The Cute Little Indie

The peace and tranquility of our retirement community had been disturbed lately, with the sale of adjoining plots.  The plots had no clear title and hence transfer of ownership had been hampered for several years.  When we moved in to the colony, we were happy to sit on our veranda, sipping coffee and imbibing the beauty and serenity of a section of the Western Ghats which were clearly visible.  Our property border was defined by a strong fence of barbed wire and the early residents had planted several species of bougainvillea.  It was a veritable feast to us to see them all bloom in myriad colours.  A large neem tree which must have stood its ground for nearly a century would come alive in the mornings with parrots squawking and competing with each other to relish the neem fruits.  The seven sisters, the ash-coloured sparrows would follow babbling continuously in a high pitch and if one paid attention, could feel as if they were exchanging notes of each other’s well-being!  The squirrels with bushy tails would not lag behind and would be scurrying along stopping suddenly to rest themselves on their hind feet and carefully nibble at something they had come across.  Every now and then they would let out shrill squeaks which would invariably be accompanied by lifting their tails!  The crows, mynahs and woodpeckers would soon follow and the silence of the morning would be broken with the cooing and cawing of these sweet little creatures. Our morning coffee session which would begin around 7 o’clock, would go on till past 9, as the time we spent in the natural surroundings was so pleasant, that unless we were forced to enter the house for the regular chores, we loved to stay outside.

The huge plot of land owned by three or four generations across our home could not be sold as some of the claimants had passed away, some were minors and some did not agree to sell whereas some demanded an exorbitant price.  For several years, we had enjoyed seeing children play cricket on the ground and on Sundays, there would be three or four matches being played simultaneously and still there was space left for a badminton match!  It was taken for granted that this land could never be sold and we would never be disturbed by any other colony coming up. Alas, it was not to be and one fine day, there was a lot of activity with men going here and there with measuring tapes and before we could figure out what was happening, a big board came up reading that the plots were for sale!

What was more surprising was that the plots got sold like hot cakes in no time and building work commenced.  First to come were the JCBs to level the ground, then the wells were bored and the Bhoomi pooja took place in several spots.  Within four months there were no less than fifteen houses that had been constructed and the owners had moved in.  Two houses cropped up just in front of us across the road, which had become a thoroughfare, as there was now no fence at all! Change is the only thing permanent in life and whether we wish it or not, we have to move on.  After the initial resistance with the new neighbours, we did get pally but the friendship was only need-based, both ways.  With the place getting populated, stray dogs of all ages and sizes kept running about.  Earlier, herds of sheep would enter our community as the roads had been opened to the public and feast on all the plants we nurtured in our gardens.  Only after raising a hue and cry was the security tightened and the sheep went meandering for better pastures.

Hardly had this commotion died down, when we had to face another intruder.  One morning I had an appointment with the Pulmonologist and when I got ready to leave, I could locate only my left shoe!  The right one was missing.  It was a pair my daughter had got me from Germany and was the most comfortable footwear I had ever worn.  Made of cork, it was firm and soft at the same time. The whole household was on the job of tracing the missing one, but it did not take long to identify the culprit.

Across the road, a little pup was happily biting into it, wagging its tail, blissfully unaware of the rage that was building within me.  In my anger and frustration, I threw the left shoe at it and as if to raise my temper even more, it readily jumped at it and started playing with it.

After I came home from the consultation, I went to the neighbour’s house to inform them about what the Indie they chose to feed with bread and milk had done.  They immediately disowned it saying that they had not taken on the responsibility of the pup.  Though my blood pressure was rising, I could not argue with them and I returned fretting and fuming.  This was not a sole incident – a couple of days later, our maid found one chappal missing and she immediately ran behind the puppy and retrieved it.

Our villas did not have compound walls, but had a picket fence running all around.  When our community came into being, it was a private property with no trespassers and the need for raising a wall was not at all felt.  The picket fence lent elegance and all the villas boasted of a lovely fence. This little one could easily squeeze itself between the gaps and run wild.

I was not one to give in easily.  I caught hold of our Maintenance Supervisor and asked him to solve the problem for me.  The idea of reporting to the Panchayat to take away the stray animals was given up after a few futile attempts at contacting them.  Meanwhile, the pup was not only growing up but was also getting bolder day by day.  The problem had to be addressed at the earliest. 

I sat down with the Supervisor and started calculating how much I would have to spend if I had to replace the picket fence with a cemented wall or an iron grill or barbed wire.  If we considered the length of the fence to be 60 feet and the height to be 4 feet, raising a brick wall would work out to about Rs. 1,92,000/- applying the cheapest rate of Rs. 800/- per sq. ft., though the cost could even go up to Rs. 3,00,000/- if we chose better quality of materials.  It was immediately struck down.

Grill fabrication was considered next and the amount worked out to Rs. 48,000/- for an area of 240 sq. ft., @ Rs. 200/- per sq. ft.  This too was beyond my budget and turned down.  Barbed wire came up for discussion and it appeared quite cheap as the wire was only Rs. 2.50 per running foot. Though the cost of the wire would be less than Rs. 5000/-, we would need a minimum of 30 cemented poles for the fence and this would cost not less than Rs. 12000/- @ Rs. 400/- a pole!

I was exasperated and meekly suggested that we should try the wire mesh used for chicken coops as the only purpose was to keep the stray at bay.  The supervisor shifted in his seat rather uncomfortably wondering what kind of a woman he had to deal with and said that it would be too flimsy.  All of a sudden, I came up with an idea - “Let’s go in for the green garden wire mesh coated with plastic". We immediately got an estimate for it and placed the order as it would be the cheapest weather resistant and rust-proof fencing we could ever think of.

The bill for material and labour was Rs. 8500/- which I could afford.  The very next day, two men were on the job from morning till evening and the job was done.  Passers by would stop, first to condole the loss of my shoe and then comment that the green colour blended well with my garden.  I heaved a sigh of relief, having ensured that the Indie could not now run away with the footwear on my verandah.

Summer holidays had started and my grand-children were visiting me.  It was a joyous family re-union and the house was lively with children running around, and elders busy in the kitchen or playing games.  Everyone was busy within the house, when a sudden shout from the littlest grand-child brought us out on to the verandah.  There she was holding up one of her fancy shoes, bought just the day before she came here and started to weep as she could not find its pair!  I merely looked towards the gate and the little Indie on the other side of the road.

I had ensured to block access by putting up the wire mesh, but had not cautioned everyone to keep the gate bolted always – there it was – the gate wide open!  It was no wonder, therefore, that the cute little Indie could not resist the open invitation.