Simba

One morning, when I woke up at 5AM, I heard a kitten cry in the basement. I ignored it and continued with the daily chores. But when the cry did not stop for a long time, I decided to go down and have a look. 

When I went down, the watchman was about to chase a kitten. It looked at me and came fearlessly running towards me. He looked weak, his eyes were watery and his face was full of wounds. I picked him up and carried him to my house. I am not sure if the kitten was abandoned or it got lost. But it was definitely starving for at least a few days. His appearance was shabby and he seemed like he has been living in a gutter for a few days, scavenging for food. 

I offered him some curd and he drank it in one go and asked me for more food. Since we had no food for the kittens at home, we fed him some biscuits. He gobbled them down his throat too and asked for more food. 

Our 2-year-old cat Pintu seemed suspicious of this new guest. She hissed at him as he approached her. After he had eaten some more food, he sat under the teapoy and took a nap. Almost immediately, he became attached to me and never left my company. 

When my niece visited us the following weekend, she suggested that we name him Simba. Thus Simba got his name. 

Simba is extremely friendly with humans. He likes to be with us all the time. He likes to sit on my lap, sleep by my head or under my blanket at night. 

With time, Pintu has got along with Simba too and they often play together. But she is still maintaining a boundary. Simba, on the other hand, has recovered from all his ailments. He is enjoying his new cat food too. And, today, he is in a much better condition than when I found him. A little bit of care given to someone, can make a big difference in their life.

While my Niece was here, we visited the Mandaragiri hill. It is a good half-day trip from Bangalore. On the day we went there the new jain temple at the summit was being inaugurated. There were a lot of people and lavish food was being served to all devotees. We climbed the hill and sat there to watch the sunset. Mydala lake looked absolutely brilliant. 

A lot of construction around the hill has taken away the natural charm of this place. Last time, the place had looked much more authentic.