Goodbye MARSHAL

Goodbye MARSHAL

Marshall was a favorite of all of us. He was separated from his parents and came to my courtyard at the age of just one month. His birthday was 19th December. He came to our place on 24th January. We always celebrate this day as his birthday. For 9 years he lived with us in this house like a King. He was my lion and he looked the same too. Tall and broad, with a tilak on his forehead since birth, he was exactly like a lion. If someone sees him once, he will step back in fear. No stranger would dare to come in front of him.

31st October 2023 – 6:08pm
Today Marshall left us all and set out on his last journey. Never imagined that all this would happen so suddenly. No one had thought that this Marshal, who always used to run behind us while playing, would suddenly get separated from us like this.

My son went to study in a hostel and in the same year Marshall arrived in the house. Then after two-three years, my daughter also went to the hostel to study and then I, my husband and Marshal remained here. Now he considered himself the son of this house and started serving us.

Marshall was so bubbly, intelligent and innocent that anyone could fall in love with him, but even the best of people would drool at the sight of him. Once he starts barking, no stranger has the courage to come in front of him. Couldn’t even a bird dare to pop in his territory.

He understood everything we said. Can a dog also be so intelligent? I was surprised to see this. He had never caused trouble to anyone. Even when he was ill, he himself tried not to cause any trouble to anyone. He never littered the house. Used to complete all his work on time. Perhaps no human being could be as punctual as he was. How did he know the time, it was 5:00, it was 7:00, it was 6:00, no matter how much you missed the clock, he was so punctual.

He used to recognize the sound of our car all over the world. Leave alone the car’s horn, he used to come and stand in the verandah just by the sound of the car moving, he realized that our car had come.

If ever my voice came from downstairs, he would come and stand in the ramp, whether it took half an hour or an hour, he would stand there and wait, but would never come out after crossing the threshold. He was so intelligent.
Sometimes I alone would come early or my husband doctor would come early, then he would wait for the others. He considered both of us as his everything and never got tired of waiting. Despite repeated calls, he did not come inside the house until we all came home.

It was necessary to play with him every day, it was necessary to go out with him, it was necessary to talk with him and it was necessary to sit with him and watch TV. He could not rest until he played or had fun with us. He made us laugh, play with us, had fun and sometimes even made us angry. But he was my bubbly Marshal.

Sometimes he would get bored alone, sometimes he would run here and there to have fun, and suddenly he would break a pot or take out soil from a pot, then he would quietly sit on the ground with his ears down, so that he would not get scolded by us. Even if he was scolded, he would just respond with a gesture of ear and seeing this would make us laugh and we would forget to scold him. Such was this current Marshal.

Seeing such actions of his would make me laugh and the anger would disappear. He realized his mistake and I did not even feel like scolding him.

In his childhood, when Marshall used to go to the club in his car like a King to play, all the dogs on the road started recognizing him and sometimes even when an empty car passed by, the dogs on the road started calling him, thinking that Marshall was in it.
When they called him in their own language, I felt he was understanding their feelings.When he used to travel in his Centro car like a King, barking at his friends, he looked no less than a Maharaja. My daughter changed the name of “Centro” car to “Micentro” and that car belonged only to Marshall.

Perhaps even he didn’t know how he spent his day running in and out, up and down and making birds fly.
When my son and daughter used to come from the hostel, there was no limit to his happiness. Playing with them, and roaming around them with his tail wagging day and night.We both used to say that this is just a matter of chance and time being we have forgotten by him.

As soon as someone from us went out or took off his suitcase for packing, this Maharaj would sit in a corner sadly and watch their movements with twinkling eyes as if someone was going to leave him .And of course,whenever someone would return, He used to express his happiness loudly in his own language. There was no limit to the excitement he felt at that time. His happiness was that his family member has returned.

Whenever we went out and when we came back, and when we opened the lock, this gentleman should be the first to enter the house, this was his principle, no one could break it.

After coming in the evening, just like a child would wait for his grandparents to open the box for chocolates, he used to wait for the biscuits and would stand on two feet until he got the biscuits. How innocent this marshal was .

