The Truth Scoop

Lets start with some of the bad things about having a dog.

1. They dirty the house with poop or vomit.

2. They start barking with no reason sometimes.

3. They will sleep on the couch or bed and leave their hair all over the house.

4. They will stare at your food all the time.

5. They will always want you to play with them.

My parents bought a Golden Labrador Retriever back in the early 90s, even way before my younger brother was born. They named him ‘Mack’ aka ‘Mackey’. We all loved him a lot. He passed away in 2003 and that was the first time I saw my parents cry so much. I loved him too but I was just 13 years old at that time to understand what he really meant to my family.

We had a mix Pomeranian Gary who was then adopted by my aunt, then we got a German shepherd Rustam, who got sick and unfortunately died just after 10-11 months. My family wasn’t that happy about dogs anymore.

Here comes Bruno !

While Rustam was still alive, my dad thought about bringing another Labrador Retriever. I remember we bought this naughty puppy, we named him Bruno and we used to be scared if our great German Shepherd will just squash the new comer to rest forever.

After Rustam’s death, Bruno became very close to me. I’m not saying he felt I’m replacing Rustam or something but I don’t mind if he felt that way either.

I remember whenever I used to come back from school, tuition or even after playing outside with my friends, Bruno used to wait every single time so that I can also play with him.

Based on the tone of my voice and my body language, Bruno would do his best to emulate my state of mind. Whenever I was sad, he’ll look at me with his big doe eyes. Whenever I would get angry, he would start barking and growling at random objects. After personal experience, I felt that many ‘humans’ around me didn’t responded to my emotional upswings and downswings in a way that I would prefer but Bruno was always there whether I was thrilled, depressed, or anywhere in between.

Bruno was always very obedient, he was neither aggressive nor shy and he was also a great watch dog. He never had trouble getting along with other dogs. He would enjoy long walks with me, he was always ready to play outside , but he also liked taking a nap in the shade, or snuggle up indoors with me at the end of the day.

To put it simply, Bruno behaved like a human who was never concerned about the more ridiculous aspects of everyday life. For example, paying the bills, getting an education, dealing with annoying people all of the time, etc. All he wanted to do was wake me up, say hi to me, run around, play with his toys, eat, nap, eat again, nap again, say hi again, and sleep. Was that so bad?! No !!!

I know me including all humans have certain responsibilities thanks to our “intelligence,” but it sure would be nice if we could all go through life like Bruno or any other dog; care free and completely sure of ourselves. At the very least, I feel that if you have a dog, you can live indirectly through them. As long as you know what you’re getting into, it’s totally worth it!

Bruno passed away on 7th September 2008 and till this day I miss my buddy a lot. I don’t really have a photo/video that I can post it here on the page or share it with my friends on Facebook, I just saved some of these similar Labrador pictures from Google and copied it on this blog, but I do have Bruno in my memories and he’ll always be there with me. I know I’ll get another Golden Retriever anytime soon but I also know that whoever will be the new addition to the family, won’t ever replace the feeling I had with my best buddy BRUNO.

Just sharing a brief quote from the Movie- ‘Marley and Me’,

“A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things-a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty.”

“Hey, I’m Abhishek and I’m from Patiala. Oh ! so you’re a Hindu Punjabi” .

Wait, Stop it right there !! Yes, I am from Punjab and I am a Hindu. I am a proud Punjabi and by birth yes my parents have given me Hindu values (I’m an atheist, its just my last name is Sharma so I have to agree I am a HINDU) . But it doesn’t mean I am ‘HINDU PUNJABI’. Please visit Punjab at least once in your life just to clear that nobody in Punjab talks about being Muslim Punjabi or Hindu Punjabi or Sikh Punjabi or any other respectful religious Punjabi. If you’re from Punjab…You’re a proud proud Punjabi and that’s the end of the story !! Burrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaah.

Slums, slums, everywhere !

The movie Slumdog Millionaire had a huge impact on the way India was perceived around the world. The amount of beggars in India doesn’t help the situation either. But what usually strikes foreigner visitors is that although many people in India have very few possessions, they still smile. Indeed, there is a lot of poverty in India. However, India also holds a significant proportion of the World’s Riches. Some of the richest people in the world live in India. In addition, the disposable income of the “great Indian middle class” is now increasing. As a result, people are becoming more materialistic, and concerned about status and appearance.

Most Indians are Vegetarian.

This is a common misconception held by many non-Indians and Indians as well. In fact, most Hindus and Sikhs also eat meat. Most of Indians eat meat and the percentage is growing. While this still means that the world’s largest vegetarian population is in India, it also means that the majority of Indians are meat-eaters, like every other country in the world.

Try doing a survey about how many Indians prefer ‘Daal’ and how many will prefer ‘Butter Chicken’.

I will also write a different blog about the ‘Meat Ban’ going on in India but in short I just want to let everyone know how I and the majority Youth in India feel about it—– ‘BRAINLESS, MEANINGLESS…(and all the synonyms related to the word STUPID’).

INDIANS speak HINDU.

Unfortunately, many foreigners make the mistake of confusing religion with language in India. Hindu is a religion, and Hindi is a language — but you may be surprised to find that many Indians don’t actually speak Hindi. Most of you will be surprised to know that English is widely spoken across the country. The British impact has resulted in English being the primary language for government, business and education. English, along with Hindi, is one of the two languages permitted in the Constitution of India for business in Parliament. According to Census of India of 2001, India has 122 major languages and 1599 other languages. Theirs a saying in India that every 20 KMs you travel, you will notice the language difference.

Fact: We do speak the easiest understandable version of English. (No offence to any Chinese person here).

Here are some points about what we INDIANS do have back home and Foreigners think we don’t –

We do have branded clothes/watches/shoes in India. Name any !!
We do have all the famous breeds of dogs. Not just Stray Dogs !! (Golden Retriever Labrador-my favorite).
We do have cold winters in North India. (Not as cold as North American winters but as we have Brick houses with no in-built Heating Systems , Indian winters can be more brutal.
We do have Ferraris, lamborghinis, Jaguars and all other major luxury cars there. (We don’t have muscle cars such as Mustangs and Chargers- Haven’t heard about those on Indian roads yet).

By- Jimmy Sharma

Also, Please take some time and see the link below about ‘Things INDIANS do differently from the rest of the world.

http://www.theeurekalife.com/35-things-indians-do-differently-than-the-rest-of-the-world/