N. Raghuraman's column: Pets have healing power; The animals that live with us are good for our physical-mental health

She was sitting on the edge of a pond, lost in her thoughts. Suddenly the shadows of four horsemen appear in the water. She immediately turns around and shouts, 'Come on!' and the mare immediately turns and looks at her, as if she understood the danger that was looming over her mistress. Dhanno starts to pick up speed even before he can climb on the tanga. As soon as she climbs the tanga, she says- 'Bhag Dhanno, today is a question of your Basanti's honor.... Most people will remember this scene from the 51-year-old film 'Sholay'. Some people may have even wondered how a mare could sense danger. But I never doubted this view, because I have read articles and heard stories from elders that explain that animals living with humans not only understand everything their owner says, but they can also reduce our increased blood pressure, soothe our worries and even awaken the desire to live in some patients. But I didn't see these effects myself until my mother met Sisu. He was a pet dog who was allowed to come into our house. Before introducing Sisu, I have to accept the fact that I also took dowry in my marriage. Yes, Sisu — who was eight years old at the time of my marriage — came to our house with my wife as a 'dowry'. The most interesting thing was that at the time of the farewell, he was sitting in the front seat of the car. He had gone inside the house even before the aarti of the newlywed couple was done. He sniffed every corner of the house, then came out and sat at the front for the aarti. First the tilak was applied on the forehead of the same and then on the forehead of the newlywed couple. Seeing this scene, everyone present there burst into laughter. As if he had inspected the house and given his approval and indicated to my wife that it was safe for him. Gradually, our kitchen discussions also began to revolve around Sisu's likes and dislikes. One day I heard my mother say, "Sisu loves dosa with ghee." While this privilege itself was available to us only in restaurants. I never remembered birthdays, but one day my mother surprised me by telling me that she had spent Rs 300 on Sisu's birthday. I tried to argue, but I couldn't stand in front of a determined mother with a kind heart. When the mother used to fast, Sisu also did not eat a single grain. He would accompany them to the nearby temple and wait patiently for them until they had finished their puja. Even when she was admitted to Tata Memorial Hospital for three-four days after chemotherapy, her biggest concern was Sisu's food and his health. When we said, 'He's not eating', she'd say, 'Hopefully I won't die before Sisu.' At times, we felt that despite being in the last stages of cancer, it was because of Sisu that he had the will to live. Once the doctors told me, 'She is responding better to the medicines because she is eager to return home and meet Sisu.' As his health began to deteriorate, Sisu became his permanent companion. If we took his food, he wouldn't eat it until my mother touched him and said, 'Eat it, my baby.' He was near them all the time, and would put his paw where his feet hurt. When my mother had unbearable pain in her back due to cancer, she would refuse to eat herself. She died a year before her mother's death. After that, whenever my mother would tell us stories related to Sisu, she would make us smile and laugh, but more than that, she would make us cry. The irony is that when people used to say that animals living with us were good for our physical-mental health, I never needed proof for that. Sisu had already taught us this.