Meeting Aloka

At a hotel in Gurgaon yesterday, I had my most satisfying “celebrity” encounter ever – it was a meet-and-greet for Aloka the Peace Dog, organised by the advocate Divyam Khera as well as other kind people. It was a packed hall, with the crème de la crème of animal-welfare groups, but as the hosts pointed out, it was to be understood that Aloka was the only VIP in the room – no special treatment for anyone. So no one got more than 10-15 seconds with Aloka (he has had a busy schedule these last few weeks, and only just made it onto a Kathmandu-Delhi flight in the morning), but fleeting though our time with him was, it was great to see him in person after months of following his journey on Instagram and elsewhere.

It was also good to listen to his monk friends, mainly Bhikkhu Paññākāra, speak about compassion. And to be able to hope that other indie dogs get a fraction of the respect and care that Aloka gets – something that has definitely not been happening here, especially after the Supreme Court orders dating back to August last year, and the many outbreaks of cruelty visited on even the most sedate community dogs. (When I returned to Saket yesterday, I found myself looking more attentively at some of the dogs who live on the fringes, dependent on the occasional kinship of sabzi-wallahs and guards, and noting how much some of them resembled Aloka, in features or in bearing. And how lucky he has been compared to lakhs of his cousins across the country.)

Coincidentally, yesterday’s meeting was on the 14th anniversary of my Foxie’s death – that made it a little more special, and I was glad that Abhilasha could come along for the event. We are not together now, but the shared experience of parenting Fox – and then losing her as traumatically and unexpectedly as we did – will remain a permanent, unbreakable bond.

P.S. these are only a couple of basic/fuzzy pics of yesterday’s event. You’ll find many other better ones online, on Instagram and other social media, and on news websites.

Coincidentally, yesterday’s meeting was on the 14th anniversary of my Foxie’s death – that made it a little more special, and I was glad that Abhilasha could come for the event. Notwithstanding the separation and everything else that has happened, the shared experience of parenting Fox – and then losing her as traumatically and unexpectedly as we did – will remain a permanent bond.

P.S. these are only a couple of basic/fuzzy pics of yesterday’s event. You’ll find many other better ones online, on Instagram and other social media, and on news websites.