I used to be afraid of dogs. If not afraid, at the least , not comfortable with a dog around me. But that day, it all changed. I want a pet dog now. I still wonder how a little experience , an hour and a half can completely change our perception of something.
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I was with a friend at Matheran , the smallest hill station of India, a three hour drive from Mumbai. It is peaceful place with long woody jungle trails leading you to magnificent viewpoints. You can read more about Matheran here. We were exploring various trails and new paths. Near the Rambagh Point , a dog started following us and went all the way to Rambagh Point with us. After spending sometime there and absorbing the beauty, we moved ahead and to our surprise, the dog started moving along with us as if he was waiting for us.
After sometime,as we continued on our journey he started doing something peculiar. He would move a 15-20 steps ahead of us and them stop, look around properly in the woods and bushes, and would then look back and give a brief nod as if signalling that it was all safe. As soon as we reached near him, he would again move ahead and repeat the same.Sometimes, he would go a bit too ahead of us, and if there were any diversions in the path, he stood at the diversion point till we reached there, waiting for us to decide which way we wanted to go. At times, we were confused which path to take and it was he who led us. And in some way, we had now started feeling a bond with him and he felt like our guide and our savior. We reached the little Chowk Point and then the Big Chowk point. He had no interest in these amazing locations and the heavenly view, he only loved the journey. As soon as we would reach a viewpoint, we would hurriedly check around, to see if there was anything sniffy around and then doze off happily. As soon as we start to walk, he wakes up , follows and then leads. We are at the One Tree Hill Point. A bit dangerous path if you want to get really close to the One tree hill. The dog sensed we want to go there. He led us step by step, looking behind and checking if we were safe. And when we reached, and sat down on a huge rock, he cried. And then fell asleep. His cry was something i can't forget. He wanted to say something and said, which i couldn't understand. But what's important is that he said it and seemed to feel lighter.
As we were about to move ahead, he woke up. We walked ahead, hoping he would be coming behind. We walked some distance but no, it didn't come. I said to my friend 'It isn't alright. Something wrong has happened' .
We went back, he was there sleeping happily. He had found friends in us and we in him. He was looking for someone with whom he can sit and cry and share his emotions. He cried and then he found peace and no longer needed us. He was strong again. Maybe, the small journey together was enough to make a permanent bond. You don't need to be together always.
