Revathi walked down the cobbled path of the little hill station looking at the colourful shops lining the pavement. Trinkets, bags, curios and leather shoes were arranged enticingly on the shelves in the shop windows. School girls in their yellow check shirts and brown tunics stood sucking ice lollies in ice cream shops. Their little pigtails bobbing up and down as they nodded their heads in animated conversation with their friends.
Lost in her thoughts, she jumped at a loud snort right behind her. She quickly made way for the huge muscular black horse as the animal trotted ahead with its first-time riders nervously gripping the edge of the saddle. Its hooves made a clip clop sound as it moved steadily on the hilly road.
Nobody looked at Revathi as she passed them. Every mind was busy on making the right bargain and earning their daily bread. Even if they did stare at her it was with the eagerness of a prospective customer and nothing more. As they realised she was just a window shopper, they moved towards the next possible buyer. This anonymity was a relief. Revathi felt herself relax after a long time. As a well-known face in the entertainment industry, she was always chased by flashlights and autograph seekers no matter where she went. She had begun to detest the attention that she was forcibly subjected to. A recent incident at a party which turned ugly had made her lose her composure. She behaved quite unusually. It had made her decide she needed her break.
It was her father who suggested this quaint little hill station, Matheran, in the idyllic Western Ghats, where she could live in blissful anonymity as long as she desired.
“Just carry your walking shoes. That is all you will need there. Your heels will not help.” he had said winking at her mischievously knowing her allergy for workouts. Revathi had rolled her eyes and laughed.
She had escaped silently without informing anyone, not even her personal secretary. Only her father, knew where she was. She hoped they would not bother him too much. But Dad was a better actor than her. She smiled as she remembered how he had pretended to suffer from Amnesia the last time she had fled like this. She knew he could make up some cock-and-bull story if they pressured him too much.
Revathi knelt on the pavement to look at some sun hats that were arranged in neat rows on the ground. They had a flimsy net covering and a flower stuck on the broad sash circling the top. It looked cheap and something she would never have stopped to look at in her normal circumstance. However, she wanted to break off from everything she knew and had begun to hate.
She picked up one hat and placed it on her head. It was navy-blue in colour and had white lace trimmings all around its base. A large white lily flower made of fabric material was pinned to the broad ribbon on top.
“100” said the man with a broad smile. Happy at making his first sale.
Revathi smiled and handed him the 100 rupees note. She placed it on her head and giggled wondering how her stylist would faint if he saw her now.
The deep loud whistle of an approaching train made her look up. The house she grew up in was near a railway station. Young Revathi would rush to the window whenever she heard an approaching train. Somehow, she was fascinated by the idea that one person could drive an engine that had the power to pull so many carriages along. She would pester her father to take her to the station. She would sit on the platform watching the huge engines rush into the platform filling it with their chugging bellow. In the evenings she goad her father to tell her more about train engines. Dad would laugh and pull her into his lap to satisfy her curiosity. Then one day, Revathi decided she wanted to drive a train. Everyone had laughed but her father had simply smiled and said “Why not? You can always be what you want.” That line had somehow triggered something within her. It had always encouraged her to pursue what her heart had desired. Then when she had decided to become an actress, it was again only her father who had supported her choice.
Revathi sighed. Poor Dad. Hope he is not being pestered too much. Her father had always been her rock. He had stood by her in all her decisions, just like now.
As the train pulled into the small little station, Revathi moved closer. She noticed the happy smiling faces of the passengers as they alighted on to the platform. The weekend was usually a busy time here as people from the nearby cities landed up in this quiet little getaway for some time off from their busy schedule.
Suddenly, the place became alive with a buzz of activity. It filled with the chattering of excited voices as the ghodawalas, the people who managed the horses, began negotiating with the passengers on the price. The hand drawn rickshaw pullers, the only other means of transport in the area hovered expectantly hoping to get the next bargain if the horsemen failed in their bid to complete the negotiation.
Revathi looked on enjoying the commotion. She stood at a distance making sure nobody would notice her. Though there were a few curious glances towards her, but the navy-blue sun hat had helped to camouflage her perfectly.
Soon the crowds began to thin out as negotiations had worked out and everybody had reached a favourable agreement. The market area returned to its earlier pace.
