So much for a star running over a life in his drunken slumber of power and position. A lot of hue and cry over the loss of human life and the very obvious neglect in considering the gravity of the act. Yes, it was a heinous offense considering life is precious and invaluable. But is there a difference in the value attached to life based on whether it resides in the physical form of a human or that in the form of the four legged creatures precisely termed as animals? Is the apathy involved any less in this case? Or is it the fact that taking away human life in your senses amounts to murder translating into a punishable offence while taking away the life of an animal is of no considerable consequence? Does that make life in the form of an animal any less valuable? I can't help but raise these questions and would preferably scream out the same if permitted if it helps put some sense into creatures who like to call themselves humans, but apparently have no sense that I would consider remotely human.
I walked in home to the utterly heartbreaking news of this apparent human apathy today. A stray dog, who lived in and around the entry gate of our apartment, whom we lovingly named "Fan", was run over by the car of one of the residents of the apartment in an appalling display of complete lack of regard for non - human life.
Fan owed his name to the unusual way in which he wagged his tail to welcome and appreciate the presence of all humans in the vicinity of our apartment. Instead of the typical horizontal motion of the tail which is generally referred to as wagging, Fan had his unique style of a circular motion to denote the same J. He was a favourite, not just of the few animal loving people of our apartment, but of all the shopkeepers in and around the area, the watchmen of our building and all the kids. He was one who was always happy to be with his human friends. One could never find him barking at people unnecessarily, growling, fighting or showing any other signs of aggression. He was happiness and love in his entirety. When I offered him biscuits during my evening ritual of feeding the strays around my building, he would first demand a couple of minutes of petting before taking the first bite. On my return from office, as the cab neared my apartment gate, Fan would somehow figure out that it was me in the car even before I stepped out. He would keep running about near the door and around the car delightfully, much to the surprise of the driver at times J. Sometimes he would follow us upto the elevator if his request for some petting was ignored. Fan was one of the only dogs I have seen, who enjoyed the lights and sound during Diwali. Not even a tad bit scared, he would accompany the residents and the watchmen in the celebration while all the other dogs would be hiding somewhere safe till the festivities ended. Never did the residents have to worry about their kids pulling the ears or the tail of a pooch and get bitten in retaliation if Fan was the dog in question. The kids adored him as much as all the others did. He was loved by all.
But the life of this bundle of love on four legs was brutally crushed under the wheels of the car of a callous and inhuman resident. The incident as narrated by the watchmen showed how cruel and insensitive some people can be. Fan was resting on the side of the pavement like he and the other dogs in the vicinity usually did during the day. He wasn't lying in the middle of the road and the colour of his fur clearly made him visible so there isn't a possibility that one could just miss seeing him in broad daylight. Apparently, the resident drove out of the apartment gates at a high speed which wasn't required and advisable in the first place. Next, instead of taking the center of the road he chose to drive his car through the edge, that being the spot where Fan was resting. The front wheels of the car went over Fan who was caught unaware but he wasn't hurt until then. He just went under the car and could have made it out safely from underneath the middle of the car, if the driver had applied the brakes at that instant. However, this insensitive bloke, inspite of realizing that he was over the dog, chose to drive through and in the process he ran over Fan, crushing him under the rear wheels of his luxury carriage. He didn't even care to look back and drove away without a care. The watchmen rushed to Fan's aid but he was fatally injured and there was nothing they could do to save him. Fan died in about ten minutes. The shopkeepers and the watchmen arranged for his body to be taken away L.......
I do not drive, but I am forced to wonder and question - is it really that difficult to keep your eyes open, watch out for these innocent creatures and avoid causing them harm or injury while you use your mode of transport? There are countless such incidents of animals being hit, run over and left to die on the city streets that we come across everyday. Are all of them mere accidents that were unavoidable or are they the result of evident indifference and insensitivity towards life in the form of an animal? Would this person have behaved the same way if it was a human life in question? Quite obviously, the answer is no (unless he is Salman Khan). Who gives human beings the right to place a price tag on life as one being priceless and invaluable and the other not even worth looking back at?
