Napster

1^st August 2001- 26^th June 2012

They say it’s you who takes care of your dog, but isn’t it really your dog who takes care of you? They are always there- happy when you are happy, counselling you when you are low, giving you a warm fuzzy hug and lick when you cry and helping you feel needed when you feel useless. They are there every step of the way.

My Napster, was all this and more. For almost 11 good years. Born 1^st August, he came to our lives on 12th September 2001. We had been wishing for him for a few years, pleading with our parents; telling them how we will take care of him and they would not have to, how we would clean him, walk him, brush him, feed him- all the things teenagers say to convince their parents to let them keep a dog. His name came into our lives much before he did. Our mom heard us obsessing over the music downloading site called Napster and she decided pronto that this is what we would name our future dog.

The day he came into our lives, he came with a bang. The decision had been taken and we were going to get a dog. Parents had found out from where and when. The date had been set. The whole day I remember going to school telling everyone who would listen that I was going to get a dog. I was on cloud nine. When we got home, we were totally excited and awaiting our dad’s return from work even more so than normal that day as he would get the dog. So our dad being the person who loves to surprise us, to throw us off track told mom to tell us he was not getting him as he could not find the way to the doctor he had to pick him from. She told us the same and so dejected we were. A few minutes later when the bell rang and we like we usually did went to meet dad, little did we know it was the last time only the 2 of us along with mom would run to the door when dad came. And there we saw..from dad’s coat was this black ball of softness coming out and we screamed in joy. Dad put him down and the sniffer got into his sniffing mania. He was super active! We were shocked. We thought pups were like cute, quite and not so active. That’s what they used to show in movies till then! When we all sat down he immediately came to me and started gnawing at my chappal and thinking it was just for now I gave it to him. How was I supposed to know this chappal eating would soon to become a habit (rokee mistake! In the future when our other two dogs came, chappals were the first things they were told NO for).

So his first night he slept in our room, shared by me and my brother. The whole night we were scared that he might climb our bed and bite us. HAHA. Not knowing then that his teeth could barely bite through bread forget out skin. From then on began the roller coaster ride..

Napster did not stop at chappals, within his first 6 months; he had eaten most of my chappals, the heel of my pretty new sandals, several chunnis of my mom, the socks and handkerchiefs of my dad..all this while when my brother was busy feeding him everything he himself ate- one French for Harpreet other French fry goes to Napster, I have photographed proof of this). Apart from all these dirty habits he had, I don’t think Napster himself knew he was a dog. He would not bark (dad even thought he was mute), he would not bark even if other dogs barked at him and he had absolutely no interest in meeting other dogs though if they were bitches he would put his flirt hat on (yes he was quite a Casanova- tried to flirt with two sisters at once!).

After he was about 3-4 months old, my dad asked me to live up to my promise of walking him. I remember the first evening I took him, I remember cursing him- he pooped in the middle of the road, went a little ahead and lied down. In the middle of the road! He would not get up even if I tugged at his leash, pulled him, pleaded with him..nothing worked! And then I had to turn back and take him back home. For that he got up and started walking. Smart ass! But this was only the start. After a few days when he realized I would not give up, he gave in and from then started our walking evenings. The dog could walk! He would walk fast, slow, medium pace..whatever I would want, how long I would walk. It became our time together. But fool you not; this was only with me..till date he was the most stubborn dog ever (even when he was not well, imagine that). He would walk fast, slow, medium pace but ‘his’ pace not yours. What he wants. With me, he let me guide him. With others he would always take the lead.  Over the years we have had many helps come and complain that- “Napster ne tu aaj mujhe gira hi diya..itna kheecha” ..and my mom would always apologize profusely to them and pretend to scold Napster.

Through his nearly 5 years as our only dog, Napster devoured in all the attention he got. In his second winter he was given a coat to wear, the sneaky little thing ate it! Yes he ate it! Ran away in a room and 10 minutes later when everyone was wondering where he is and looked for him, they found him sitting in one the beds in a room and eating his coat! Weird-‘ed’ by his behaviour, my brother went and got him a new coat, thinking he would feel too cold without it. And guess what Napster did? Within the next 1 week it was eaten too! So then silly us, got him another coat..and we all know what he did to that! I think Napster came into the right family, because my mom also took a stubborn stand and told us not to buy him any new coat. She took the last eaten away one, took one of my winter skirts and made him a ‘coat-a-skirty’. Haha. So for the next 2 winters Napster wore that and he didn’t eat it. We don’t know if it was because he actually loved it or because he understood that nothing new was coming for him.

