3.
Hearing about the prospect of marrying Aish, it felt as though Rocky's days had taken a turn for the better. He was always lost in a state of euphoria. The grass seemed greener to him, the water bluer.
Ever since he had eaten the human brain given to him by the old sailor, it was as if his entire world had changed. Life had taken on a new meaning for him. He had been breathing before, but now the fragrant air he exhaled carried with it the essence of hope. He would forget that he wasn't a prince, but rather a bird who had grown up like an orphan.
But what could be done? Nature doesn't restrict anyone from dreaming. And after all, he had eaten a human brain. Who could rein in the horse of his imagination?
He closed his eyes and lost himself in thought. He saw Aish standing on a high snowy mountain, with golden wings spread wide. On the other side, he himself was nestled among green leaves at the bottom of a purple-colored lake. The gentle caress of sunlight and the aromatic winds were gradually bringing Aish down from the mountain of love. Meanwhile, the dancing ripples of the waves were carrying Rocky upward, in sync with the rhythm of their own dance. The world was getting adorned, the atmosphere was buzzing with melody...
Suddenly, Rocky opened his eyes in alarm to find a brown devil of a dog lunging at him. He dashed towards the bushes. The dog followed him for a while, but upon seeing Rocky hide in the bushes, it sat down and kept staring in his direction, as if waiting for him to come out. Rocky, peering out from within the thicket, was breathless.
Oh, if he'd been a moment later, that rascal would have attacked him. The dog might have torn his feathers apart with its claws, or even wounded his neck—anything could have happened. If something like that had occurred, Rocky would have looked so ugly on his wedding day. How could he possibly appear handsome without his bright, outstretched wings? How much embarrassment would his beloved have to endure!
But Rocky couldn't understand why the dog had attacked him. Was it hungry? If it was hungry, that made the situation even more dangerous. Tears welled up in Rocky's eyes.
But then Rocky remembered that he could swim in the water. Not only that, but he could also fly as high as a small building. This dog couldn't even touch him. Why should he be afraid? Rocky cleared his throat, made a crude noise, and shot out like an arrow, plunging into the flowing water.
Seeing Rocky go, the dog hurried after him but stopped short at the water's edge. Rocky dipped his neck in the water and, looking at the dog, began to grin in mockery.
The dog spoke, "Where are you going, my friend? I came to play with you."
"Oh, really? If you came to play, why did you attack me? It's a good thing I opened my eyes and saw, or else you would have killed me," Rocky replied.
"Ugh, what are you saying? You're completely mistaken, my friend. I only tried to startle you a little when I saw you sitting alone with your eyes closed, just to surprise you," the dog explained.
"Really! But why were you trying to scare me?"
"Because I came to tell you some very good news," the dog said.
"What good news? Tell me, tell me," Rocky said as he came out of the water and approached the dog, shaking his wet wings to dry them.
"I'm getting married," the dog said.
Rocky jumped up in joy. "Wow, my friend! That's great news. Who's your beloved? She must be very lucky."
"I am the lucky one, my friend."
"Wow! You're already so enamored with her that you're giving her a higher status than yourself. Tell me, who is she?"
"If I tell you her name, will you believe it?"
"Why wouldn't I? Who gives false news about their own wedding? Tell me, tell me, who is she? Where is she from? What's her name?"
"Aish!!!" the dog said.
Rocky was momentarily stunned, but quickly regained his composure and said, "Oh, do you have the name 'Aish' in your world too? Amazing! It's a lovely name. Your taste must be exceptional. I must commend your choice!"
"Rocky, don't misunderstand. I'm marrying the same Aish who lives in your neighborhood. Didn't she tell you?"
Now Rocky was genuinely dizzy. He barely managed to keep his balance and said, "But how will you and she get along? She's a bird, and you're a quadruped!"
"Forget all those outdated, narrow-minded ideas. Talking about race, caste, religion, color, and creed is now a backward mindset. Now, love, friendship, understanding, and the desire to move the world forward are everything. Don’t you see, all the fights, conflicts, and bloodshed in the world happen because we always think in terms of 'us versus them,' we remain divided into narrow groups, and live for 'yours versus mine.' Think about it, when the world was created, when we were created, were these castes, religions, colors, or races defined for everyone? We are all signs of someone's love. So where did hate and division come from?"
"But…"
"No buts. We are all here because someone loved someone else. The body doesn’t realize that the other body it encounters belongs to a different caste, religion, color, or race.
Think about it, haven't you seen the world? Maybe some lion once cuddled a cat, and that's how the tiger was born. Maybe an elephant, while drinking water, fancied a whale in the river for a while, and that’s how the hippo came into the world. Maybe a sycophantic wolf spent a scary night with a bear, and that’s how the hyena came into being. Perhaps a panther fell in love with a camel, and that’s why giraffes appeared. A cheetah, with a full stomach, might have chosen to love a donkey or a horse instead of eating it, and that's why we see zebras. A monkey might have fallen for a deer, and that's how kangaroos came into existence."
