I became interested in raising pets when I was in India. I have seen people bringing dogs with them when they go to the parks, and for morning and evening walks. It was then that I had a desire to have a pet dog like that. But it was not fulfilled. Mommy said we live in a rented house and the landlord didn’t like all this. ” There is no one to take care of pets if we go somewhere and we are not going to live here long like this. We will be returning soon to our country”, she said. I felt that the reasons Mommy told were justified.
After returning to Sri Lanka, the desire for pets resurfaced at the thought of whether we had returned to our home country. Mommy said it was still a rental house and would come to face unnecessary problems.
The idea of having a home of your own to raise a pet is ingrained in my mind. But not everyone who owns a home owns a pet. Later it became clear to me that they did not like pet owners.
My interest was in fish, turtles, dogs, and cats. I was jealous of anyone who had these. I was curious to hear what anyone had to say about these. My favorite entertainment is watching documentaries about these.
One day in 2018, an auspicious event took place. A family who was employees at my mother’s Mantra Life organization is very dear to me. They are from the upcountry and belong to the plantations community. They stayed at the Worker’s House at Mantra Life. So I got more time to talk and interact with them. Their daughter is younger than me. I would just play with her in the evenings. One day they were talking about the turtle. Someone in their family said they raise a lot of turtles. This tortoise story is also one of the reasons I got more caught up in them. I asked if they could bring me a turtle. “Will your mother allow it?” Manju Aunty asked me. I said with some courage, “you must bring and responsibility for it is mine”.
That same year we celebrated my 10th birthday at Mantra Life with much fanfare. Many of my school friends and mom’s friends were invited to my birthday party. My brother Eid was with me that year. I received a variety of gifts on that birthday. Many valuable items were found. But it was Manju Aunty and Alex Uncle who gave me that unforgettable gift.
They gave me a beautiful turtle as a gift. They fulfilled my long-held dream, a dream that not even my mummy could fulfill. My happiness was immeasurable.
I originally named it Oscar. But I changed the name to ‘Star’ within a few days when I found out that it was a star-type turtle. The star turtle is said to be an endangered species. I read continuously about turtle breeding on Google. I watched many videos. I searched for favorite foods for it. My Star loved Cabbage, Water Spinach, Water Melon, etc.
Luckily after the Star came, soon I got a cat too. Mommy then bought eight chickens. My days were filled with so much joy. After school, I spent all my remaining time with them. But since Eid was a one-year-old child, the biggest challenge was to protect my pets from him. He persecuted them playfully and ignorantly. He will throw the Star. He will chase the chickens and run away. We named my kitten Swagi. He grabbed her by the tail and threw her. Mommy and Grandma told me to make him understand little by little. ” Have patience in raising pets”, they said everything that should be accountable. I felt like they were starting to come naturally to me. The idea that my pets would be hungry, that I should feed them on time, and that I should give them the proper medication became my daily duties and responsibilities.
But life is not always the same. This is what I have been learning since my childhood. I soon lost all my pets. I can’t believe this yet. But it has happened.
The 2019 Easter bombing took place. It turned our lives around again. Mummy faced many problems with the Sri Lankan security forces. The revival came from Islamic fundamentalists before her. That is why we had to relocate to India and live for some time. Now another side of the same issues has turned our lives upside down.
I lost all my pets within a day. We carried the Star into the river and dropped him in with my own hands. On the day my tears flowed immeasurably. The Star may have been given to someone else to raise. Turtle is a very tame animal that does not require much care. But many of us have been advised that it is illegal to have these star-type turtles. So Mommy told us not to push anyone into misery. So we pushed him into the river, wanting him to grow freely. I raised him for about 9 months. My voice would bring him out wherever he was hiding. His memories are still with me. He would have forgotten me. He would have made new friends in the river. Or someone else would have looked at him and taken him home.
Homeowners and neighbors complained that “we were scared when your chickens crowed”. They said this in the next few days after the Easter bombing. They are Sinhalese. We are tenants and Muslims. Mommy and Grandma believed we couldn’t resist in this case. My young eight chickens were slaughtered in one day and put in the freezer in the fridge. It was a very, very sad day.
I do not understand the Sinhala, Muslim and religious contradictions that they say. But it was disappointing that there were people who didn’t even want to hear the chicken crow. My grandmother jokingly said, “These Sinhalese are afraid only when the chickens are raised by Muslims.”
I was hastily relocated back to India. This time I was admitted to the school hostel alone.
Now I am back in Sri Lanka. I live temporarily with my grandparents in Eravur in the Batticaloa district. To make up for my past losses, my mom again gave me a puppy for my birthday in 2020.
I would have grown up happily even if I got a street dog. But my mommy gifted me a Dachshund dog. My Dachshund’s name is Rocky, with chocolate color, elongated body structure, and short legs. The city of Eravur where my grandparents live is completely Muslim only. Dog breeding here is seen as bad. Touching it is called najis (forbidden).
Here I have new challenges that I did not have when I was raising pets in Colombo. When my Rocky barks, the neighbors are yelling. My grandmother likes Rocky. But will not touch him and will not allow him near her. My Rocky really likes Beef and Chicken Broth. I learned how to make Broth by simmering all the bones, meat, or vegetables through Google. Rocky would love to have ribs, bones, carrots all boiled together in the water. On Saturdays and Sundays, I would go to the meat shop, buy ribs, chest, meat, and make broth and stock, then put them in the fridge. Apart from this, Rocky likes to eat fish, rice, and egg crumbles. Some days I give him raw eggs and I will give yogurt and biscuits as snacks.
On July 30th, 2021, my Rocky turned one year old. I did not go to school this year. Online classes are mostly just that. I spend most of my time with Rocky.
Rocky is my best friend in an alien town where I am so unfamiliar and uncompromising.
He is the one who fills the gaps these days when my mommy is not with me. Maybe guessing all this is, Mommy bought me, Rocky, before she left for Istanbul.
Anyway as happy as I am with Rocky, I am also a little scared. It’s the fear that my uncertain life will snatch my rookie back from me.
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About the Author:
Diya Al Badhri
My name is Diya Al Badhri. I was born in Sri Lanka on July 30, 2008. We settled in India in 2012 when I was three and a half years old. We lived in Chennai till 2016. That’s where I started my elementary education. My first guru was my mother who was a single mother. She and I have made numerous trips, trekking, and hiking. In 2016 I returned to Sri Lanka. I continued my studies in Colombo. Then again in 2019, the circumstances forced me to stay in a hostel in India. I returned to Sri Lanka in 2020 due to Covid -19. I am learning from the flow of such an uncertain life.
