Sally and others of her ilk.(35)

 

            Those really serious about students council etc made many disparaging  remarks about the principal 's choice of me as a leader. Other than escorting a visitor or two and introducing them to the staff and school I don't think I did much. One small glory however I got for the school. There was an intra city essay competition about  beautification of Shillong. I got the second prize beating those Loreto types. 

               Then tragedy strikes the school. One very beloved teacher a Christian passes away. The school declares a holiday. The younger two brothers go  home.Great students' leader that I was , I had to go along with the staff to the burial as a show of respect. I reached home thinking that now I have done something extraordinary. Appa was on one of his visits from Tura. . I have been any number of times at the receiving end of Appa's anger. This time he just went overboard. Even now years later I feel he was wrong to take me to task. Tradition demands that  you have a bath after such a visit. That was all there was to it. My brothers had already informed the parents where I was. What was the big deal. You can be proud your daughter had been made a leader but cannot handle the responsibility that goes with it?

              Well    let’s leave all those gloomy thoughts behind. December , and Seenu is here on a holiday from college. 50% of his holidays are taken up in travel from Trichy. First thing Amma asks him , why come here on this short holiday. Tongue in cheek he replies, not to see you but Sally.  With our half yearlies behind us we go to Tura. Sally accompanies us. Soon she becomes the company favourite. Here too she finds out the route to the men's  langar kitchen.

                       Appa as his wont has started many projects here. A lake with ducks is one of them. He discusses methods of strengthening the embankments. Growing grass on the embankment is a solution.Also they are discussing about sourcing ponies from Bhutan to be used as carriers. Leaving Sally behind we are all on a trip to Dewathang  in Bhutan. It is January first. Each and every dog we meet on the road looks extremely cute. Yes Tibetan dogs are very good looking.

                       Did I tell you about our trip to Naginmara in Nagaland ? My youngest brother reminded me two days back about that visit. We were in Nazira Sibsagar at our sittappa 's place. We had gone on a visit to the scenic places near by when someone said that Nagaland was just some distance away. We have heard so many stories about Nagaland . All time favourite is that they have left cannibalism just one generation earlier. We don't know the truth about this , but we do know that they have been head hunters. Fights between tribes and they would scalp the dead and use the skull as a victory garland. One classmate of mine who had transferred from Kohima and whose father was an IAS officer would say that whenever her father visited some tribe the chief would present her father , a skull garland and the done thing was to accept it. So this is what we know about Nagaland . Going towards the Naginmara market place we see people each with a few dogs on strings. We are wondering why is everyone having these dogs. How many people would come to this remote place to pick a pet.

Slowly the horrific realisation dawns on us. They are just meat on the way to market. 

         Sorry to have upset your appetite. We will return to clean , green, beautiful Bhutan tomorrow.