"Ha ha ha," Rocky laughed loudly. "But dear sir, there should be a way for the lovers to physically unite, right? Humans don't just match caste and religion; they even match horoscopes."
"Exactly, and that’s why only humans cry about the world getting worse day by day. When a black person meets a white person, a tall one meets a short one, a weak one meets a strong one, only then will new races and species thrive. A new crop for a new age! The dinosaur perished because it stayed alone in its grandeur. And why go far? Look at the thousands of species in every household today, don't you think humans had a hand in that?"
"A hand??" Rocky said mischievously.
"Take it however you like! But we've loved humans a lot, and they've loved us back just as much. We share everything with them, from cars and dining tables to gardens and beds."
"Sure, you do, but please, don't ruin my Aish's life; she'll die!"
"Oh, go away! What do you know about how old our love is? The marriage proposal is hers, after all," said the dog.
"Dude, she's obsessed. She says we'll create new species in the world; the old ones have become dirty. Their ideas have become stagnant. Rotten!" Rocky said in amazement.
Only then did he realize that when Aish was talking about marriage the other day, she wasn't talking about marrying each other, but rather about Rocky marrying someone else and herself marrying someone else.
Rocky became angry at Aish. She had become so obsessed with her business that she was always thinking about creating new species of animals. Crazy girl! Now what? In her madness, will she make an elephant mate with an ant, so that some new wonder can be born? Cross-breed, cross-breed—she's obsessed with making the world a marvel.
Rocky started trembling with rage. In his anger, he even forgot that he should congratulate the dog on his engagement. He was now eager to meet Aish.
When Rocky arrived at Ash's place, she had brought a lot of food from who knows where, including a bunch of fruits.
As soon as she saw Rocky, she said, "Wow, you've come at the perfect time. Come, have something to eat."
"I don't want to eat anything," Rocky said dismissively, turning his face away.
Ash was very surprised. Rocky refusing to eat? That’s impossible! There must be something wrong.
Making her voice as polite and sweet as possible, Ash said, "May I know what it is that King Rocky has eaten that has made him lose his appetite? And where did he eat it?"
Detecting the extra drama in Ash's tone, Rocky grew even more angry inside. He thought, “Look at her, talking so sweetly, but secretly planning to betray me. What does that dog have that she’s ready to marry him instead of me? Does she even know what marriage is? If she doesn’t come back to me within a day, all bloodied and battered, then my name isn’t Rocky.”
Ash asked again, “Why aren’t you eating?”
Rocky, feeling indifferent, replied, "I’m not hungry. A friend of mine threw a party, and I ate there."
Ash playfully asked, "Who’s this friend of King Rocky that I don’t know about? What’s his name?"
"Oh, I told you, I’ve already eaten. That brown dog who lives in the next lane, he’s getting married, and he threw a party."
As soon as Ash heard the name of the brown dog, she was taken aback. She realized that Rocky might have found out everything, and that’s why he’s in a bad mood.
Now she became serious and, in a more somber tone, said, “Why don’t you just say it outright that you don’t like the idea of our marriage?”
“You’ve gone crazy, Ash. Have you ever heard of someone from our kind marrying a dog?!” Rocky finally let out his frustration.
"Dear Rocky, if we keep doing the same things that have always been done, how will the world ever change?"
"So, to change the world, you’re going to sacrifice me first?" Rocky responded, distressed.
Ash lovingly looked at Rocky and said, "Who says you’ll be sacrificed? I always think of you before myself. You know, I’ve found a suitable wife for you first, and only then agreed to marry that brown gentleman."
"Let me hear who this suitable wife is."
"You know her well. She’s the one who comes to the apartment behind our garden every day to drink milk."
"That shaggy cat?! Out of the whole world, you chose that cat for me? You’re completely mad, Ash! I wouldn’t marry her in a million years. I’m scared to even go near her! Have you seen how fierce her eyes are? She’ll eat me alive one day!" Rocky held his head in his hands.
"Don’t worry, Rocky. Single girls are like that—fiery, temperamental. Once you’re married, she won’t drink milk without offering it to you first. Trust me," Ash reassured him.
Rocky said, "Marriage is a lifelong partnership. Sleeping together, eating together, going out together, living together. Just because you marry an elephant to a rabbit doesn’t make them life partners. The elephant eats sugarcane; can a rabbit’s stomach handle that? It’ll burst open."
"You’re so stubborn. What’s the connection between elephants and sugarcane now? That cat is so lovely; just meet her once, and you won’t want to leave her. Look at me, I’m going to settle down with a dog," Ash said.