If there is a delay in getting up in the morning, then he tries to wake up by growling in a low voice while circling the bed and saying in his own language, “Now get up, it is morning, I want to go for a walk.” And he is ready to go on a walk with us. And when we start walking, he completes his walk following us. Such was this wise marshal.

Marshal was my daughter’s favourite and lovely friend .Even from the hostel, she did not feel at ease until she got to know his well-being every day or watched a video. Apart from his Marshall name, we all had given him many names which he understood very well like “Mishi, Mishiya, Marshu, Tutu”. He considered such names as his own and he responded to these names as much as he responded to Marshall.

For the last 9 years, he has been an important member of this house. He has been with us more than my son and daughter. He was with us Day and night, 24*7, I never thought that this life-giving soul would suddenly go away forever. Neither was thought of such .

Four days ago my father fell ill so I had to go to Maharashtra. That day, before leaving for the flight, he had a good meal from my hand. He even said bye to me. Had shaken hands.
Whenever we go out, he eats comfortably with our staff who take care of him. This time even my husband was at home so he used to eat food comfortably with him also. But I don’t know what happened this time that he stopped eating after I left. He was looking a little sick and was coughing. So my husband consulted a doctor and started giving medicines. But even on the second day, he did not eat anything, was only drinking water, was not even looking at food, then three-four doctors were called to see him and treated as per their advices .He was taken in a car and taken to the hospital, he was put on injections and drip too. Apart from that, many doctors were consulted, some tests were also done and it was found that he had some kidney problem, accordingly drip, injections and treatment started. My entire staff was engaged in his care. Everyone felt that he would get well soon and would again play, jump and run with everyone like before. But he had become silent.

Seeing that Marshal, who always used to jump up and down, had become silent, we also started getting scared. Half of my mind was towards Marshall and half on the other side. I couldn’t understand what to do. My daughter was scared after hearing about his condition, so I called her home in the middle of her studies so that she could feel comfortable after seeing him and even Marshal may feel comfortable by seeing her. But this could not happen. She tried a lot, served him completely, gave him all her time. But alas! His time had come so how could he be alright? Everyone was feeling pity seeing his small twinkling eyes. Everyone felt that those eyes of his were searching for me.

I was feeling very sad to know his condition. My father’s health started improving a little. I thought it appropriate to come to see him ,so that after seeing me he could eat something and his health would get better, thinking this I caught the first flight and came back.

As soon as I reached there, hearing my voice, he tried to get up. He came staggering towards me. I touched his forehead, caressed him lovingly, I could feel his eyes becoming moist. I kept caressing him lovingly and perhaps he felt relieved and he closed his eyes, lowered his neck and fell asleep peacefully.

One day was spent in his service. I placed all his favorite things in front of him but he did not even look at them. His four days’ fast had been completed, as he was performing Santhara.

Today was the fifth day. Today at 5:00 pm he broke his fast. He drank milk twice and that too from my husband’s hand. He seemed fine. Was sitting comfortably. There was peace in his eyes. When I started going to the hospital, he came inside silently as soon as the gate opened, just like always, with his head down and sat at his favorite place in his favorite room. I followed him back inside. I was surprised as to where he got so much strength that he walked back to his room as comfortably as before without faltering. After sitting, he looked at me, perhaps he seemed like he wanted to say something, I also kept looking at him lovingly and was telling my daughter to take care of him, during this he had hiccough twice and put his neck down. And before my daughter and myself could understand anything, he was no more.

I and my daughter were calling him “Marshal-Marshal” and shaking him, but he had now said goodbye to this world. Marshal had left on his last journey after saying goodbye to all of us. By moistening everyone’s eyes, by giving love to everyone, by creating a loving atmosphere in the house, he was going towards liberation from his current state.
Marshall left. Left everyone and went away. He left us on his last journey leaving us all in sorrow.

May the Supreme Father Almighty grant peace to his soul and grant him a place at His feet, this is my prayer at his feet.
Goodbye Marshall.
Bye bye marshal
Love you marshal
“Marshal, you will be greatly missed.”

Dr Manju Rathi