The rumblings in her stomach made Revathi realise it was lunch time. She stepped into a clean looking restaurant and ordered some cottage cheese preparation which had an exotic name, some wheat bread, a bowl of curd and a salad to go with that. As she sat drumming her fingers thoughtfully on the table, waiting for her food to arrive, she realised she was being observed. A pair of black beady eyes stared at her from outside the threshold of the eatery. It was a little puppy with the most inquisitive stares she had ever seen. Revathi smiled thinking she had evaded the scrutiny of humans only to get caught by a canine. She went over to look more closely at her observer.
The puppy had a white coat with a patch of brown smeared across his nose and ears. His lean reedy back stood in a straight line as he sat on his haunches. His head was tilted slightly on one side as his ears stood cocked up looking questioningly at Revathi. This gave his face such a comical expression that Revathi could not help herself from giggling. That made the puppy wag its little stump of a tail slightly. It looked so endearing that Revathi laughed out indulgently. Encouraged, the puppy began wagging his tail with increased intensity. Revathi knelt down. The puppy immediately relaxed its posture lowering his head and moving closer to Revathi. His tail had begun to wag madly by now. Revathi tickled his head. He moved closer and lay down on his back exposing his little round swollen belly with all his paws in the air.
Revathi laughed as she tickled his belly. The little one lay in that position encouraging her to go on with the tickle.
“Is that your dog?” a rustic voice startled Revathi.
She looked up to notice the owner standing behind her looking at the puppy with disgust.
“Oh no. It was just sitting here on your stairs. I thought of giving it a tickle” said Revathi getting up.
“Madam, you don’t know these menaces. They will climb all over you if you allow them” he said shooing off the puppy with a broom. The little one scampered off yelping with fright.
“Come, your food is served” he said looking at her condescendingly.
Revathi shook her head sighing and went over to her table. The food was too spicy for her taste. Her years of controlled diet had made it impossible for her to digest anything so oily. She ate the salad and curd leaving the curry untouched. She left the restaurant and decided to linger around a little bit more before she moved towards her resort.
She had chosen one which stood at a secluded spot close to a famous lake of the region. It had a fascinating name “Verandah in the forest” so called because of a beautiful balcony that looked out onto the surrounding wilderness. She had fallen in love with the name the moment she heard it and decided to book herself in. On her first glance of the place, she knew she had made the right decision. It was a beautiful colonial bungalow, with a long balcony that extended around the whole house. The rooms were placed all along the balcony. There were some on the ground floor as well. Revathi had taken the suite which was an individual unit a little away from the main house and had its own little sit out area. In the two days she had been here, Revathi had fallen in love with the peace and tranquility of the place.
Having made a few more unnecessary purchases Revathi decided to head back before it got too dark. Her manager, Ratheesh had specifically asked her to be back before sunset.
Revathi started her trudge up the trail she had taken in the morning. In some time, she had left the marketplace and moved towards the forest. The trees on both sides formed a charming canopy as she shuffled through the dry leaves that coated the ground beneath. The crunch of the dry leaves as she stepped on them, soothed her mind. She closed her eyes to inhale deeply. The moist smell of the forest was intoxicating. It was far more refreshing than the expensive perfumes that she was forced to endure at the parties she attended. The silence surrounding her was heady in its muteness. The bees buzzing around her ears drummed a peaceful lullaby. She had never felt so calm and at peace with her surroundings. For the first time in many years, she was with herself and she was enjoying this solitude more than anything she had done before.
A shuffling sound behind her made her turn around and she noticed with delight that it was the same puppy she had seen outside the shop. The little one stopped in his tracks noticing her. Then having recognized her moved closer with his tail wagging and his head lowered.
“Hello little buddy!” said Revathi fumbling in her bags to look for some tidbits that may be lying around “You remember me, do you?”
She bent down to tickle his head. The dog immediately lay down belly up kicking his paws in the air.
“Oh ho…seems to be your favourite pose” said Revathi laughing. She had finally fished out a packet of cookies that she had picked up from her room in the resort that morning before leaving. She tore it up and gave him one. He munched it down with such gusto that Revathi thought he must be hungry. She gave him a few more. The little one gulped them down in no time and kept looking at her expectantly for more.
Soon Revathi shook out the empty packet and laughingly tickled his ears.
“Look! You gobbled it all up you greedy pig. Run along now. I have nothing left for you.”
The puppy however stood sitting looking at her with his ears cocked and head titled to one side appearing to listen eagerly. Revathi looked up realizing it was already quite dark. She had not realised the time while she was feeding the puppy. Darkness had settled down. She still had to walk a bit to reach her resort. She fumbled in her bag once again to look for the torch only to realise that she had not got one. In her hurry to leave she had not even packed well.
