Excerpt from the book ‘Baba Loved Us Too’ by Mehera J. Irani (pg.10-11)
Source: Betty Lowman
One day Baba came into the kitchen looking very pleased. He had a naughty twinkle in His eye as He pointed at a stuffed fox He was holding in His hand. Baba signed, “Isn’t it lovely?” and we agreed, for it was lovely indeed. The expression on its face really made you feel it was quite alive!
We all shared in the fun with Baba, admiring the stuffed fox and commenting on its unusual beauty. After a few minutes, we put it in the corner out of the way. Baba finished His meal, read a while, and then as usual told us He would rest for a few minutes. You know, Baba’s sleep was very light. The slightest sound might disturb Him, so after finishing our chores, we would sit quietly while Baba rested, knowing that at any moment He might wake up.
Now what got into Naja’s head, I don’t know — perhaps Naja was just plain bored — but very softly she started calling “Choo … Chum” all the while pointing furtively at the stuffed fox lying in the corner. Chum, dozing nearby, at first ignored Naja’s whispered call. But in India, dogs respond to the word “Choo”. It excites their interest and when said with force, alerts them to danger.
We couldn’t imagine what Naja was thinking; after all, she knew as well as we did that Baba shouldn’t be disturbed while resting. But Naja was determined to find out Chum’s reaction to the fox. We girls just sat there, wide-eyed and transfixed, not knowing what would happen next. Finally, the force of “Choo … Chum” penetrated, and Chum opened one bleary eye, and then the other, and then there was no stopping him. He lunged at that fox’s throat, shredding it virtually in two!
With that, the spell was broken and we girls rose to action, trying our best to quiet Chum before Baba woke up. Poor Naja, having instigated the commotion, now wanted to stop it. She grabbed the fox from Chum and held it high above her head so he couldn’t reach it. The fox was raining sawdust all over the kitchen floor, Chum was barking his head off, we girls had become a chorus of “No! Chum! No!” and in the midst of this storm of noise and confusion came Baba’s thunderous clap! “What is this?” Baba gestured. “Is this the time to play when I’m resting?” Baba scolded Naja and we did too! For years afterward, whenever Naja would start some playful mischief, we would remind her of “Choo Chum”. Later we tried to sew the stuffed fox back together, but it never looked the same. Somehow even the fox’s expression had changed from alert and ready, to bedraggled and limp.