On the day of Lohri, 14th January, 2020, which is Bogi in my state of Tamil Nadu where I was born, I decided not to sit with my computer searching for opportunities but spend some break off and relax with animals. I had the day planned with an evening for an alumni event at the Australian High Commission with the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Scott Morrison, in pressing times when I was really wanting a break back to Australia. But the event stood cancelled. And, that didn't push my spirits back to my system in search for a job. So, I took the local metro in Delhi only with the comfort of standing to SGACC, both to and return. This required me to take a hard ride on shared auto as well to their animal hospital for “Indian Roads”. I was dreaming of helping as in Animal Planet series like being a paravet or a helper to the vets but they gave me a broom and dustbin to help their “animal helper” whom I will call as “animal housekeeper”. I took up the job.
SGACC has a root to Australia and so I dropped to them claiming my Australian alumnus status too. We are entitled to do some charity as a give back to the country, especially in collaboration of our passion beyond work. What I always loved are the love-seeking stray animals beyond my own life and my pets that are part of my family. I used to feed the stray and celebrate or share my Christmas time. Thus, my charity is usually taken for granted as I don’t spend “the money”; I was challenged.
My day was fabulous, as the housekeeper is a very honest woman who asked me to leave the bag and get started. We mutually shared our tactics to clean these animal droppings. I taught her some of our family tactics like using the “dropping powder” everywhere first before starting to pick up that the smell will go away. But she taught me many things in return to get her job done. This was a challenging experience for me as I took the puppy place where there were dogs and cats, specifically a golden brown, a black and white puppy and a cat. The black and white puppy was tamed and it knew that the room will be messy if it didn’t allow me to clean. However, the golden brown was such a big challenge – it was heavy too – wanting my pampering and kind hugs than focus on cleaning its mess. I had to explain it and told it to stop snatching the broom from my hand. On top of this was the black and white cat which was matured enough wanting to purr on my lap when it saw my comfortable squatting position to sweep away the dirt as a desirable it’s purr placement time. Dollie, the housekeeping lady assured me that they behave in this manner with everyone. But how one can forget the sighs when I removed their dirt and monitored interestingly me cleaning up their messes. Never knew how much they missed covering their dirt with sand. I wish they had sand floor in their compartments and is open, if not for the warmth they need during the winter season and the need to tame them for adoption to a home.
Needless to mention, my spondylosis was a real challenge. I could not do my work bending and so I started to paralyse for the amount of physical activity involved. Yet, I wanted to overcome this challenge and took it up till the end. I know I may not have cleaned entirely with Dollie having to dig up the hard and long-time dried stains, which when I asked her about her daily duties. I mopped the entire floor and I learnt the trick of the clothe used by housekeepers. Yet I found I only won the challenge that I made for myself as I only had to fight the muscular pain later as I enjoyed the hot water bath and sleep on retuning back to hostel. Even otherwise I would have faced for sure this muscular pain for the physical activity involved but probably at a lesser intensity. I was finding awe at the immense stamina that Dollie has to clean up these sheds on daily basis.
What makes these sheds very difficult to clean are the sofas and pillows they have, but still the cats and dogs, know that they should not dirty them? I’m curious how and where they learn good habits which they don’t do at our home. Is it because we don’t let them be the beast they can be?
What we can do to these animals who bark in the street and fighting for us only for a wave of greeting at them or occasional bites or a pat that they fight for us from miscreants. So, what the cat does or get in return and keep away the pests away from our houses? I realised that sharing my kindness made me feel good and loved – I had someone wanting love in return and are harmless and is pennies lesser.
