OUR DEER PINKY
It was a cold wintry evening when
two people clad in white dhoti, kurta & Loi’s (shawls) came to our house in
Sainik School, Kapurthala. On enquiring they said they were parents of Bishnoi
of Sarojini House of which Dad was the house master. They were carrying something
in their lap which was very fidgety. They requested for old news papers. A very
unusual request it was. As they stood up to greet dad, this twitchy bundle
jumped out of their lap. It was a small, dainty, wet nosed brown baby deer (Chinkara).
We all were startled for a
moment. They said that having heard of your love for animals Ellis Saab, we
present to you “PINKY” as a token of love and respect for teaching our children.
I saw my Dads eyes getting moist for the first time. In those days it was not banned.
On asking what you feed it, they gave the details of how to feed it with a
bottle and otherwise it would graze the lawn grass. In case some wheat can be
made available it could be palm fed.
Dad took the leash and took her
to the adjacent room as they left. We had spread many news papers for the
droppings. The story was that this fawn was orphaned as the mother was shot by
some people. It was raised by the Bishnoi’s and now they had found a suitable
home for it.
It was extremely difficult to control
the inquisitiveness of our dogs. Their barks was making pinky panicky. Curiosity
amongst Ellis’ was also at its pinnacle. This little darling had done a 7 hour
journey by bus from Hanumangarh to Kapurthala. It must be tired and
disillusioned. We tiptoed into her room, I with a bottle of milk, mom with a
fistful of wheat followed by brother with some grass and father to oversee
things.
In came Coco, our Tibetan Apso,
then all hell broke loose. She panicked and darted through all of us and the
main door and escaped into the darkness. Dad told us that we have to get pinky
back at any cost. It was dark and the colony was a jungle in itself. Pinky had
evaporated into thin air. The front yard, the back yard, the dhobi ghat,
everywhere, we ran helter-skelter looking for her but no luck.
I and my brother went on a search
mission. It was close to midnight in that freezing cold of Punjab & we were
quite dejected. As we were combing the area we reached the chota swimming pool.
Stories of various “bhoots-prets” and deadly cobras were running parallel in our
minds when my brother& I heard jingle of bells tied in her neck. In pitch
darkness with fog also creeping in, we saw two eyes glistened & staring at
us. The first reaction was to bolt as it could be a bhoot. We spotted her &
breathed a sigh of relief. Dad was anxious, mom was crying and we were white
faced, cold, damp with running noses. I put a blanket on her as she dozed off.
What a first night it was!
There used to be a competition
between me and my brother who will feed her. Filling milk in a beer bottle and
attaching feeding nipples was fun. Soon, Pinky started considering me as her
mother. She used to crave for milk thrice a day. Dot at the precise hour she
used to give her grunts. I used to call her back in the same tone.
Our dogs got used to her and
pinky to the house. Cats started to cuddle with her. She was so friendly that
we freed her. Within minutes she jumped the wall and was hopping and skipping
merrily. All of us were afraid that the strays will kill her, well; they were
no match to her speed. Once all the hostellers “gheraoed” her in a
circle, she just took off & jumped over their heads. Her typical “deer
jumps” on all fours together were a treat to watch.
She started accompanying dad to
the cricket field and used to stand next to him where the Umpire stands. Once
she got hit by a straight drive and collapsed on the pitch with all four legs
stretched & the tongue hanging out, stiff as stiff could be. The batsman
ran away fearing the wrath of Dad. She closed her eyes and we thought we have
lost her. For 10 minutes we all were in tears. Then suddenly she sprung up and
bolted away. Phew!
I had joined NDA and came back on
my first term break. Dad was sitting on his haunches and hoeing his garden bed.
I was explaining to him the “ragra” and in particular the front
roll. I don’t know what came to pinky’s mind, she came charging and butted dad
on his bums with her head. Dad did a beautiful somersault and I said now you know
dad.
As time went by she started
loving music and the school band playing. She used to stand with the band
leader and walk along the march past of the school parade. She became the school
mascot.
One day pinky was nowhere to be
seen. There was panic and a sense of loss as a story was afloat that someone
had killed her. Fourth day, while dad was on his angling trip a “Kabari”
(rag picker) who used to come and collect small fish gave an input that she has
been seen in the cantonment. Dad wound up and came rushing five kilometres from
Kanjali
River. She was not there but dad found her droppings. On a lot of pleading
someone told that she had been sold to a “Kasai” (butcher). Dad rushed to find
that “kasai” who just won’t admit. With folded hands and 400 rupees did he take
him to the shed where she had been confined to. She would have been butchered
the next day. Four days without water and food she was a wreck. She couldn’t even
stand on all fours. People who had caught her had bruised her very badly. Dad
left his cycle as mortgage and took a rickshaw to get her home. We were
delighted to see her alive.
Within days she was frolicking
around as usual. She lived with us for 10 years and one fine day we found her
dead in the wheat fields. Probably she ate too much of insecticide which had
been sprayed on the crop. It was a sad day. Her grave is still there behind our
house 12-A.
Thank you for being part of our
lives PINKY we all still remember you fondly and miss you. Can we relive those
good old days again? I wonder!!!!!!!!!
JAI HIND
© Noel Ellis
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