Breaking Barriers by Barking

       I mentioned somewhere in my earlier posts, Labradors living here in Amdavad will fall under the paltu* category, and are generally bigger or stronger than their faltu* counterparts, excepting unless not well fed by their maaliks*. Bend is accused of overfeeding Banjo, but then they both compensate by walking a few odd miles every day. During these walks they always meet the faltu type, also known as desi*, who collectively are a loud type. The collective loves to bark endlessly and some like to show that they will bite. They even scare some humans who are taking their hurried morning walks, and their children too starting for their schools at beautiful morning twilight. Strong in posture, Banjo’s personality ensures he is a pet; Labrador and therefore lovable. At first meeting Banjo can look scary too.

       For some reason, the faltu types are usually angry with paltu types, and come running chasing in groups, and especially towards Banjo, who communicates to them in some dog language that life can be more than being territorial and protective. Some bites here and there, their morning walks continue.

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desi = (n.) of the country India
faltu = (n.) of the streets
maalik = (n.) master
paltu = (n.)of home

Footsteps to follow

Sometimes, it is nice to dig old incidents. This one crops up here because of Steinbeck's brief plot-synopsis within 'The Pearl' used as an archeologist’s tool. I remember how in a village scenario, tracking someone by merely looking down and following his foot-tracks is a simple skill.

Ten years back, fresh out of college, I used to get confused with the word 'footprint', for I had learnt that it means a foot-mark left on a surface. But, working my ass in a village called Patanka replacing traditional mud houses with houseowner’s organic designs, some two hundred odd of them, I used to have my more sophisticated friends talk and discuss, elitely, of a the same word 'footprint', but with a different meaning. More precisely, the word carbon was prefixed and the word became more than words. That time the grassroots concern was somewhere else, and now you can see it is a global concern now.

My concern stays smaller. It is of the skill, the skill which John published of back then in 1947; the skill of tracing/chasing someone wanted or unwanted by following the footprints left on the dusty ground. The melancholy plot-synopsis is of Kino chased during his run. Reminded me of how I was chased by the best chasers of Patanka , a community called Rabari, basically, grazers here who own a lot of sheep and flock, lowest in that village's social ladder of four to five categories. Vajabhai, chased me to be allotted his quota of cement, and complained I had been the toughest catch in his life. My job was to walk around and visit different houses that were being built, to inspect that they were being done proper. He complained that I would circle and walk too much. This made me happy then, and now makes me proud when I look back, for they were good times as we cracked them as jokes. When I discussed this with others in the village, the superior people of the village, they told me that these grazaers are best with this technique of foot following and are usually of help to the community when a theft had taken place. As soon as a theft alarm is raised, unknown footsteps are followed, wrong ones eliminated and a track path invented, in a particular direction, with probabilities worked out that in which village would the thief would have gone to. Villages here, then and now, are distributed by a distance of five to ten kilometers in an average. If pursued, it took a month or two to apprehend the thief.

Now, slowly most of these villages are access roaded with roads that are super highways, otherwise called expressways, motorways or freeways. It can be a useful observation to find how much of the footprint identification skill still remains. I am talking of the smaller issue.

One regular bronze

Read the news (link) to understand the word effort.

A 20km walk, daily, to get water for her family is comparable to once-in-a-lifetime bronze in the commonwealth games for a 10km one. Less distance, she ran. As for authorities, this way there isn’t much expenditure in training players. Let the tribal practice. Whatever- running, swimming, shooting…

Chain Snatching incidents in Ahmedabad city

Chain Snatching incidents in any community are serious and regular ones in a big city as bad. Ahmedabad reports this in its daily churan* type newspapers, and in its other better city dailies here and there and and so on. The chain snatching incidents go unnoticed in the middle of multiple issues of multitudal concerns, but still making simple or singular or feeble impacts. People read the news, gather that it is serious, acknowledge it it is bad and move on. Some do their bit.

And more it hurts, when in neighborhood an auntie well known is hurt because the culprits slashed her neck as they snatched away her gold chain running away with it, doubling* on a hundred CC bike.

This is not good.

Because, a small civilization or a big city, first, she is hurt; second, she will fear, to wear, or never from now on, to wear a flashing expensive necklace at the evenings and enjoy the care-free nice warm breezy evening walks in her community next time.

Police say they will and are trying their best. But they themselves read too much of the newspaper too. We the neighbors make a visit. If we do not, then we send some condolences. Even if that not too, we convey our pity or compassion and hope for better. We also hope that the culprits are caught soon.  We also try to gather, who is responsible for all this?

Who?

 

The Employment Directorate?

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Churan (n.) An Ayurvedic preparation, in dry powder form, provides post lunch/dinner taste, and is helpful with restoring bowel normalcy

Doubling(v.) Two riders on a bike

Ref-yu-chakker (v.) To run away