Rinanoobandh 2

Keeping my promise to share another incident on being 'rinanoobandh'.

This time it was a full-grown bull, the kind you see dragging loaded carts on roads.

It was a pleasant evening after a very hot day and I was taking my usual after dinner stroll in the sprawling balcony of my rented apartment. That's when I saw him walking towards a vacant plot next to my house. He came and sat down with a thud and later lay down with exhaustion. My first instinct was that he must be hungry. I ran into the kitchen to fetch leftover bread and rotis and ran straight to feed him
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Mind you, in normal circumstances I am very wary of stray cattle and try to stay away from their way as much as possible. But situations change our reactions to the same thing or person. 

Anyway, I ran to him with the rotis and tried to feed him but he simply turned his face away and lay down again. Suddenly, it struck me that he might be thirsty and not hungry at all. I caught hold of a small plastic bucket, considering a small bowl won't be enough for him, and big bucket would be difficult for me to carry from the first floor. I got the filled bucket to him and with great effort, he picked himself up to put his muzzle in the water. Once he put his mouth in, he didn't take it out before finishing every drop of water. I must have fetched around three to four buckets till his thirst was quenched. Then, I fed him the rotis and he had them happily.

I cried that night, considering the plight of the hundreds of stray cattle we see on the roads. Now I realise why they don't move even after consistent honking. They just can't. De-hydration won't leave them with any energy. However, am not totally hopeless as I know that there are many people who do care for their fellow-beings.  

Anyone reading this post, please remember to save water and keep some for the fellow-beings you're sharing this earth with. If nothing else, keep a little bowl of water for the thirsty birds, flying above your houses in the terrible summer heat.