NOT ONLY SHAKEN BUT ALSO STIRRED – The Gurno incident

The Global Local

Gurno was every bit a tramp who lived happily in a remote village where even google maps may not bother to map. He had never gone beyond a 10-kilometer radius of where he was born. He couldn’t read and write but from what I’ve seen, he believed in the slogan – Think global, Act local.

I’m pretty sure that he’d never even seen a school, yet he inherently displayed the sensibility to practice the concept of world citizenship through his unswerving loyalty to the whole of mankind. Nobody needed to teach him these concepts. The concept of universal brotherhood just came naturally to him.

I remember clearly the first time I met Gurno. I must have been around 10 years of age at that time and loved spending my holidays in my ancestral village. I was crossing a wooden footbridge without railings strung across a flowing stream that would take me to the local toddy shop to get my Granny a bottle of toddy for her to ferment the dough to make appam.

Halfway through the precariously creaky bridge, I saw him stepping onto the other end of the bridge facing me… and instantly my cortisol and adrenaline levels shot up.

Gurno must have sensed that I was shaken. He stepped aside and let me walk toward him. I scurried off towards the toddy shop clutching the money that Granny had handed over to me for the toddy.

While waiting for my bottle, I realized that I had Gurno by my side. He sniffed me a couple of times and stood beside me maintaining a decent distance, while smiling and acknowledging everyone seated on the wooden benches, in his Universal Brotherhood style.

In merely those few minutes, he gained my trust and confidence through his loving look delivered much like an elevator pitch. Just that, Gurno’s elevator pitch came straight from his heart without saying a word.

While walking back home, he strode beside me as if we knew each other all our lives. Gurno was a great listener. He kept smiling and enjoying my chat with him.

I’m guessing that he caught the scent of Granny on me which is probably why he decided he needs to hand me back safely to Granny and say Hello to her too.

I announced to Granny while handing over the bottle that Gurno had accompanied me. Granny gave me a knowing look and came out with some treats for Gurno.

While leaving, Gurno let me pet him as he wagged his tail with the air of a connoisseur.  Gurno stirred my heart with his eyes that oozed loving affection that one could expect only from a man’s best friend.