A humble request to all those who drive - Please do exercise a bit of caution in considering the importance and value of life while you drive, irrespective of the form in which it exists....
A life full of love and warmth lost to the insouciance of human beings......RIP darling FAN....run free and happy on the other side of the rainbow!!!
I walked in home to the utterly heartbreaking news of this apparent human apathy today. A stray dog, who lived in and around the entry gate of our apartment, whom we lovingly named "Fan", was run over by the car of one of the residents of the apartment in an appalling display of complete lack of regard for non - human life.
Fan owed his name to the unusual way in which he wagged his tail to welcome and appreciate the presence of all humans in the vicinity of our apartment. Instead of the typical horizontal motion of the tail which is generally referred to as wagging, Fan had his unique style of a circular motion to denote the same J. He was a favourite, not just of the few animal loving people of our apartment, but of all the shopkeepers in and around the area, the watchmen of our building and all the kids. He was one who was always happy to be with his human friends. One could never find him barking at people unnecessarily, growling, fighting or showing any other signs of aggression. He was happiness and love in his entirety. When I offered him biscuits during my evening ritual of feeding the strays around my building, he would first demand a couple of minutes of petting before taking the first bite. On my return from office, as the cab neared my apartment gate, Fan would somehow figure out that it was me in the car even before I stepped out. He would keep running about near the door and around the car delightfully, much to the surprise of the driver at times J. Sometimes he would follow us upto the elevator if his request for some petting was ignored. Fan was one of the only dogs I have seen, who enjoyed the lights and sound during Diwali. Not even a tad bit scared, he would accompany the residents and the watchmen in the celebration while all the other dogs would be hiding somewhere safe till the festivities ended. Never did the residents have to worry about their kids pulling the ears or the tail of a pooch and get bitten in retaliation if Fan was the dog in question. The kids adored him as much as all the others did. He was loved by all.
But the life of this bundle of love on four legs was brutally crushed under the wheels of the car of a callous and inhuman resident. The incident as narrated by the watchmen showed how cruel and insensitive some people can be. Fan was resting on the side of the pavement like he and the other dogs in the vicinity usually did during the day. He wasn't lying in the middle of the road and the colour of his fur clearly made him visible so there isn't a possibility that one could just miss seeing him in broad daylight. Apparently, the resident drove out of the apartment gates at a high speed which wasn't required and advisable in the first place. Next, instead of taking the center of the road he chose to drive his car through the edge, that being the spot where Fan was resting. The front wheels of the car went over Fan who was caught unaware but he wasn't hurt until then. He just went under the car and could have made it out safely from underneath the middle of the car, if the driver had applied the brakes at that instant. However, this insensitive bloke, inspite of realizing that he was over the dog, chose to drive through and in the process he ran over Fan, crushing him under the rear wheels of his luxury carriage. He didn't even care to look back and drove away without a care. The watchmen rushed to Fan's aid but he was fatally injured and there was nothing they could do to save him. Fan died in about ten minutes. The shopkeepers and the watchmen arranged for his body to be taken away L.......
I do not drive, but I am forced to wonder and question - is it really that difficult to keep your eyes open, watch out for these innocent creatures and avoid causing them harm or injury while you use your mode of transport? There are countless such incidents of animals being hit, run over and left to die on the city streets that we come across everyday. Are all of them mere accidents that were unavoidable or are they the result of evident indifference and insensitivity towards life in the form of an animal? Would this person have behaved the same way if it was a human life in question? Quite obviously, the answer is no (unless he is Salman Khan). Who gives human beings the right to place a price tag on life as one being priceless and invaluable and the other not even worth looking back at?
A humble request to all those who drive - Please do exercise a bit of caution in considering the importance and value of life while you drive, irrespective of the form in which it exists....
A life full of love and warmth lost to the insouciance of human beings......RIP darling FAN....run free and happy on the other side of the rainbow!!!
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