[Assam] Dog Worship in Nepal: Every Dog Has Its Day; Slumdog

[umesh sharma]

Hi,

There are many eyeopeners when one is in a new region. Different customs and norms but none so hilarious as the dogs' behavior in different nations. Most Indians would feel offended if told that their dogs are ill-behaved. Sherlock Holmes - the famous detective - even had a theory - that happy families had happy dogs and cruel families had frightend, submissive or even cruel dogs.

Having seen only Indian dogs on the street (and in houses) I was quite surprised to see such mild-mannered dogs when at Harvard. I imagined that its is perhaps in the grooming. In India if any two dogs interact on the street - the common norm would be either they growl at each other (if of same sex) or sniff at each other all over (if of opposite sex) . If a group of dogs interacts with another - then regardless of sex (assuming the group has members of both sexes) there would be a fight. Having been through many such free-for-all dogfights (while trying to save my dog from being mauled - which was sometimes brutally so - we never chained our dogs - they roam/ed all over the city) it has been quite natural for me to be armed (with stick and stones) to protetct my dog/s when going for a walk.

Today a student said that it seemed cruel to him. How could anyone hit a dog - even to save his own??!!!  Stretching my perception I tried to see from his point of view, and realized that he had never seen dogs on the street - not the wild ones on Indian roads. He had perhaps never been bitten by dogs (unlike me) nor had is dogs mauled by others.
Perhaps dogs in India behave differently than those in America. I know most Indians will not like it at all. We Indians also feel that dog is our best friend - but ofcourse noone likes to BE the dog (or "slumdog" - a title which has made so many go to court as slander).

This student was reading a passage about Dog festival in the Himalayas and how the phrase "Every Dog Has Its Day" originated there. Its a Nepali festival - very interesting: 
http://beacononline.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/gorkha-custom-dogs-festival/
http://yesugarden.blogspot.com/2008/11/every-dog-has-his-day.html

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/39/messages/1037.html
proverb origin in Greek - guy killed by dogs on the street

I mentioned to the student that I had not heard of the phrase in Indian language but heard of another that "When death comes to the jackal, it runs to the city" (Jab (when) Geedad (jackal) Ki Maut (Death) Ati (comes), Woh (he) Shahar (city) Ki Aur (towwards) Bhagta (runs) Hai (is)  )  - and ofcourse is killed in the city. His passage read that after the day of the dog worship fest - it is back to dog's life of kicks and blows. I said a dog on the street can expect no better - it attacks other dogs too (inlcuding mine- so my stick and stones).

( I did mention that in 2004 how I managed to defend my dog (Rambo) against leopards in the reserve forest by banging the tin dog bowl and making a noise - learned from Jim Corbett's book "Maneating Leopard of Rudraprayag" -book reading can save your life!!)

Any comments?

Umesh Sharma



Washington D.C. 



1-202-215-4328 [Cell]



Ed.M. - International Education Policy

Harvard Graduate School of Education,

Harvard University,

Class of 2005



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