Today Toby turns 8! Like all things in our life he came and joined in the way…. It has turned our lives so much. Let me, just share …

He was a puppy attacked by other strays on road. A mother and daughter, our neighbour, took to their home and nursed. In a few days they realised adopted or pedigree, both pets need attention the same way! That is when our children, specially the smallest one want to see the pup…She went to the house with Mom’s strict warnings of not touching it as well as never think of a puppy at our home(as she already have to care about 4 of us, and a that’s a load beyond, already!)… But soon our neighbour realised our daughter’s love for the puppy, they offered him, and daughters looked in to my eyes, I accepted with eye contact and humming, as I knew it is going to be an explosion at home. In a few minutes Toby was at home. They chose the name from some movie. But the captain of the house put a ‘no entry’! He was put in a carton box and kept at the car porch. As when children left fpr school she went and checked him. His tiny tail waved with love. That moved the tough Mom’s mind to an accepting Mom! (which I knew, as I know puppy’s love and my wife’s nature).

We took him to a vet. Like any orphans, his birthday was also identified by the doctor. Thus, Nov 15 was announced as his birthday!

When I look back, then onwards Toby has affected our family’s decisions. Fear of leopards jumping from Bennargatta zoo caused the dog’s house in our home. Controlling Toby from attacking other dogs(he still keep the hurt he received from other dogs and attacks others fiercely) , we made the compund walls. We planned our holidays short. Cracker days were severe on him. Those days he slept inside house, else outside. He affected the house design and a lot. He taught our daughters to care, sacrifice and suffer for some one whom we care. They adopted puppies and gifted to others after surviving to life. Even ended up adopting one more for ‘us’ to take care: Master Otto.

As he illiterate to the core and a country guy, if you say ” come here” he will go! Thus, of late I paid a good sum and tried teaching him with a dog trainer. So much I spent, finally trainer told “why Sir, you waste your money/(for me)” and he left. We make him walk close to midnight, when every other dog on street are asleep. And if, we saw a stray on the way, I need a full bottle of ayurvedic oil from recovering the pain of that one instance!

And, I skip a lot… today our youngest went to study veterinary… she continue finding Toby-ies in her college and bringing problems every day! But, that is life. Our lives are like a laser beam, reflected by every mirror we meet on the way! The laser continue till it it go to the air to the infinity.

Water cabbage adds green to the water body. It absorbs the food waste that we feed the fishes to grow rapidly. It helps clean the water. But when it grows too much, it starts blocking sunlight to water and makes the fish tank system go unbalanced. Hence, we collect it once in a while and use it as an organic fertilizer for our other plants. Also, leaving a bunch of these around a plant gives cool roots and provides fish-based nutrients as fertilizer. See more at www.frogsandcashews.com or on YouTube.

Proud to see that this verdict came. I have been relentlessly pointing out this issue in society in all forums I could. I don’t know how exactly my effort affected, but, I’m sure I’m also a part of this consensus building. Again, technology has a role to play urgently. As the world is getting more and more plastic use, plastics, especially plastic bags filled with garbage choking the drains will continue to happen. How can we save these poor lives? By inventing robots which can go down the sewers and clean. Leaders and law makers shall think how this heinous job(need arising from wrong engineering designs and wrong practices) can be wiped off or society.

In the seventies, bicycles had become the most favourite mean of transport in the villages. The current generation may not be able to digest the fact that the cycles had so much impact in everyone’s daily life. Houses without at least one bicycle was very rare.