Muttering to herself she switched on the flashlight on her phone. The narrow beam of white light lit up the path ahead of her.
She noticed that it forked into two and both looked the same. Revathi realised with shock that she could not remember the one she had taken in the morning. As she stood debating which one should she take to reach the resort, a short, tiny bark broke into her thoughts. She looked around to realise the little puppy had moved ahead of her and was standing before the road on the right looking at her. He wagged his tail and gave another bark.
Revathi shook her head as he looked at him
“I cannot play with you now little one. I have to go but I think I am lost” said Revathi cursing herself for being so careless.
The puppy barked yet again and ran up to her. He stood looking at her and then ran towards the road on the right as he had done before.
Revathi looked at him curiously. She realised, he was trying to tell her something. She thought for a while. Was he trying to show her the way? Surely, he did not know the way to her resort. How could he? Revathi had just met him today morning. How would he know where she wanted to go?
The puppy however, was insistent. He ran up towards Revathi and back towards the road barking and wagging his tail. It seemed to be a good game for him.
After a while, Revathi decided to give in to his game. This could not be that big a forest that she will never find a way. There must be a sign somewhere which will lead her to the resort. She started walking towards the road the puppy was indicating.
Happy to see Revathi following him, the puppy trotted ahead on the forest trail. Revathi treaded cautiously behind him holding up her flashlight to light up the path. Lamp posts were positioned at regular frequencies, but the glow was too feeble for her to make out the road clearly. However, her guide was quite confident and was prancing ahead of her with vigour. Sometimes he would dig his snout into the ground sniffing strongly and then march on ahead. Revathi wondered if she was truly losing her mind enough to allow a puppy to act as her guide. However, she knew she had no option.
Soon she could see the signpost that led towards her resort. She heaved a sigh of relief as she trudged down the steep descent towards its gates only to find her guide waiting there for her. She picked him up in her arms to cuddle him.
“Thanks buddy! You are a smart dog” she said planting a kiss on his soft head.
The puppy lifted his head and licked her face. It was so spontaneous and natural that Revathi felt tears pricking her eyes. It was the first true sign of unconditional love she had felt in many years.
As she put him down, she felt a tug at her heart. She watched as he scampered off into the darkness with the same wild abandon with which he had led her here.
She was still smiling as she waited for her dinner thinking about the little puppy.
Deva, the young boy at the resort restaurant, came up with her Caesar salad and Soup on a tray.
“Had a nice day Madam?” he said smiling.
“Oh yes. Most unusual” said Revathi smiling back at him.
“Why unusual Maam?” asked Deva arranging the food on the table.
Revathi told him about the incident about the puppy and how he had helped her find her way in the darkness. She liked chatting with Deva who was always ready with stories for her about the place.
Deva smiled as she finished.
“Yes. The strays here are very intelligent and helpful. They often act as tourist guides. If you follow them around you are sure to find a good view point without anyone telling you about it.”
“But how did he know that I wanted to come here?” asked Revathi curiously.
“You said you gave him some cookies didn’t you? Our cookies are different from the biscuits in the local shops. The puppy must have had it earlier from someone and knew where they came from.”
Revathi’s eyes widened in surprise as realization dawned on her.
“Oh my god! That is really intelligent! I had completely forgotten about the cookies.”
“You see madam, the dogs here are always hungry. In fact, sometimes you will even find them eating horse poop to fill their hunger. They are that desperate. But in addition to food they are also hungry for love. A kind word, a loving smile and they can do anything for you. You have nothing to worry anymore, you have got yourself a tour guide for the rest of your stay here with us.” said Deva as he left her with a smile.
Revathi shook her head in disbelief as she dug her fork into her salad.
The next morning took her by surprise. Deva was absolutely right. As Revathi stepped out of the resort gates, she found the black beady eyes and the brown snouted white ball of fur waiting for her. On seeing her approach, he yelped with joy and ran up to her his ears flying in the air.
Revathi picked him up in her arms and nuzzled him on the head with her nose.
“You are back little buddy!” she said laughing “So, where are we going today?”
She followed happily as the puppy pranced ahead of her leading her to explore uncharted terrains she had never imagined existed.
The place was an absolute heaven. The canopy of trees covering every trail created a pleasant shade from the scorching sun even in mid-day. The red soil on which she treaded caked her shoes in a red dust. The slopes at some places were so steep that she had to stop to catch her breath. The puppy would often run ahead and then when he realised she was not following would come back and wait for her. His endearing look as he stared up at her drove away Revathi’s exhaustion. She would laugh and start following him again.
