A BABY BECOMES A BUZZO

 He was born here, just outside my classes, some years ago. The little children named him ‘Buzzo’. He is quite huge, well-built, and has a white-and-golden body. She was born just a year later. Again, right outside my classes. She is lean and pitch-dark. The children named her ‘Sony’. And, they both have spent all their years, right here in our premises, as husband and wife. Every year, they breed six to eight lovely children. Some live, some die… But, none of them you find around the parents. Some have gone to better pastures… some have been stoned to death… and, some have been trapped and dragged away in those Municipal Vans.

Just a few days ago, Buzzo and Sony have given birth to six lovely children. And, all of a sudden, there is an unusual excitement and joy around here!

Last year, when eight amazing babies were born to these parents, we all thought this world was a wonderful place to live in! The little children would go crazy fondling these babies. Every afternoon, as soon as the school bus landed here, about fifteen children would jump off the bus, and fight among themselves just to get hold of one of the babies… just for a moment… till the conductor would come and drag them away.


Anushka and her close friend, Sarika, both eight-year-olds - would throw their bags at home, and without even taking their lunch, spend the next couple of hours making houses for those babies under the garden benches… and feed them with milk brought from their homes. “Wash your hands before you eat,” their mothers would scream. But, that hardly mattered for these kids. They loved those babies. 

Varun and Nikita would come to my class on a motor bike. Nikita was mad about these babies… She would feed them; and everyday, she would take some of them for a short ride on the motor bike. And, she would come back and place them near their mother, so gently. She also would pester Varun to click her pictures holding those innocent babies close to her bosoms… And Varun, her boy friend, would oblige! 

I don’t think she loved him, her Macho, as much as she loved those cute babies!

So, the time to rejoice has come, once again! Some months ago, Vaidehi, my F.Y. BMS student, was taking the round-about way to come to my classes. “Why do you take such a long way to come to my class?” I had asked her, one day. “I am afraid of that big dog.” Buzzo was huge, looked ferocious… but, he would never ever bark at or harm any of our students, no matter what. Still, some of our students, like Vaidehi, would be afraid and try to run away from him. 

Two days ago, I saw this same Vaidehi - and her friend  Manali – both, literally fallen over the new-borns and having glorious time! “Be careful madams,” I cautioned, “Their mother may attack you.” 

“No sir, she won’t,” was our Vaidehi’s confident reply!

This morning, I had sent off my students after my lecture. Suddenly, I heard someone running back to me and ask, “Sir, do you have a bowl?” It was my Eleventh-standard student, Aanchal.

“Bowl?  For what?” I asked her.

“We want to feed milk to the puppies,” Aanchal was excited.

They had asked the doodhwala to stop his bicycle near the puppies. I cut an empty Bisleri bottle with a knife, to make it look like a cup, and gave it to Aanchal. “Be careful madam; their mother may harm you,” I cautioned her, too.

“No way, sir,” was Aanchal’s reply, too.

“Are you ready for fourteen injections?” I asked her.

“I don’t mind.” Yes, it seemed so!

For the next half-an-hour,  three of them – Aanchal, Kartik and Kush – had a blissful time!

All my students, when they cuddle those babies, I feel very happy. What a way to love, care and give… What an innocence… How beautiful life is when it is full of innocence… When there is no expectation, no blame, no complaints, no criticism , no harshness of back-biting, no weight of old grudges, no pain of betrayal or even the heavy stone of hostility… How, nice it would be to remain babies all our life… How nice it would be to see others as babies and just love them so!

No, Life is never meant to be so. A baby becomes a Buzzo… and you no more pick him up to caress!

Sony feeds the babies. When she is ready to feed, all six of them would scramble to reach her nipples. Yes, the babies scramble… and hard. The tough ones get first, and they are fed. The weak ones struggle and, sometimes, don’t even get a sip! The mother, when the time is up, simply walks away… without even looking back, not even thinking who will go without food!

Just in a few days, those unfortunate ones will die! Hungry!

My students, perhaps, have not witnessed this tragedy of their life. “SOOOOOO  Sweet!!!” This is what they have witnessed. “SOOOOOO Cute!!!”

I don’t like to draw their attention 

to this side of the story. 

A good story has everything, they know: 

Joy and Sorrow, 

Love and Betrayal, 

Victory and Defeat…

Success and Fall!

I had left home, this morning, very, very annoyed. The door had been just banged. It is not the baby I had seen… it was Buzzo!

And, I can vouch: Buzzo is a nice soul! A gentleman!

“I am sorry dear… I love you… I love the innocence… I love this drama called LIFE!!!”

GERALD D’CUNHA

THANKS:

The image used in this Post is by Ashok Ahuja. He is a professional Photographer and a very dear friend of mine. He is also one of the founder members of The Dawn Club, and, along with his gifted-artist wife, Sudha, has been helping me, and the Club, right from its inception.