My friend once asked me- ‘Lijji, how can you not have a favourite animal?’ He went on to remark that everybody had a favourite animal implying my abnormality.
It got me thinking as to which really was my favourite animal. Did I have a favourite? I had never thought about it.
Animals!
I stay with a dog in my home. I really like him in spite of the nuisance he sometimes is. It’s a funny story of how my dog ‘mischief’ was brought into my home and how he got christened. Anyway that’s a different tale altogether. Mischief is an Indian Desi dog. He came home when he was just about a month old and was a white snowball. When I would take mischief out for his walk in the evenings, the people would comment saying that he was such a cute Labrador puppy, a fur ball. This lasted... Until he grew up a little bit! His eyes sparkled when he saw food and people, and he just loves it the attention and all. He now seems to understand my mother tongue and his actions are based on my many moods and body language which he has comfortably mastered to the T. He has hardy ever missed his chances of sucking up to me on the sunniest of my days. Not just mine but he understands the nature and person that are the others members in my family as well.
He reads minds.
I think he’s a psychic.
The other animals in my life have been the Cats at my Grandmother’s home. But I’ve never gotten intimate with cats and they seem to me quite cold and cunning creatures. They don’t seem to be trusting even. Hence I have watched these cats eat and fight sometimes for their food, watched them keep themselves clean, heard their ‘meeoows’ and been a spectator to their quality tantrums if the milk is slightly diluted with some water. They are clearly not my favourites!
Other than these my interactions with other animals have been very limited. It has been mostly pictures on paper or distant viewings at the zoo when I was little. The majestic Tiger, the proud lion, the variants of the deer family, langoor, rhino, horses, elephants, and the camel are animals of whom I have certainly read about in stories, news articles and media but not met yet. I have not gotten the opportunity to spend time with them (although it may not seem to be very wise in all cases) and hence don’t feel fair enough to pick a favourite yet. My conscience is not justified without having gotten the opportunity to know them all.
I will look out for opportunities to try and meet them. Then I shall have an answer for my dear friend.
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