As a kid, we always had pets, seldom fewer than 2 cats and 2 dogs. They were definitely part of the family. I was told that when I got up in the morning I was to give the pets food and water before I got my own breakfast, because inside the house they depended on us.

I’m aware that some people don’t treat their pets well. I have no respect for that. The pets usually have no choice who they live with, yet still if you show them love and care they return it unquestionably. They look to us as their family. We should return the favour.

Moti is an Alsatian. This type of dogs are also called German Shepherds. For some a pet dog is a status symbol, but for me my Moti is a necessity. I cannot think or my life without him. I came to possess it there years back. Then it was a little puppy of four moths. In our neighbour lived Mr. Aditya. He was a great canine lover. When he was transferred to Mumbai from here, he gave it to me as a gift.      

Pluto is a brown Labrador. My father gifted him to me on my  birthday. He loves to dig and bury bones in the garden. True to his breed- The Retriever, he later takes it out and eats it. He is very faithful.. no outsider can enter our house. He barks so loudly that we  all know there is someone at the gate. He doesn’t bite, but his huge size scares people. When any of us are ill, he sits at our bedside looking sad.

Most part of the day he sleeps and remains awake at night to guard the house. He makes a good watchdog.

Our eyes and the eyes of dogs have cones, which is a name for special cells in the eye that respond to color by catching light. We have three different cones, which is why we see so much in color. Dogs, on the other hand, have two, meaning they do not see as much color or see color as brightly as we do. 

Colors that dogs can see include yellow, blue and gray. Depending on the color of the object, your dog may see it as dark gray, murky yellow, bright yellow, dull blue or a more deep blue.

Secondly, I find that people are unreliable. I have parents, siblings, friends, loved ones all walked out on me whenever I hit a rough spot in my life. There was a time when I lost my job and literally everyone abandoned me. I was all alone for a whole year imprisoned in my apartment. No one came to help. No one wanted to help. I only managed to dig myself out of my predicament when I got a job. That one year, I saw very clearly that family or love, though they shouldn’t be, are often just convenient arrangements, convenient transactions to satisfy selfish needs. More often the notion of family is romanticised and idealised.

My cherished dream is to visit Great Britain someday. I have always been interested in learning English, the British culture and traditions. There are a lot of wonderful sights there. And I would like to see everything with my own eyes.
If I had an opportunity, I would go to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guard. I would visit the Tower of London and feed the ravens.

I would also visit the London parks because I have read, they are so beautiful. In Hyde Park, I would visit the Speakers’ corner. In Regent’s Park I would visit the London Zoo.

Of course, I have some other dreams, too. But to travel to Great Britain is my biggest dream for today.

My father always taught me to explore the world with inquisitive eyes and a curious mind, constantly seeking to learn more and more, to understand more. That’s why my ultimate dream is to travel around the world, learn foreign languages and hopefully move to a sunny and warm place some day. I’d like to explore new cultures, traditions, business and cuisine. Travelling can be an invaluable experience for me, it can broaden my knowledge and help me to make friends with people from other countries. I think that my dreams are not just dreams, they are quite real if I don’t give up and move towards their fulfillment. Our dreams are in our hands, I’m sure.

I have another cherished dream which is more global, of course. I want to stop poverty on our Earth, to provide poor people with shelter and food, with proper education, clothes and water. I know that it’s not so easy. I want to support children and old people with essential things for life and health and I hope to stop their tears one day.