One fine morning, Mummy dog told Papa dog in a very serious tone
Mummy Dog: Suniye ji, our daughter “Puppy dog” has come of age… and you don’t have any consideration. What kind of father are you…
Papa Dog: ...
Mummy dog: All my friends keep telling me… seems our daughter is having a fling with that dirty road-side romeo “Rodeo”. Its high time we do something, before situation goes out of hand.
Papa Dog: …
Mummy Dog (visibly irritated): What is this? I am telling you one grave issue and you don’t even care to reply? What kind of father are you? if something happens tomorrow, what face will we show to the world? You are a father. Your life’s purpose is to get your daughter settled.
Papa dog: Honey, you have just one face. Show that one to the world. And I thought the only purpose we dogs had in our life was to eat-bark-sleep-mate…
Mummy Dog: You take everything as a joke. See, my cousin who was sold to Mrs. Malhotra was telling me about this huge, hairy, handsome pup in her locality. And what more? He is from our caste itself!
Papa Dog: And where is this “Mrs. Malhotra’s locality”?
Mummy Dog: just some 5-6 cities away. It’s a very posh locality. Our daughter would be a queen there…
Just then, Puppy dog enters, with the airs of a grown-up girl(not using the word for female-dog, as it sounds offending), with a pack of 4 of her friends
Puppy Dog: Who’s the queen mama?
MD: You, who else? (stares disgustingly at her friends, both male and female. The friends wave goodbye and leave)
PupD: Mama, why do you always behave like this with my friends?
MD: See dear, you should realize that you are of a very high pedigree. Our origin is the most holy, most pure. It doesn’t seem right that you roam around with these road-side dogs whose origin they themselves don’t know of
PupD: Mama what pedigree you talk about. Our ancestors “used to be” the pets of the President of the colony. But now even we live in this shack at the roadside. Its just a stone’s throw away from all their homes.
MD: These girls… you let them roam around the colony, and they think they have seen the world. No consideration for our caste/creed/culture blah blah blah… and those friends of yours… I especially don’t like that guy “Rodeo”. You are grown up now, its high time you stop roaming around shamelessly with guys. We have found one nice match for you. remember my cousin which was sold to Mrs Malhotra? Blah blah huge, hairy, handsome blah
PupD: Oh mama, I don’t even know this lady you are talking about. And 5-6 cities away? Are you crazy? I don’t even know that dog. How can I spend my life with him?
MD: you don’t have to know anyone to spend your life with them.
PupD: but he is miles away, how can I start getting attracted to him without even meeting him?
MD: that wont be an issue. Attraction will come with time
PupD: See mama, all these talks about pedigree and all, it doesn’t sound natural. Moreover, I like Rodeo. He is so much fun to be with. We hunt for food together, we chase bikes together, we hang out together all the time, and we know each other inside out.
MD (totally agitated): Girl (again not using female-dog), that s*o*b (literally) will ruin your life. He doesn’t have any culture. I always see him roaming around hunting for food. He has no qualms even for eating from that garbage area. No sense of “purity”. Our caste only eats what is offered to us by Mrs. Panicker and Mrs. Sharma. We don’t touch any dirty food. We would die but not go out “hunting” for food.
PupD: this is all crap mom. What those ladies feed you is 3-days old rotten food. You don’t know what you are missing. That dhaba around the corner, that waiter gives us such yummy bread which you wouldn’t have tasted ever. And that butcher shop in the next lane, we get such succulent bones there. You need to see the world mom… this is life.. this is..
MD: Stop it. I don’t want to hear a word of this blasphemy. You will realize our concern only when you become a mom…
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NOM to anyone, and if "dogs" are not your favorite animals, you can replace it with any other animal of your choice.. "Penguins" for instance (why penguins, some might ask. Well, in animal kingdom, they mate for life, like what is expected of us humans).
My point here is that man is also an animal, with much more intelligence. Then why do we have to be slaves of the concept of arranged marriages? For some, the idea of parents arranging for the marriage might click pretty well(like in my own case), but to force it down your son or daughter’s neck, like it’s the only life saving drug for him/her, just because of the complex caste culture we follow, is totally stupid. Isn't it against nature? When we reach marriageable age, it is assumed we can take care of a “family”. Then why cant people choose with “whom” to start the family, despite being around a quarter century old?
