A Speck In The Dust

I don’t know how he got here. I don’t know how he spent two nights alone in the Jungle or what close encounters with some fiendish beast he had survived- That tale is lost to the woods and the glinting eyes of beasts that roam. I only know this — in his mind, he had decided that before night fell, he would walk out of the jungle or perish in attempt. That if he followed one of the many jeeps that plied through the forest in daylight and if he trailed only that one jeep till the very end, he would make it out. Nearly running headlong into our jeep, he stopped short and changed direction.

 He ran behind us from that moment on, sometimes when we slowed down, he hurried ahead, shooting back eager glances . We stopped for feisty-taloned birds of prey, stomping Sambars, pale trees that were said to glow in the moonlight, thick-maned beasts large as our Jeep, leopards that hid in the brush. And he was always there, howling. The vehicle hurtled up and down hill-trails and he followed everywhere; his slender body pushing forward with every living cell engaged beyond capacity. I remember his paws pressing momentarily into sand before bounding forth energetically, his ears flopping with every stride, his blood-red tongue stretching out from his jaws, my imagining mind even heard his heart pounding like the rampage of wildebeests. The forest guards accompanying us were kind enough to stop beside watering holes so he could drench his body and drink that good water but they were relentless in their goal to exit on time. ‘Leopard bait?!’ Joked everybody who passed us by. 

We heard from some guards that he had been seen running around alone in the jungle for 2 days. We drove onward and he followed ceaselessly. Sometimes I watched him slow down, become a tiny black speck and disappear, but somehow he would pick up speed and charge closer and closer. It made me miserable to watch his pursuit. He was running for his life, it seemed. He was friendly but wouldn’t let us touch him or pick him up. He only wanted to follow. I hoped desperately he would collapse from exhaustion so we could finally carry him in the jeep but he kept running. I saw him grow weak, I saw him slow down and suddenly something inside; an unseen force, an emotion would burst to life and propel him forward. I had no desire to see any animal now as i hoped and hoped the drive would end, which it did finally. He had followed us to the very end. He had pursued us unrelentingly for over 17 kilometers of forest trails, only a fraction slower than the speeding Jeep. I do not know how he did this under the scorching sun that runs rivers dry each year in central India. 

As he crossed the river with us, he had realized he had made it home. He sat down finally and did not howl like he had all morning. Who would have thought I would return from one of the wildest places in India only to recount to everybody how moved I was by an encounter with an ordinary Indian dog. His is a vision burned in my memory forever.

We go to great lengths, exotic places to be near enigmatic beasts. How hidden the wonders become of everyday beings playing out incredible feats around us. They are just as fantastic. Like a feeble, steadfast root slowly pushing through concrete, a honeybee taking one last plunge to protect its hive, a weak, black speck running for its life, in the dust of a speeding jeep.

Illustration By Gitanjali Iyer