Consolidation of power in power-centres of Hushmush community had brought with it fairly large immorality and criminality. Those who commanded the power-centres knew perfectly well about the pariah dogs’ restlessness of barking cries of abomination and alert on wrongdoings among the Hushmush. To do away with their habitual barking at their power-corruption, they used their powers to castrate the uncompromising among the uncontained dogs. The castration deprived dogs not only of their capacity to leave for posterity the likes of theirs as fearless and free dogs as they had been before castration was applied on them by the power-corridors of Hushmush community. It also snatched their barking ability, henceforth. However, many among the compromising dogs who showed willingness to shut their barking mouths were left out of sterilisation campaign by the castrating power-houses. The conformist-dogs’ willingness was connected with their craving for having better comforter niche than what their natural environs had been providing them: Palatial places to live in and work for their masters; best pet food; brand pet clothing and etc. These selfish dogs were used by the power-centres for creating latest dog-breeds that then mushroomed in the power-centres of politics, administration and organisations of the Hushmush community and also down every line thereof. The dog-breeds allowed themselves to the surgery of de-barking by their owners who applied latest tools of avarice, money, property and elevations for the de-barking surgery.
It was in that scenario of past-present-dogs of Hushmush community, when, one day, after saying their afternoon prayers, two septuagenarians, Kareem and Raheem, stepped out of a local mosque, and walked into an adjacent public park, to have chit-chat about dogs. They sat down on a bench fixed, among several, inside the park that was recently developed for the Hushmush, in general, by their bragging moneyed elite. Being themselves members of the Hushmush community, they had with them core observations about why, with change in times, things had turned from good to bad in their once almost corrupt-free community. The scenes of un-kept watchful dogs roaming free in lanes and by-lanes of their environs were still flashing through their minds as eye-witnessed by them before few decades, when the untamed dogs lived among their long alleys. The starting point to converse came from Kareem’s mouth: “Raheem, do you remember the days when dogs dominated and kept clean our community milieu, everywhere”.
“Yes, my old ears carry, from my young days, their whining voices at people doing any immorality in our community”, responded Raheem.
“They would howl, I remember, when the people persisted with their foul plays in competitions, and growl at their criminality”, said Kareem.
“Yep, I’ve seen them expressing deep dislike through their varying voices at Hushhmushs’ wrongdoings”, said Raheem.
“Do you know they would start immediately woof-woof at any one attempting wrong, clearly alerting him about its badness”, asked Kareem.
“Yes, I remember, till date, their loyalty towards our community, that did not own them, as they didn’t want or like their owning by others”, said Raheem.
“Ownerships bring slavery where the owned have always to obey the orders of the owners as their masters. Our dogs of not-yore were born and lived free. Till they lived amongst us, our community was, by and large, corruption-free”, rejoined Kareem.
“But where have they gone? Our streets and roads, lanes and bylanes, do not bear them anymore. Our paths of life seem asking us where barking dogs of our past have gone?” asked Raheeem exhaling a deep sad-breath, while stretching out his arms left-right, his legs to their length of feet on the grassy ground of the park.
“They lost their existence to the modern dog-breeds bought for money…..”, returned Kareem.
“….Bought by pet-fanciers who love dog-breeds most, and hate free dogs, utmost. They domesticate these new species of dogs and keep them in good numbers with them more as their loyalists than any associates……”, conversation was continued by Raheem.
” These pet-fanciers”, Kareem explained, “are [corrupt] ministers, bureaucrats and executives of our community who have trained, tamed and presented them to us as a new cult of dogs among Hushmushs but.. “, Kareem paused for a while and then continued, “…but solely for keeping shut , tightly, tightly, mum, on their multifaceted black-deeds ranging between their political-gimmickry, official-skullduggery and administrative- chicanery. They have been bred and fed on hush-norms of finger-on-lips on witnessing wickedness and crime….”.
“All criminality and immorality in our community emanates from these new avatars of corruption. Sadly, they top the list of our hierarchical social order with wide politico-admin-executive powers”, Raheem added, relaxing and bringing back his stretched legs to normal sitting posture on the garden bench.
“I think it inappropriate to call lap-dogs as free-dogs. They are just domesticated pets controlled by their owners. They greatly value their association with, and respectability, they deem, they have by wearing price-tags, ownership-tags, of [corrupt] ministers, bureaucrats and executives…”, said Kareem.
“The pet dogs know about vices of their owners but can’t bark at it, since they have been de-barked of their capacity to voice at it”, expressed Raheem with dismay.
“True, silence of dogs, these contained-dogs, dog-breeds, has emboldened the corrupt power-centres of our community, and institutionalised, thus, crime and wrong everywhere among us”, responded Kareem with equal disappointment.
Whilst two friends were talking to each other, the sun was sinking behind the faraway mountains and it was going to be the time to offer sunset prayers. So, hearing the azan from the same mosque where they had day’s afternoon prayers, they rose from the bench, lending hand to each other, and left the park to join sunset prayers in the mosque.