s who got him from
Tiny soon became a part of Mom’s brood. As he grew he came to have considerable fan following. His furry long locks, his adorable eyes peeping from behind his mane and his most adorable ways won him many hearts! Here are some of Tiny moments. I am sure those who have known him would like to add to this.
Which Car to bless?
The weekend Bridge parties were one of the most exciting times for Tiny. Starting from 5:00PM, the cars would start pouring in with Papa’s Bridge cronies. The Ambassadors, Fiats, Contessas and Premier Padmini’s would line up in front of the house. Tiny could be seen going round the cars smelling each tyre and watering it. His excitement grew as more cars came and he would not stop till he had blessed all cars. He followed this routine religiously weekend after weekend.
Tiny and his friends
We believed that Tiny were friends with all the mice in the house. The mice did not fear Tiny and they could often be seen flurrying around him in unabashed abandon. As a pup, Tiny probably tried to show them that he was superior of the two but as he grew, he probably gave up. Or may be he realized that he was too much of a royalty to be bothered with such insignificance.
Since the mice did not care, they would run and play around him all the time. On one summer afternoon, I observed Tiny and his friends in close quarters. Tiny was taking his afternoon siesta sitting at his usual place, closest to the Desert Cooler. The mice were playing around him which disturbed him a lot. Tiny would often growl, change his position, and move his tail to let them know his feelings. The mice, also did not take to this show of aggression kindly. One cheeky fellow went too close for comfort and bit Tiny on his nose! Or that’s what it appeared to me. While it angered me to see this sassiness, Tiny just turned around and continued sleeping!
Tiny disappears
One day Tiny disappeared. Nobody knew where he went. The watchman at the colony gate did not see him go out. He just left without any trace. Several people were asked to go out and look for him. Being on the main GT road, with trucks moving on it all the time, it was a very scary thought to lose him. People went to Gumti No 5, FazalGanj and even as far as Shastri Nagar, to look for him. But there was no sign of Tiny.
After a week, somebody from the mills came with the good news that he had seen a dog like Tiny near Basant Cinema Hall. Soon after, he went and came back with Tiny. The prodigal son had returned. Looking very healthy, clean but also a little guilty, Tiny came inside the house, head bowed low down. He came and took his position near the Cooler, like he always did and curled his face under his paws almost ignoring the rally of questions and scolding that mummy was showering on him.
The good fellow who got him back told us that the people who Tiny stayed with during the week, found him roaming around the busy market place near Basant Cinema. They were very happy to have Tiny and did not want to let him go! From the look on Tiny’s face, it was clear that even he had enjoyed his vacation!
