Not so long back in time, about a decade was it, when I went for a trip to Delhi with my mother. The trip was purposeful, and was rather a short one. Once done in the capital, we snapped back to Patna, my hometown and got a surprise back home. On my first peek after return, I saw a very small four legged furry chap at our balcony. On a closer look, I remember dropping off all my luggage at the gate itself and rushing to see it. That particular moment, my heart seemed to be laughing in its own way when this cute four legged puppy, hardly of any height then, reached my shoes and started toddling around. He was as white as a polar bear, and the moment was as delightful as a baby's birth in family.
Since childhood, my brother & I, had this great urge to have a pet at home. And now that this little guy was here, we had a great time to look upto ahead in the future. With lots of names in mind & to make sure that he had the coolest name, we named him "Rocky", may be after Rocky Balboa or may be just that it was the first likable name that came to our mind. Rocky, became the meaning of our whole hours after school. Even at school we will keep smiling in our minds thinking of this little dude. He was hardly a month old, when he would keep running around, bark like how a baby mumbles and keep rolling around in the grass of our garden. In a way, he was cared so much that he became the youngest child to our parents, specially my Father, whom he would follow him all day till he was there in house. We would often tag him as an offender who used to be with us all day, and when my father used to get back from work, he would hardly even look at us.
With time, our little guy became a stud, he was known all over the family now. The best part, he knew how to relate himself with different members of the family, like for my grandfather & grandmother, he himself would get aside when they used to come, knowing that they feel awkward about getting touched. Sometimes, knowingly he would brush his tail with Grandma's saree and wag it in return to show love.
He would play around with all our friends and kids who came home. Sometimes when we used to play cricket, he would come in between, grab the ball & runaway with it, after which we used to run behind him begging for it. I still remember the way he used to grab the cricket ball and run away like an owner of it, with his tail up straight, was very funny.
He never liked a moment alone, there were moments when we were not present at home, he would reach up to my mother, wag his tail and ask for attention. As said earlier, he embraced the position of the youngest one in our family and why not, he kept all of us involved. From his funny rolls on the floor, to barking loudly when not attended to, Rocky was the star of our family.
There were moments when the family had a rough time, and it was quite an experience to notice the calmness & maturity that was reflected by him in those moments. Being a full-on lover of chicken, he would adjust with the vegetarian meal during Dussehra when Mum-Paa used to be on fast. All this convinced us even more that he was not just a pet at home, but rather a member who stood and understood everything.
Soon our schools got over, and I got drifted into my college and soon happened the same for my brother too, this was the phase where Mum-Paa would feel a bit empty at home, but thanks to Rocky, who kept them going. From running over the sofa to sleeping on the little bed in the drawing room, he kept them active and busy behind him for all those years. He would sleep up close to Paa's corner, right around the bed, used to go on walks with him in the morning, would celebrate their homecoming every evening when my parents used to return back from work. So in short, everyday was a celebration.
When we used to go home in vacations, we realized how much he had gelled us together. His friendliness was admired by all the kids in the family , whom he would often try scaring at first and accept them soon by the wag of his tail. Time kept ticking , and we never had a watch on it, we never noticed that he would be getting old. Never was a sign of it, that he was inactive.
Soon my college got over, and I had sometime before I joined in at my company, this was the period I cherished back again after college with this stud. I felt how much his presence meant for us, it was amazing how he would notice by the frequency of our car's horn and start flapping his padded feet on the balcony grill so that he could run upto the gate to receive my parents, where he would keep going 360 degrees around the vehicle, keep jumping on my father's door until he used to come out and embrace him.
Time passed and I joined my company, a new life started for me. I started planning gifts for everybody, was often left with a choice of a freezer full of chocolates for Rocky and his favorite cup ice-cream which he would eat in such a way, that nothing fell out of it ever. Luckily soon after my joining, I managed a short trip home for my parent's silver anniversary, where we made a video of which Rocky was a part too. I did observed that he had got a bit old, but I always knew he had time, for the notorious activities he was still involved with. All of us celebrated the event, and was an awesome get together, where we saw him too being an active participant.
After getting back, I did missed the environment there, but accepted this as how it stands in reality. Now, I had a couple of trips planned for every year, and the next one was supposed to be in Mar'13 coz of some auspicious reasons. I had started planning gifts for everyone including Rocky. Sadly, Rocky started falling for age late in October when he stopped eating anything, he would walk around the whole house and by the words of my parents, who kept telling he will be fine soon, I felt he might just not.
It was a nightmare when on 3rd Nov'12,the anniversary date of my first job, when Rocky passed away at noon. I was sleeping after coming back from work, and suddenly I heard my brother crying in a strange way. He mumbled out "Rocky", and I could not say a word more. My eyes got filled, and tears started dripping out of them. It was a hard moment, a moment of total disparity, felt like losing a gem of our life, like losing out someone who fills your life with lots of love and affection. Though I did not wanted to, but I had to accept it that he was no more with us. For a couple of days, I did not knew what to talk with my parents back home, he was the one who kept filling in for our absence for atleast 5 years, and it did felt like losing out on a member of the family. He left coz of his old age, and in a proper way in one way, he kept his exit simple than it would have got complicated with age. Later, when I talked to my parents, they would narrate how he kept them on their toes to attend him after work. He kept them involved. After talking to my father, who sounded as blank as never, I realized what he meant....
Yes, it hurts today that he is no more. Infact, it is still a question that what would be the reaction when my brother or I reach home and find an empty balcony. I never wrote anything for the past 4 months, but now that I have written, this remains my tribute to the greatest soul I ever met.
Hail your presence in the past, which left beautiful memories for the future !!
May you be back as shining soul on your rebirth !!
Lots of Love, Lots of Secrets , Lots of things which I ll keep passing to you !!
Had lots still to praise but cant hang on longer !!
Mridul-Tuktuk
