June 25, 2025
Cremating the blind dog that looked into your soul
Today was supposed to be a 100 km ride with 11,000 feet gain, but I called it quits after 72 km and 5,000 feet. That’s a story for another day..
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A neighbor’s dog—deathly weak and heavily infected—used to come to the front of my friend’s place every day. They let her stay in that sunny spot and fed her whatever they gave their own dog: rice, fresh farm milk, and the dog treat. The sick dog stank from her infections and stared straight into your soul—or so it felt to me. I gave her biscuits/cookies whenever I had some but could never show her the same affection I did to other dogs.
Later, I found out that her stare felt so intense because she was blind! Still, it unsettled me—and I’m someone who believes I can communicate with dogs and never lift a stone or stick when street dogs bark menacingly at me.
Two days before I cycled out of Yuksom/Sikkim, she died peacefully in my friend’s barn. That day, I learned the barn had been her home for the past two months. Every morning, she would simply get up from her hay bed and walk down to the sunny spot in front of the house.
My friend and I dug her grave—mostly my friend, since he had proper boots. We made it about 2–3 feet deep, prying out big rocks from the stubborn ground. My friend lifted her gently from her grassy bed, laid her in the grave, adjusted her so she lay “comfortably,” and covered her with soil. Afterwards, he planted a few cardamom saplings around the grave, placed a tombstone, and lit a lamp in her memory.
Having spent half my life away from home, I’ve never attended the cremation of a family member. This was the first time I got my hands dirty and “cared” for the dying—though it wasn’t a human. I learned a bit about end-of-life care in the mountains, in the tribal societies.
Again, she wasn’t the family’s pet and never guarded their house or farm. She still received care, a respectful burial, and prayers simply because she was a living being.
Today's ride: 72 km (45 miles)
Total: 2,956 km (1,836 miles)
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