It is 17 years to this date since Bruno had passed away. Lekha and I had remembered him early this morning, on waking up. There's a photograph of his that adorns a wall of our bedroom.
We were transported to this dreadful day 17 years back, when at 13' past 6 in the morning, he'd left this world when I felt that small tug from his body and his head fell lifeless against my chest. Prior to that, he had his eyes on mine, perhaps enjoying my ignorance of the impending catastrophe - I was carrying him in my arms after taking him out and returning to our flat, 9/97, Arjan Vihar at Delhi Cantt - as his soul took flight towards his next avatar. Our maid, Meena, who was into the final stages of her pregnancy delivered a bouncy, baby girl the very next day and with my little knowledge of the cycle of rebirths, I would like to believe that Meena's daughter, Renu is Bruno, in his present life!
There was a clear indication, when, during the last week of his life, he took an affinity, gravitating towards her like never before. Lekha and I did wonder regarding this newfound love because in the normal course, though he showed his gratitude to those who showered their love on him, it always, had a limit! It was that typical Dobermann trait in him. That's why I believe it to be the indicator of his next birth!!
He'd come to us as a small, adorable pup, just 30 days old, sometime during the first half of 1992 from Bangalore, sent as a gift to us by Lekha's uncle. His brown colour was a trifle unusual and that was the time we'd come to know that he was a cross between a Dobermann and a Labrador. But it was never an issue as he'd quickly established his place, deep within our hearts.
He used to take all sorts of liberties with me when I took him out for his walks - so much so, that many of my friends used to tell me that he was a rogue while he was with me but he was the most well behaved dog when he used to be out with Lekha. I think he was quite aware about her physical condition and it always was an overwhelming sight when the both of them negotiated steps/stair cases - he used to take a step or two and pause, wait for her to negotiate the steps and only, then proceed further!
While we used to have mock fights between the two of us, he made it very clear that he'd a sneaky preference for her instead of me.....and I never grudged that! When Lekha was seriously ill, he used to wait for me to return from the hospital and sit in front of me - motionless - as if to say that he understood my predicament and wanted to share it!!
His delightful capers, the warm welcome that he gave us whenever we returned after an outing, were experiences that he had given us in abundance.
Bruno had one failing, though. He hated anyone who was not dressed well and he used to bark like hell at them. In other words, a thief dressed immaculately, would have passed his muster!
The journeys that we'd with him in our Maruti Omni were many - the trip with our friends, the Banerjees, to Haridwar, Rishikesh, Dehradun and Mussoorie along the River Ganga, the yearly leave trips on the Rajdhani Express from New Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram and back, the numerous trips home from the Naval base, Kochi gave us a fund of experiences and amazing glimpses of his behaviour.
Was he happy with us? I would like to believe that he was.
I remember him everyday as my e-mail ID begins with bruno_nair!
Booney, Lekha and I miss you every waking moment of ours as you have given us plenty of memories to remember!!
Tailpiece.
A quiet day. Suma and Jaya have begun to work for us from today.
We were transported to this dreadful day 17 years back, when at 13' past 6 in the morning, he'd left this world when I felt that small tug from his body and his head fell lifeless against my chest. Prior to that, he had his eyes on mine, perhaps enjoying my ignorance of the impending catastrophe - I was carrying him in my arms after taking him out and returning to our flat, 9/97, Arjan Vihar at Delhi Cantt - as his soul took flight towards his next avatar. Our maid, Meena, who was into the final stages of her pregnancy delivered a bouncy, baby girl the very next day and with my little knowledge of the cycle of rebirths, I would like to believe that Meena's daughter, Renu is Bruno, in his present life!
There was a clear indication, when, during the last week of his life, he took an affinity, gravitating towards her like never before. Lekha and I did wonder regarding this newfound love because in the normal course, though he showed his gratitude to those who showered their love on him, it always, had a limit! It was that typical Dobermann trait in him. That's why I believe it to be the indicator of his next birth!!
He'd come to us as a small, adorable pup, just 30 days old, sometime during the first half of 1992 from Bangalore, sent as a gift to us by Lekha's uncle. His brown colour was a trifle unusual and that was the time we'd come to know that he was a cross between a Dobermann and a Labrador. But it was never an issue as he'd quickly established his place, deep within our hearts.
He used to take all sorts of liberties with me when I took him out for his walks - so much so, that many of my friends used to tell me that he was a rogue while he was with me but he was the most well behaved dog when he used to be out with Lekha. I think he was quite aware about her physical condition and it always was an overwhelming sight when the both of them negotiated steps/stair cases - he used to take a step or two and pause, wait for her to negotiate the steps and only, then proceed further!
While we used to have mock fights between the two of us, he made it very clear that he'd a sneaky preference for her instead of me.....and I never grudged that! When Lekha was seriously ill, he used to wait for me to return from the hospital and sit in front of me - motionless - as if to say that he understood my predicament and wanted to share it!!
His delightful capers, the warm welcome that he gave us whenever we returned after an outing, were experiences that he had given us in abundance.
Bruno had one failing, though. He hated anyone who was not dressed well and he used to bark like hell at them. In other words, a thief dressed immaculately, would have passed his muster!
The journeys that we'd with him in our Maruti Omni were many - the trip with our friends, the Banerjees, to Haridwar, Rishikesh, Dehradun and Mussoorie along the River Ganga, the yearly leave trips on the Rajdhani Express from New Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram and back, the numerous trips home from the Naval base, Kochi gave us a fund of experiences and amazing glimpses of his behaviour.
Was he happy with us? I would like to believe that he was.
I remember him everyday as my e-mail ID begins with bruno_nair!
Booney, Lekha and I miss you every waking moment of ours as you have given us plenty of memories to remember!!
Tailpiece.
A quiet day. Suma and Jaya have begun to work for us from today.
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