Streetwise Survivors

Smartworld

In a smartworld controlled by smart people where even the smartest find it difficult to survive, I bow down to the undying spirit of these Streetwise Survivors who somehow manage to survive through the skin of their teeth, for yet another day. They are really grittier than the average human being, you or me. Extremely spontaneous with their unconditional love, they are the Guardians and Champions of the Street. Still confused? –they are the real underdogs. No, not Charlie Chaplin’s underdog characters that were caricatured so nicely by that King of Comedies. My underdogs are Kings and Queens of Tragedies who still manage to make our lives so bright with their tales of heroism. Yes, this is a tale of Wagging Tails, the underdog of them all — The Streetdog, The Pariah, The Cur, The Mongrel, The Bitch!  As a rule, they are always looked down upon, neglected and scorned by the superior human race.

The Great Streetdog

I literally look upto them although practically I have to look down at them at streetlevel. Ask any downtrodden streetpeople of the world, be it from Honkong, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, London, Quebec, Tel Aviv, New Delhi or New York. They bond with these unfortunate Creatures of God, maybe because they also view the world from streetlevel? Surviving on the mean streets of a city or a cloistered village as a streetdog is a tough challenge. They love to outsmart the odds against them, right from the stage when they are puppies in a harsh human society. They may limp and hobble after stones are pelted at them by street urchins. They may howl in pain when kicked by spoiled brats and schoolkids. They may lose a leg or two when raced over by ugly men and women in their ugly machines. Yet they survive on the roads, garbage dumps and sewer drains, never forgetting to wag their tails for a bite thrown at them. They beat the vagaries of the weather through sheer survival instincts. Come rain, storm, snow or drought, they are there — the friendly neighbourhood streetdog, grinning and bearing it all.

Free Security Service

Very often the first to come into newly developing Township and usually the last to leave a town during a calamity, streetdogs provide loyal security services, practically free of cost. Since they know the neighbourhood and its people pretty well, they provide the first security barrier to outside intruders, particularly thieves and criminals. Ragpickers and weirdly dressed people irritate them and they show their immediate dislike through a strange pattern of barking. Occasionally when they sent frequent yelps of alarm, rest assured that the Neighbourhood Security System is active and alert. Now all you have got to do is get up and take a peek at who the intruder is. The unpaid streetdog has done its part of the unsaid job, now it is upto you as to how you would face the situation. As for the eerie howling in the night? –well, could be a ghost or a roaming ghoul caught on the streetdog’s infra-red, ultra-sound night radar. Besides, streetdogs being highly sensitive and grounded, they can easily sense earthquakes and uunusual happenings. They may go around barking in circles at the sight and smell of fire, snakes etc. Yet human beings snigger at these Allround Utility Canines and snigger at those who feed these great friends of humanity.