As naughty as he was, Napster was also obedient. He has a huge vocabulary. Would not touch his food till he was told to- “Eat”. That is some self control. After his first 6 months, he would not litter in the house at all! He knew the classic handshake. My dad did train him well and he was an easy dog to train.

I remember when I read 'Marley and Me', Napster would have been 4 years old. I remember thinking that time that I could not ever imagine him not being here. And today that is a reality. What he meant to me and my family can never be put properly in words and the adventures we shared together can never be written in a few words. He touched not only our lives but the lives of all the people around us. My best friends, who used to be scared of Napster when I got to know them, now love him as much as I love him. My now bhabhi, when I got to know her as a friend, having a dog was one of the first few things in common we had and now she loved and took care of him like her own baby when he needed it the most.

All I can say is that he came into our lives and filled our hearts with love, so much love..he took love and he gave more of that back..he could not speak but his eyes spoke and they spoke about love and how he would always be there for us..he was funny, mischievous yet mature and cherished in all the attention he got..he loved us, the ac, the food and sniffing after Lizzie..he was special..he was a champion in every sense of the word.. and we will love him forever..our sweetest angel :* ..Take care, till we meet again :)

The last time I checked we weren’t celebrities or critics!! ©

Either someone is too thin or too fat..too fair or too tanned or too dark..put on a little weight or needs to lose a little..has lots of acne or too much of a porcelain skin that he/she looks pale..has a belly coming out or looks so anorexic that you can see his/her bones..someone’s dressing sense looks like he/she is from hell (ofcourse, only you could know what people in hell looked like) or someone dresses so fancy that it has to be daddy’s money (glad to know you are good at judging people’s financial wealth, maybe you do have a career calling in life after all)..

So what's the deal people? Where the hell and how the hell does so much judgement come by? Who are you to judge if someone needs to lose a little weight or go to a dermatologist? If that someone is okay with how they are and like it, who are you; that is matters to you? Aspiring to be a critic are we? Using all of us as your playground?

The last time I checked, we were not celebrities and our job was not that of a celebrity. So even if we don’t look perfect or have a few extra pounds or a few less pounds, trust me..it does not matter. I will still go to work and get paid the amount I always do. We are engineers, doctors, lawyers, researchers, marketers, managers and how fat or thin we look or how much acne we have will never effect how good our performance is at work. Though, if the next time they start paying me 2 lacs for one day of “appearance” at work I might consider looking perfect and working hard at it. So next time you want to judge me or the rest of us, give us 2 lacs each and we will take care and be perfect.

Sometimes living in a place like Delhi (I really don’t know where else such things happen) gets on your nerves and hence the ranting. Looking at a person, thinking he/she has gained weight etc etc is fine..come one we are humans, the observing creatures so we will observe, but passing a judgement as to how they look and how they should reduce weight and so on and so forth for all the other judgements we make is not cool. If a person is healthy, it is their wish how they look and if they want to change it, it is their choice.  Not yours. And unless you are their best or close friend, family, boyfriend/girlfriend etc, it’s really not your business to even give a suggestion.

If you are from Delhi, think about it..you will always know these girls/girl who whenever you meet will pass a judgment on your appearance- the weight you gained or lost, the acne that came or went, the puffiness or dark circles of your eyes and then all about the clothes you are wearing. And they will always do it with good facial expressions to make their judgements even more dramatic (open a drama school in Delhi, natural talent here). Whenever I meet someone like this I feel like slapping them. There outright, I have rage issues and I wish these girls knew before they passed judgement like that on me or anyone else. I often wonder, how do they even notice such things in the first place or keep track of them? Do they maintain a diary of such things (that vela)? And why do they do it? It is because they are constantly so insecure of how they look and feel they are under scrutiny so they must put everyone else under their scrutiny just to make themselves feel in control again?

Don’t get me wrong, I love Delhi but sometimes people do have a habit of getting too judgemental here. Why do people here care so much about how others look? Okay fine, there is a page 3 culture here which possibly is why people are so aware of the appearance aspect of self and others. But then that’s them, the socialites who have to keep the appearances. Why do normal girls want to emulate them? Even if they do, why do they want everyone else to emulate them and look perfect?

The saddest part is, it is mostly women who pass such judgements and impose them on men too. So it is a vicious circle right. The women in our city bringing the city down and the city bringing the women down.