Henry with Jai Anand Dehadrai and Mahua Moitra
There are times when you long for time travel. Desperately wishing that the time machine – in whatever form from pop culture or high physics theories – becomes reality. How else could Alexander Pope be here today? Although this writer considers her writing to be very spectacular, she would not be blaspheming by addressing a subject that only the 18th century English poet should address.
Hendrik, the Rottweiler.
Pope is said to have written a mock epic about the life and times of this beautiful dog, which may or may not ultimately bring down political and legal careers, industrial houses and even governments. All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. Henry is that extraordinary beast who could go down in history for causing one of the most lurid political scandals of our time. Something that deserves a sequel to Pope’s poem from 1712 The Rape of the Lock.
Henry’s human parents were once together and he had a happy home – safe from all the bad press his “aggressive” race has been receiving lately. Henry, the gentle giant, has his own Instagram account, in the true tradition of 21st century socialites. But someone has cast their evil eye on Henry. Yes, even dogs are not safe from the voyeuristic bad energies of people who claim to be ‘friends’ but in reality are not. Yes, just those people who just look at your posts and find something to make fun of behind your back. This bad strain struck poor Henry and his parents separated, and what followed would have shocked even Homer or Valmiki.
Pope, however, is said to have rubbed his hands with joy and started writing about individualism that can only assert itself through material achievements. He is said to have called an emergency meeting of his Scriblerus Club to discuss the alleged issue of scarves, handbags, iPhones and accessories on the one hand and the anger and pathos of a jilted lover on the other. Of course, Pope would have taken no prisoners and mercilessly attacked the smallness of great people.
Whatever Pope might have done, through his fine satire, shows that institutions and individuals can only be brought down from within. That only one employee is needed, like Clarissa The Rape of the Lock, so that all hell breaks loose. When the integrity of an institution or individual proves to be as delicate as a Hermes scarf, claws emerge on all sides. It takes a Henry to create such a collaborator. As FIRs, affidavits, defamation cases and their objections continued to appear in the public domain, Pope is said to have set his eyes on Henry, the mute witness to a distasteful farce surrounding his custody that has now engulfed multiple political parties, industrial houses, colleges and universities . wealthy individuals, and many have a personal relationship.
Does Henry want to be dragged into this circus of human follies and foibles? Probably not. Does he want his legs massaged? Maybe! Does he want his father around? Who knows? Poor Henry is no Callie, the adopted dog of neuroscientist Gregory Berns who worked with her father when he wanted to use his decades of experience using MRI imaging technology to study how the human brain works to figure out what dogs think. Callie braved the MRI world – intimidating enough for many people – to let her father study her delicate dog brain. The findings are recorded in one of the leading scientific books of our time: How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Dog Decode the Dog Brain.
Henry loves us, all of us. Maybe he manifested it all. It was his prayers at the altar of the Dog God that brought to light this story of corruption and the fight against corruption. Perhaps he had had enough of the pranks of the high and mighty. Perhaps he doesn’t want to be used as a bargaining chip in committee investigations and lawsuits. And Alexander Pope would have been his ally, his storyteller, the keeper of his conscience – yes, that rare thing that people quickly get rid of.
Maybe, just maybe, he didn’t even want to be called Henry.
(Nishtha Gautam is a Delhi-based author and academic)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author.