"But what’s the point of that? Why can’t you stay with me? If birds and animals fall in love with each other, their offspring will be something like an otter. Cross-breeding doesn’t always produce beautiful creatures. You’ll just make a laughingstock of yourself," Rocky argued.
Rocky’s anger now reached its peak. Without thinking twice, he grabbed Ash and showered her face with kisses. All his restraint finally gave way.
This is unbelievable! Rocky had no idea that a storm was coming just as he was about to enjoy his time. He was kissing Ash passionately, unaware that two eyes were watching them from the window. Those eyes, filled with shock and anger, belonged to the same doggy who had earlier told Rocky that he was Ash's fiancé. The poor doggy was just coming to meet Ash, but here, the situation was something else entirely.
Granted, it was Rocky who initiated the kiss, and poor Ash wasn’t to blame, but how could it be proved that the fault was solely Rocky's? If you see a couple kissing each other passionately, how would you know whose consent it was? It could very well be that Ash herself, while parting from her former lover, was giving him a farewell kiss.
Doggy couldn't figure out what he should do! Should he angrily confront Ash and talk about breaking up with her? Or should he fight with Rocky for betraying him despite knowing everything? Or should he quietly go back home and forget that he saw anything at all? Maybe he should simply leave Ash's life and silently punish her for her betrayal.
But then, a thought struck Doggy’s mind. He realized that doing any of these things would just show that he was still clinging to old emotions like jealousy, envy, revenge, and retribution. How would a new world be built with these outdated human traits? He needed to set a new example.
He decided that he would show himself to be large-hearted. He would continue to love Ash just as before and maintain a friendly relationship with Rocky as well.
Life becomes so much easier with this kind of thinking.
After all, why do we become so selfish that we reserve our happiness only for ourselves? Can’t we share it with our friends?
Thinking all this, Doggy started heading back home. His love for Ash grew even deeper. On the other hand, that night, neither Rocky nor Ash had dinner.
But when the morning sunlight filtered through their nest of twigs, both Ash and Rocky saw that it was a new day. The events of the previous night had passed with the night itself.
As Ash walked on the soft grass outside, she saw Rocky busy eating the fruits and insects that were served the night before. He must have been very hungry, she thought with a smile.
In a fit of anger, we can go without food for a while, but we can't give up food and water forever. In fact, if we eat or drink something during a time of anger, it helps us think clearly and positively. We avoid causing harm to ourselves or others in a fit of rage. We don’t realize that harming others eventually becomes our own harm. It leads to tension and enmity.
If we observe our body closely, we can easily understand these worldly truths. Now look at your body from head to toe. It will seem like a beautiful city with many roads. One road is for breathing, air comes in, air goes out. One road is for eating and drinking. One road is for cleaning. Similarly, there’s a neighborhood for thinking and pondering, a lane for hearing, and a lane for seeing.
Now, if the seeing lane witnesses something wrong, will you block the traffic on the eating and drinking road? That wouldn’t be wise.
As Doggy was thinking all this and was about to turn towards his street, he saw Catty coming from the opposite apartment.
"Where are you coming from?" Catty asked in a loud voice.
Doggy blurted out, "I went to meet my girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" Hearing this, Catty racked her brain. She remembered everything. Ash had told her about it. She happily said, "Oh, now whenever you go there, don't go alone. Take me along too."
"Why?"
"You don’t know, my boyfriend lives there too!"
People say that humans think one thing, and something else happens. But why just humans? The same thing happened with these birds as well. Moreover, the dreams of the doggy and the imaginative plans of the cat also got ruined. Everyone's marriage got halted.
It so happened that one morning, as this entire group of friends left their homes to enjoy the fresh air and bright sunshine, they saw large, colorful posters along the Hudson shore. They quickly ran towards the posters to see what was written on them!
Oh no, but this turned out to be a case of discrimination. No one even thought about how these poor creatures from the bird and animal community would be able to read these posters.
Ash, Rocky, Doggy, Kitty, and their other friends sat around a large poster. They were waiting for some literate human to come by and tell them what was written on it.
But just then, their problem was solved on its own. A boy, who was swimming in a nearby pool, sat down on the edge of the pool to escape the cold water and began reading the poster loudly.
"Listen, listen... On the upcoming Valentine's Day, the most beautiful, the most adorable, and the most magnificent couple of the Hudson shore will be chosen. A pair so in love, made for each other, who live and die for each other, whose hearts are truly connected."
After reading this, the boy started laughing loudly.
Seeing him laughing alone, several other boys and girls gathered around. After reading the poster, they all understood why the boy was laughing! Because at the bottom of the poster, it was written: "It’s not necessary for the couple to be just a boy and a girl. The pair can be any two living beings."
