OBITUARIES

Delhi adman Vikram Sengupta gives a poignant rendering of life his erstwhile best friend

Bingo! A cute ball of fur. White as snow but set to colour my life forever. Against the wishes of nearly everyone in my family, Bingo came home. And through his magic, he made it much more of a home.

Bingo was not just a dog – he was in every sense my buddy. Defying the generalization of every German Spitz being yappy and snappy, Bingo soon won over everyone. His melting eyes, patient demeanour and polite ways converted everyone into dog lovers.

But more than anything else, Bingo in his own way, made my life whole. He quitened down my angst-ridden teenage years, giving me a sense of responsibility, an object of affection, a companion who made me welcome solitude if all the company I had was a dog. As I ran my hands through his soft fur, as I took him for his daily constitutional, as I bathed him, fed him, brushed him, cleaned up after him and did all the chores of caring for a dog some people find tedious, all I felt was a sense of fulfillment.

Before Bingo came home, I was always yearning. And at times I didn’t even know what I was yearning for. That all passed when I, turning a deaf ear to all objections, brought him home, snuggled into my chest. For the paltry sum of just Rs 500, I brought home priceless moments and memories that will never fade. Standing firm against the initial hostile reception we (already Bingo and I had become a ‘we’) set out to change things for the better. Truth be told, Bingo shouldered it all as he melted down my father’s neutrality with his quiet companionship, my mother’s fierce resistance with his lovable ways and my sister’s fear with his passive friendliness. Suddenly, the neighbours became friendlier, strangers on the road stopped to fondle this lovable ball of fur and visitors dropped by more and more frequently. In his quiet way, Bingo brought about a change in our life – subtly but very effectively. Yes, nobody could resist him – and every day he became more and more intricately entangled with and part of my life.

Years went by, and Bingo grew. Not just physically, but he grew on us. He cast his spell over all of us as he grew more and more lovable. He subtly insinuated himself into our lives in a way that had no parallel. When and how he did it, none of us knew, but a time came when to us it seemed he had been with us forever. And would stay forever.

But that was just wishful thinking. No, not just that, it was a plea from the heart. A wistful prayer that this bundle of love would stay with me forever. But that was not to be.

The devastation I felt the day Bingo left us forever is beyond description. The void he has left has never been filled. And never will be. For 13 long years he delighted us in every way. And for the last 6 years he has not been with me, there hasn’t been a single day … no, a single moment, that I haven’t missed him… no not missed - mourned his absence. Six years back, I reverted to my old self. I went back to that old myself – the restlessness, the feeling of being incomplete. And my faithful companion has now again become that old yearning. For what, I really don’t know. Or do I?

Actually I do.

I yearn for Bingo. I yearn for the indescribable values he gave me. I yearn for the companionship, the non-judgmental love, the sense of purpose, the feeling of never being alone that no amount of human companionship can ever give me. Yes, I yearn for the one to whom I was God!

There is really no purpose in writing this. No goal, no focus, no hidden agenda. This is simply a narrative of an experience that I was blessed with – an experience that has left me richer. And poorer by its absence.

The reader will be excused for dismissing me as a fanatic slightly off his rocker – a nut obsessed with what to him, is just a dog. But that doesn’t perturb me. Because I know that to know what I know and feel what I feel the reader need to do just one simple thing.

Bring home a dog.