Stray Dogs. The immediate word that should come next to these, almost as if it is a suffix owned by the dogs themselves, would be menace, but they always instilled a deep sense of fright and terror in me. I’m never fond of dogs, neither the domestically cultivated ones nor the strays, in part because of my acute fear of them having been chased by one during my childhood. Apart from that, the sight of their teeth and feverishly gleaming eyes in a headlight, gives me shivers whenever I see them. I always try to avoid them, sometimes by running like a mad man, which does not work by the way. 

My tour de force against them came in the winter of 2010, when I was attending a friends’ marriage in Chennai. I lived in Chennai for about 6 months, and I know the place he lived is on a street full of Stray Dogs. Whenever I went there, I took an auto directly to his apartment, so that I don’t have to face them. This time, however, I was coming from Hyderabad and got there in the middle of the night at around 1 AM. I tried to call my friend, but he was not picking up, probably asleep like any sane man would. 

I couldn’t find any autos there, and the bus I took left me some distance away from the street. I walked the few meters in a hope that, somehow, I won’t find any dogs that night. To my horror I found out that they were very much there. I stood at the entrance of the street, sweating, and counting the number of dogs. I lost count after 25 and felt it was pointless to find out how many they were. They were pacing up and down the street, howling every 5 seconds, as if they were paid to patrol the street in the absence of the police. I didn’t know how I could possibly cross the street. It’s a long street at about 500 meters and I could not find a single person going in that street. All I found were few people sleeping outside their shops, countering the humidity with their bare chests. 

I didn’t want to wake any of them, partly because I didn’t know their language, and also for fear of pissing them off for waking them at that time. Then I decided to walk. I thought there is no way I could wait out the entire night on the street, wishing for someone to come to my rescue. I had no idea how I would reach the end of the street, but I only thought of taking it as the time comes. The first few feet, the dogs didn’t notice that I was coming into their street. As I walked further, the only sight everywhere around me was of dogs. Hundreds and thousands of them, at least that’s how I saw them. I looked ahead, particularly at nothing, cautious not to make any sound out of the ordinary. 

Every time, they howled my heart sank further, certain that it would be the moment they would attack me. I could not run away from them, coz I would find myself in the middle of all of them in no time, leaving my life at their mercy. Thankfully, they didn’t come to me. They were still howling and making a lot of guttural noises, but they were not coming in my way or paying me much attention after I crossed them. I won’t say that I got courageous, but I continued my walk, that’s when my mobile rang. 

Though it was in vibration mode, I’m not sure whether any of them have heard it, and if they did, I cant say whether they found something amiss, or to be worried about. I didn’t answer it, I could hear my heart beat louder than the sound of the vibrating mobile in my pocket. I didn’t for a moment stop walking, for somehow I thought my best chance was to keep on walking. The call was probably from my friend, and he would probably come to pick me up, but I was not in the mood of answering it and disturb the secret pact I seemed to have made with the dogs. “You go your way, we go ours. Play pretty, honest and simple please.” And that’s what I intended to do. 

We both stuck to the terms of our pact strictly and faithfully, and they let me go. They were still howling every 5 seconds, but there was a comfort now in that timed noise that it was going according to the pattern that I got accustomed to. I crossed the street and came to the end of it. I wanted to run into the next street and reach the apartment as soon as I can, but I stopped myself and continued my walk instead. Once I got to my friends’ apartment, I heaved a huge sigh of relief and recounted the whole incident to them. 

I’m still not confident of how to deal with my fear of stray dogs, nor would I say that the method I used always works with them, for I’m not really sure. But at the time and on that day, it worked and I’m mighty glad they did.

***
  Watch the below video for Rise above fear campaign by Mountain Dew featuring Akhil Akkineni



This Post is written for Rise above fear Campaign by Mountain Dew India