Below this were pictures in different circles—a boy and a girl, an old man and an old woman, a young woman and an old man, a middle-aged woman and a young man, two men, two women, a human and a bird, a dog and a girl, a bird and an animal, a fish and a young man, a rabbit and a young woman... The youth were laughing at these pictures.
But Ash and his group found all this very amusing. They started discussing among themselves—"Look, our Hudson shore will now be filled with lovers. Love will spread everywhere here."
Rocky and Ash canceled their respective wedding plans. They didn't want to miss this opportunity. They were sure that whoever won the big prize would become famous throughout the city. They’d become a hero or heroine.
But there was still one problem.
These people made such a big announcement about the competition, but they didn’t think about how the selection would be made! How would it be determined how much you love your partner? How will love be measured?
It could happen that some handsome guy brings a beautiful golden fish along, but after winning the competition, he cooks and eats it by the evening.
- "It's true. These organizers should tell us how they will measure love."
A debate began. On one side, boys, girls, and other humans were getting into arguments, and on the other side, the animals and birds were getting restless.
Everyone was confused about one thing: what exactly is love? How will anyone see it? How will anyone measure the amount of love or attraction between two living beings?
- "Hey, if a dog is hungry, it'll wag its tail at anyone. That’s not love. It’s possible that after its stomach is full, it might even bite the one who fed it."
- "Exactly. If a cat is scared of something, it will cling to another. Should that be considered love?"
- "Even boys and girls who live together sometimes fight with each other. Just wearing nice clothes on stage and kissing each other lovingly, what does that prove? This could also be just a show of love. Who will decide that this is real love?"
The Hudson shore turned into a hotbed of debates. From butterflies and fish to bodybuilder wrestlers, everyone was discussing the same thing!
This question went viral.
Gradually, the entire world became entangled in this question: What exactly is love, and how can it be measured?
This discussion, which began on the banks of the Hudson, spread throughout New York. It even crossed over to Jersey City. Within twenty-four hours, whether it was Washington or Pennsylvania, everyone was busy trying to solve the question of what love truly is.
Storms have neither paths nor borders. Whether Virginia or Arizona, Georgia or Michigan, this storm crossed them all, reaching the opposite coast, all the way to California. In Illinois's Chicago, even the birds, humans, and machines were lost in finding the definition of love.
Just a while ago, everyone was talking about love – Santa Claus loved children, actors worldwide loved Hollywood, models and beauties were crazy about Miami Beach – but now everyone was puzzled, asking, what is love?
We had seen villains love their guns, babies love their milk, and traders love their money, but no one knew how to show love. How could a boy on stage demonstrate his love for the girl standing next to him? What could an old woman feed her child to reveal her love for the kid? How could a friend exhibit the depth of his friendship? And the million-dollar question: how could this love be measured?
Ash and Rocky had been together for ages, but suddenly, Ash's heart turned toward the dog that lived just a short distance from their street. Rocky dreamed of Ash every day but was now about to marry that cat who used to sneak into the backyard apartment to drink milk.
So, the complex question was, if love is to be measured, how should it be measured?
Questions float in the sky like kites. If they're not caught and resolved, they begin to cross the borders of nations. The question that arose from the Hudson River was also crossing Niagara Falls and spreading to Canada – What is love? People began to wonder, if there is love for one's country, then how is there such a large Sikh community here?
Crossing Mexico, this relentless question began knocking on the doors of Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Chile, Cyprus, and Uruguay – What exactly is love?
The dust of this question began reaching across the ocean. Britain, France, Italy, and Germany were also bubbling with the same boiling question: how to define love?
People asked whether Gandhi loved India, South Africa, or Mauritius? If Gandhi's soul still wandered in India, perhaps one could ask him what love is. But who was there to tell how it could be measured?
It was indeed a perplexing matter. If Gandhi loved India, why did a bullet in India put him to eternal sleep? Didn't Indira love India? So, was that not love? Do bullets fly in love? Was Kennedy shot because of his love for America?
If what citizens feel for their country is love, then why did Russia break into thirteen countries? How did Pakistan and Bangladesh emerge from the heart of India? Why does Korea roar? How is the division of Germany into two parts love? Are China, Vietnam, the Arab world, Israel, Taiwan, and Tibet the offspring of love?
Does love have warmth? Then why are Denmark, Norway, and Finland cold?
Forget it!!!
But for now, the question is, how can love be measured?
After a while, when the storm showed signs of subsiding, Ash and Rocky peeked out of their fragile nest.
Just as after a storm, one sees bent, broken trees and uprooted poles, their question lay collapsed on the Hudson shore: What is love? The question's back was almost broken: how could love be measured? The sun was coming out gently, and Rocky was peeking into the backyard, hoping that perhaps the scruffy cat had come to one of the apartments to stealthily drink milk!
* * *
