A SHORT JOURNEY WITH THE ELEPHANT

“The dogs will keep barking… and, the elephant will keep marching!”

Last afternoon, I did witness this. A giant elephant, its master relaxing on its back, was marching on the streets… A dozen kids were following it, all excited… the brave ones tried to touch and feel the mighty animal from behind… and, they were even more excited to reveal the experience to the lesser brave- hearts.

And, lo! The proverbial dogs!

All through the distance which I was able to watch, I could see at least twenty street dogs emerging, God alone knows from where, just to bark at the quietly marching elephant! Some kids hurled stones and tried to shoo away the frenzied dogs… Obviously, the kids loved the majestic and serene elephant who went about, quietly, its work, i.e., marching… and, these kids, visibly, never liked those volatile, out-of-control, street dogs.

The kids followed the elephant for a while… then, when their excitement level diminished, they stopped cheering, stopped following… And, lo!  Fresh batch of kids came out of their homes fired with excitement… Now they followed, they cheered, they touched… and, they tried to shoo away the street dogs…

The elephant had no idea about what was happening… It kept marching.

And, our street dogs, when ran out of their breath, barking endlessly, they became tired… When they saw no reaction from the mighty elephant, when they saw how every one hated ‘the barking dogs’ and adored ‘the quiet, self-assuring elephant’… yes, when all the barking just went wasted, the dogs gave up…

And, the elephant kept marching!

Then, as it is always, new street dogs came out from their homes, started howling crazily, they followed the elephant trying to intimidate it, scare it… threaten it…

And, after some distance, 

these dogs, too, lost all their steam,

 grew tired and frustrated 

and left the elephant alone…

And, the elephant marched on… not knowing who barked for what… and who cheered for what…

There was so much to watch – and feel excited about – in such a short journey with this elephant!

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pics.: Shaila D'Souza