Gauri Sinh: Unstoppable forces of nature

The weekend had the elements showing their might. If New York, the city Mumbai has often been compared to, had hurricane Irene lashing its shores, we had our own water-logging to contend with, courtesy the rain gods.

Over the last few days, Colaba witnessed its maximum rainfall this month and Santa Cruz recorded its highest level this monsoon.

With the rains came the usual problems — waterlogged spots and a stranded citizenry, landslides in Thane.

Transport snarls: some flights suspended, rail and road jams. 39 incidents of uprooting of trees (very scary now, after the recent loss of lives), and the ever present pothole menace. In the chaos, no doubt the dread of another 26/7 lurking in collective memory as forces of nature displayed their torrential power.

In all the wetness and water, one soul quietly breathed her last. To many, caught up in the relentless wet misery of life in the city this weekend, it would seem strange that instead of railing against the authorities for better infrastructure, I choose to devote precious newsprint to this particular soul.

But it is important to acknowledge all forces of nature, and Julie, the around 13-year-old stray dog who breathed her last at the Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD) kennels Sunday morning was undoubtedly one in that she touched many lives, privileged and poor.

You might wonder how a stray dog could wield the kind of networking ability denied to the most silken-tongued PR amidst us. But this is Mumbai, a city described as ‘Maximum’ not just because of its frantic pace but also because of the depth of its heart.

For example, Sunday’s papers covered Hazare’s anti-corruption triumph and the havoc after the deluge of rain, but they did not neglect coverage on other compelling facets.

Samples from three leading papers: 1. The Siddhivinayak temple has a new devotee: a devout canine. 2. A grab of a dog attending his master’s funeral has gone viral on the internet. 3. The daughter of an F1 boss has forked out 10 million pounds on renovating her home to include a spa for her dogs. In a city where compassion for beings other than ourselves also makes for news, Julie was the force that bridged class divides.

Her affectionate, sunny temperament endeared her to South Mumbai’s elite as they walked their pedigreed pooches at the Oval, which was her home. And her loyalty made her a favourite with the not-so-privileged who also frequent the same public space.

WSD’s Abodh Aras tells of how they discovered she had anaemia when they had taken her for sterilisation in the early years. They didn’t sterilise her then, simply provided homeopathy.

The doctors from WSD helped with that. As did the roadside sugarcane walla who gave her ganna juice daily to up her strength.

Her haemoglobin had dropped to a dangerous low when WSD did a blood transfusion in June. And Julie, for a while, seemed on the mend, regaling volunteers with that trusting affection that only resides in the pure-hearted.

But her age was against her, and this Sunday, as the heavens poured, she breathed her last.

Those who knew her, affluent or otherwise, are in mourning. She may have been born on the streets, nobody’s child. But her temperament touched so many she became everybody’s in the end.

Aras received a condolence message from an Oval regular — it said good bye to the ‘Queen of the Oval.’ There are forces of nature that at times harm and those that heal.

Maximum city, as it lost one of its finest this week-end, got to introspect on both.