It’s the eighth week of the lockdown, and I’m walking barefoot. Not because I’m trying to emulate the legendary artist MF Hussain who went about barefoot because he liked the feel of the earth under his feet. Or because of some vow to not wear any footwear until the virus is obliterated. And least of all because I think my bare feet will serve as a mark of support to the frontline covid-19 warriors. In hindsight, though, the above reasons might well have gotten me my 15 minutes of fame on social media, maybe even television, but the thought that it would’ve made my family crack-up and roll about on the floor laughing, explains why I didn’t even try going down that path. Yeah, my family can be quite irreverant like that, thank the good lord!
Anyway, getting back to exactly why I’m barefoot. I have a Beagle puppy/teenager/young adult. I’m not sure technically which, as he turned one at some point of the lockdown and there’s some dog years vs human years math involved to calculate it. So, Pluto (the aforementioned beagle) chewed up my sole pair of slippers after demolishing the spare pair earlier. This was not long after I discovered the chewed up toes of the slip-ons and mangled uppers of my jootis. And while this would’ve been a pretty regular occurrence under normal circumstances, the fact that this discovery came to light in the hours leading up to the world’s first lockdown, completely changed the semantics.
So, when the lockdown was announced at what was akin to a declaration of war like notice, I had to decide between making a dash (my sneakers were fine, just the laces were chewed up) to the shoe shop, or heading to the grocery store/vegetable vendor/milk outlet. For that moment, the struggle was real, but then the survival instinct kicked in and I found myself walking around the house barefoot in the world’s first lockdown.
Since my sneakers (the ones with the chewed up laces) were the only sensible footwear intact (all delicate and/or strappy shoes and heels were mothballed until further notice), they were guarded no less than the family jewels. They were kept locked up at all times and taken out only when I needed to take the aforementioned furball for his walks or step out for procuring essentials.
You know, I really think footwear ought to be considered as essential goods after eight barefoot weeks that felt more like a hundred. From having to wash feet-dry feet-apply some lotion to feet on repeat after chores were done to getting nodding approvals by the neighborhood oldies for what they thought was me embracing centuries old wisdom of walking barefoot – I also re-discovered how kind the grass is to bare feet and how unforgiving the doors and furniture edges are in contrast.
Pluto (the reason why I was barefoot) of course wasn’t complaining as he got extra body parts to chew on every chance he got. It’s this very chewing-of-all-he-surveys thing that ensured multiple trips to the veterinarian through the various versions of the lockdown. A course of three injections followed by 5 days of antibiotics (half tablet in the morning, half in the evening), a whole bunch of investigations to check various parameters, supported by multi vits (and vanilla ice cream) gave me sleepless nights because he had stopped eating. Actually, I should have been expecting it considering that bits of most of my footwear (except my sneakers, thank god) had been through his stomach!
My barefooted dilemma also made me revisit and re-examine the concept of essential vs non essential. I took a deep dive into the age old question of what really matters at the end of the day. While air, water, food and shelter are a given, I discovered that so is footwear! Don’t believe me? Ask the thousands who were abandoned and forced to walk back hundreds of miles to their homes in the towns and villages. And also to a very miniscule degree, the Beagle Moms who were left barefoot to tell their story.
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Image Credit : Shagun Nayar
Wow that was some delightful read…chappal ho na ho!! BN. Whatever said and done, lockdown has made all of us discover something about ourselves.. Reading this made me wonder.. thanks@Rashmi
Thank you so much Bela. I love that you found it entertaining and thought provoking too.
A very very amusing read…. Loved the way style.. Had me smiling through it all
Thank you so much Payal. An author saying that means a lot!
♥️
Thank you for the pictures ❤️
Haha….
Just reading about Pluto and his antics is a good way to start the day. I Love your tongue in cheek humour, and style.
Thank you so much Himani. Pluto’s antics have been quite a stress buster in this lockdown, notwithstanding the bare feet :))
Jaideep Bhowmik. Brought a smile to my face. Very well written ,infact I can visualise young Pluto nibbling at your footwear. Keep sharing these delightful stories
Thank you so much Jaideep. I’m so glad this got you grinning. I remember Bella and Bingo’s puppy days and the cute things they did 🙂
The adorable things that all puppies do 😜😊
Such a amicable way if looking at the disaster perpetrated by your pet. I wish all of us had that positive interpretation to your pets gimmicks, after all they are being natural.
Thank you so much Rajyashree. That’s such a wonderful way of looking at it! You are like the Sunflowers that you love so much in the way you are able to see the bright side of everything.
Pluto all time amuser! A grt inspirer
Thank you so much Neeraa. Such a blessing our fur babies have been in making this lockdown easier.
😆😆 Amazing write up so beautifully mentioned everything in detail Loved going thru it.Can visualize it hehee.😘😘
Thank you so much Abha. You would be able to relate to it well with your beautiful fur babies, there’s never a dull moment with them around!
Nice one Rashmi but I had warned you about getting a beagle
Thank you so much Buchi. I always remember your words when Pluto’s being super naughty…beagles really are SF 🐕!
Ma’am I love your style of writing.. Very candid and straight from the heart.. Keeps me hooked on to the story till the end..
Please keep them coming more often..
Amol Gill
Thank you so much for the encouragement Amol. Funnily enough, writing the candid one took more effort this time maybe because there’s just so much grim news all around. I hope Pluto’s shenanigans had you laugh out loud :))
Another wonderful story from our hugely talented Rashmi….this one had me chuckling from start to ending. As a complete shoeaholic I can sympathize….but…. don’t you find that our pets become our babies and you end up forgiving them everything? They bring such joy to us, and laughter,as you have amply illustrated with your tale.
Keep the write ups coming. It’s something good to look forward to.
Thank you so much Preeti. Seriously, how our fur babies get away with murder, I swear! I’m so glad it had you laughing…thank you for the encouragement always 😊
What fun you brought with your chappal story…loved every bit of it. You must be missing them every moment and turned it around to spread Joy. Lovely!
Thank you Amita. I just love how you have seen it as a story about turning adversity into a strength…the lockdown has been a lesson in that as much. Thank you for your encouraging words 🙂
Footwear/ at least flip flops and likes definitely ought to be essential! And wine..tell me about it🙄.
Pluto 😍😍 He will soon outgrow the footwear and you will be guarding other essentials then ..haha! Loved the narration and the endearing sense of humor Rashmi❣️
Thank you Sangeeta for the warning…haha…just when I was thinking he will soon outgrow the puppy thing of chewing up stuff!! Thank you so much for the appreciation sweetie, it serves as a real motivation 🙂
It is a very thoughtful write up Mrs Nayar. Starting with the humour part, one did not realize it that there was such a strong message conveyed in the end with such an ease. Pluto is a joy to the family. He made us realize that where are we heading towards. Even the educated citizens cannot categorize between the essential and non essential things. Loved every bit of it.
Thank you for your wonderfully incisive feedback Shrishti. Love how you interpreted the subtext so beautifully. You picked up the undercurrents of the travails and misery caused by the lockdown so perfectly. Thank you so much…much love <3
Adorable picture n loved every word u wrote… Rashmi u r truly gifted…
Thank you so much Mona for your encouragement always. Am so glad you enjoyed the piece…much love <3
You are really gifted. My second read in 30 minutes has left me wanting for more.. Have you been writing for long! Where else?