On one of their rambles, the puppy led her to a beautiful mountain top that overlooked a valley. The huge bold faces of the hills, still cloaked with a mantle of greenery, the fading remnants of a monsoon that had just gone by, looked at Revathi as she stared awestruck at their brute beauty. She sat down on a ledge cut out on the side of the hill where she stood. The puppy sat down on his haunches next to her and stared down into the valley too. They sat like that for several hours in peaceful companionship. Then suddenly, the puppy howled. The suddenness of the piercing cry made Revathi jump. It was a heart wrenching sound for such a small soul. It felt as if he was wreaking out all his angst, his sorrows, every single moment of neglect that had made his heart suffer. He was surrendering himself to the mountains. The cry dripped with a hollow pain and brought tears to her eyes.
Then the cry echoed back to them from the mountains as if they now shared his suffering too relieving him of the pain. His job done he looked at Revathi wagging his tail. He seemed to be telling her to do the same thing.
Revathi was taken aback. She hesitated. Then she stood up and screamed. All her years of suffering, the negativity that she had kept bottled inside her came out in that one scream. She prayed for the mountains to take off her load. She knew they agreed to come to her rescue as her howls of misery echoed through the hills and faded away in the midst of their enormity. It did indeed make Revathi feel light and happy. She knew she had done the right thing by coming here. She needed this release. She closed her eyes and sat at peace. Something warm and soft climbed on to her lap. She looked down to notice that the puppy lay with his eyes closed. She smiled as she thoughtfully stroked is back realizing how two disturbed souls had finally found their peace.
After that day, it was as if an unspoken understanding was forged between the two. Revathi became used to seeing him waiting at the gate of her resort. She would bend down and pick him up to cuddle him as he licked her face with joy. Her stay at Matheran had become all the more enjoyable for this little glow of love that had landed on her in the most unexpected manner. She was relishing this and more so because she knew it was short-lived. Hence, she wanted to savour this elixir till the very last drop.
And then finally the day of her departure arrived.
Goodbyes were never easy for Revathi. She hated leaving any place that she had grown to love just like this one. However, what she did not realise the incredible pain she would experience at seeing the little bundle of joy and knowing she would have to bid him a goodbye too. What made it worse was that the little one hardly realised that she was leaving. Like usual, he jumped at seeing her come out of the resort gates and rushed over to be picked up and cuddled. Revathi kissed him like always and set him down. He scampered off leading the way.
Revathi shook her head sadly, knowing this would be harder than she had thought. They trudged till the marketplace and as Revathi moved towards the station, the little puppy stared at her surprised.
Revathi bent down and stroked him softly, “Go back Buddy!” she said, “this is where we say goodbye.”
The puppy sat staring at her strangely. Realising that today was not like any other day, he lay down stretching his front legs and put his little head between them stealing doleful glances at Revathi.
Sighing Revathi moved towards the ticket counter. She hesitated as an uncomfortable stab of pain was jabbing at her heart. Forcing her to think that she was leaving behind something.
As she looked back at the puppy who still lay looking at her, she realised she was leaving behind the old Revathi whom she had found in this beautiful place. The Revathi who knew how to laugh with wild abandon as she let the sun kiss her cheeks and make her eyes glisten with joy. The woman who was somehow lost in the urban frenzy and who she had forgotten still existed. The woman was waiting for her to find her, shrieking to be set free from this bondage. She also knew the path towards that relief lay in a pair of black shiny eyes and a brown snout.
Her eyes fell on an old woman weaving a wicker basket and a thought struck her. She walked up to the woman and asked her the price for one basket.
“I don’t sell these.” said the woman revealing two rows of beetel stained teeth as she grinned broadly.
“Can I have one please?” asked Revathi
The woman shrugged nodding. Revathi thanked the woman and picked up one basket. The old woman looked pleased as Revathi handed her 100 Rupees note.
She walked up to where the puppy lay and bending down on her knees, placed the basket next to her and opened the lid.
“Come on Buddy, Jump in. We are going home!”
The little one looked at her with a surprised look. Then very slowly, his tail started wagging. With a yelp of joy, he jumped into the basket. As Revathi bent down to pat him on the head, he licked her face. It felt as if he wanted to thank her.
“Thank you too Buddy for helping me find myself!” Revathi whispered as her eyes turned misty. She stood up and moved towards the approaching train clutching the basket closer to her chest.
